A little girl whose parents had died lived with her grandmother and slept in an upstairs bedroom.
One night there was a fire in the house and the grandmother died while trying to rescue the child. The fire spread quickly, and the situation was terrible.
Neighbors called the fire department, and then stood helplessly by, unable to enter the house because flames blocked all the entrances. The little girl appeared at an upstairs window, crying for help, just as word spread among the crowd that the firefighters would be delayed a few minutes because they were all at another fire.
Suddenly, a man appeared with a ladder, put it up against the side of the house and disappeared inside. When he reappeared, he had the little girl in his arms. He delivered the child to the waiting arms below, and then disappeared into the night.
An investigation revealed that the child had no living relatives, and weeks later a meeting was held in the town hall to determine who would take the child into their home and bring her up.
A teacher said she would like to raise the child. She pointed out that she could ensure her a good education. A farmer offered her an up-bring on his farm. He pointed out that living on a farm was healthy and satisfying. Others spoke, giving their reasons why it was to the child’s advantage to live with them.
Finally, the town’s richest resident rose and said, “I can give this child all these advantages that you have mentioned here, plus money and everything that money can buy.”
Throughout all this, the child remained silent, her eyes on the floor.
“Does anyone else want to speak?” asked the meeting chairman. A man came forward from the back of the hall. He walked slowly and appeared to be in pain.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150词左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1
When he got to the front of the room, he stood directly in front of the little girl and help out his arms.
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Paragraph 2
When asked about her choice, the girl gave people the reasons firmly.
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