2 . It was the winter when I taught in a small country school on the west coast of Vancouver Island. I had three grades of little people in my class, all beaming with the desire to learn all they could. One little boy named David from my grade one class wanted to learn more than all the others. His round swollen face would smile up at me, reminding me over and over of his disease—leukemia. More often than not, he would be missing from our classroom for rounds of treatments.
All of us were so pleased, then, to have that happy little boy with us for Christmas. We decorated our classroom, practised for the concert, and prepared Christmas stories to share.
Two days before school let out for the three-week Christmas holiday, I read a story to the class. It was the story of “The Littlest Angel”. This little angel had an awful time in heaven. He could not adjust to the routine. He was always in trouble, bumping into other angels, tripping over clouds or dropping his halo. Nothing seemed to make his time easier until one celestial day an archangel suggested that the little angel take some items with him. Just a few things to remind him of his good old days, which might be of some help.
As I read the story, a complete silence fell over the class as each child became more involved in the plight of the angel. Everyone was sympathetic for his misfortune, including David.
The following day during our regular show-and-tell time, holding a small wooden box, David began his sharing, “This is my first tooth,” he explained. “This is a ribbon from my sister’s hair, and this is my puppy’s collar. My dad gave me this old key. My mom says this big coin is for good luck.” Even before he told us the purpose of the box, we all seemed to know. Shiny tears went dot-to-dot down the faces of the other children. The rest of the day witnessed all of us carefully preparing items to fill David’s wooden box.
When the holidays came to a close, we all returned to our class—all except David. He had got a good chance and left for a big city to get better treatment, clutching the wooden box that held his hope and memories, and ours.
1. What can we learn about David from the first paragraph?
| A．His attractive smile impressed his teacher a lot. |
| B．Though seriously ill, he was passionate to learn. |
| C．His disease prevented him from going to school. |
| D．Though looking normal,he suffered from a fatal disease. |
2. What does the underlined part “
the plight” refer to?
| A．The past time. | B．The promising future. |
| C．The awful situation. | D．The daily routine. |
3. Why did David prepare a wooden box?
| A．To share his items. | B．To help the little angel. |
| C．To treat his disease. | D．To hold the good memories. |
4. Which of the following best describes David?
| A．Intelligent and diligent. | B．Sociable and adventurous. |
| C．Strong-willed and ambitious. | D．Optimistic and courageous. |
