In college, I wrote an essay about Christmas Eve to catch the spirit of this special night for my family. I got an A, and even better was this comment from my professor, “I believe you have found a direction for future job.”
My essay described our traditions: turkey, church, two presents. A lot of it was about my Aunt Bud, the head of my mom’s family. We were lucky we lived closest, so she spent holidays at our house. Sadly, she’s gone now. Like so many wonderful spirits, she died too young, just after she retired with big plans for an easy life. But she’s not really gone. She visits us all often, in the form of a cardinal—her favorite bird.
One June day, I called my mom. “What are you doing?” I asked. “Sitting here looking at the tree,” she said, referring to the tree in the middle of our yard. It was about a foot tall when my dad planted it today it towers over the roof. “There are cardinals all over it,” Mom said. “I’ve never seen so many.” I wasn’t surprised. “Mom, you know what day it is, right?” I said. “It’s Aunt Bud’s birthday.” So of course, she had come to visit—with friends.
In this issue of our Reader’s Digest, we’ve collected inspiring stories about unusual events that happened around the holidays. This year we focus on people who showed a kindness that made a forever difference in someone’s life. “Angels in action,” we call them. I hope your angels visit you this holiday season. Please write to me at letters@rd.com and share your stories with us.
1. According to the text, the writer is probably a(n)________.
A.actress | B.professor | C.scientist | D.editor |
2. What were included in the writer’s essay about Christmas Ev?
①Christmas presents
②plants and birds
③traditions and relatives
④the spirit of Christmas Eve
3. The writer was not surprised by many cardinals on Aunt Bud’s birthday because she believed ________.
A.cardinals were Aunt Bud’s favorite birds |
B.unusual events always happened around the holidays |
C.the tree her father planted was attractive to cardinals |
D.it was Aunt Bud and her friends that came to visit them |
4. What is the purpose of this text?
A.To share her life experiences. | B.To call on people to share similar stories. |
C.To value the memory of Aunt Bud. | D.To encourage readers to show kindness. |