文章大意:本文是记叙文。文章主要讲述了作者种果树,果实被盗,然后挂告示牌告诉大家,如果喜欢就请敲门并作自我介绍,她非常乐意与朋友们分享。文章告诉我们:生活中学会分享很重要。
When I was young, I wondered why neighborhoods didn’t plant fruit trees to build community Later, my husband and I decided the right way to answer this question was to do it ourselves, so we began to fill our front yard with fruit trees, such as strawberries, pomegranates (石榴) and oranges.
Every crop (庄稼) brought us closer to neighbors and strangers. The food was an excuse to communicate. Kids in the neighborhood, including our sons, learned patience and gentle timing. When we had extra, we’d share it. Then, we received a powerful lesson:a gift hidden as a loss. Our first-ever crop of pomegranates had ripened (成熟), but at harvest (丰收), they were all gone, stolen in the middle of the night.
We were shocked, sad and angry. One of my friends had fun suggesting we post a sign to curse (诅咒) thieves who stole our fruit.
And suddenly, the lesson was clear. We did need a sign, but our sign would encourage sharing and community. Last fall, we had a larger crop of pomegranates. We posted a sign that read, “If you’d like one, please knock and introduce yourself and we’d be happy to cut one off the tree for you. Cutting saves the branches (枝条) and is good for future growth so we can continue to share with new friends like you. Thanks, the Green Family.” Out of eight pieces of fruit, one pomegranate was taken, and most others gifted to new friends.
This year, we planted three new fruit trees — a peach, a pear and a plum. Today, I am happy to role model generosity (慷慨,大方) for my young sons and to have been blessed (祈福) with the chance to provide an edible (可食的) front yard (院子) for others.
8. What was the author and her husband’s decision?
A.To plant fruit trees in their front yard. |
B.To invite their neighbors to share fruits. |
C.To help their neighbors by planting fruit trees. |
D.To find the right answer to their neighbor’s question. |
9. In the author’s opinion, fruit trees in her yard ________.
A.provided food for the whole family |
B.satisfied the needs of her neighbors |
C.made her family lead a happier life |
D.offered a chance to get close to others |
10. We learn from the fourth paragraph that the author’s sign ________.
A.was made at the request of her friends |
B.was quite effective in stopping thieves |
C.didn’t bring the author any new friends |
D.contained information about the Green Family |
11. What message does the author want to express by telling the story?
A.Prevention is better than cure. |
B.Learning to share is important. |
C.Never judge a book by its cover. |
D.Good fences make good neighbors. |