Everyone Has Something to Give

潘渊英

When my daughter was in primary school， she brought home four small twigs （嫩枝） one day. Her school gave these twigs to the students to plant. None of them looked very hardy， but with hope for the future， I planted them in our backyard. Over the years， because of an accident with the lawnmower （割草机） and poor soil （土壤）， three of them died. Only one survived.

It grew crooked （弯弯曲曲的） and very slowly. It never got very tall. In the end， it looked more like a fat bush than a tree. A few years ago， I noticed that it was starting to die. The lower branches were becoming bare. Only the top third of the tree was still green. Last summer I did my best to save it by feeding it a lot of fertilizer （肥料）， but it didn't work.

Later one morning， I went out and looked at it again. I was wondering whether it would be better to just cut it down. It would make mowing the lawn easier. As I walked over to take a closer look at it， however， I noticed something moving within the leaves. It was a robin （知更鸟） patiently building a nest in the topmost branches. I smiled when I looked at it. I thought maybe this old tree was still useful. It might not be healthy or pretty， but it was still giving a bird a home.

This tree reminded me that all of our lives have purpose. It doesn't matter if we are young and strong or old and sickly. Until our last breath， we have things to do， love to give， and joy to share.  We can help to make this world a better and more beautiful place.

【难句解析】

1. A few years ago， I noticed that it was starting to die.

释义：几年前，我注意到它就要死了。

点拨：（1） notice意为“注意到”，指有意識地留意到，含有从不注意到注意的变化过程。

notice sb. do sth. 注意到某人做过某事;notice sb. doing sth. 注意到某人正在做某事。例如：

They noticed him walking into the hotel.

（2） start意为“开始”，可用于 start to do sth.或start doing sth.，但是当start本身用进行时时，后常用 to do sth.。例如：

I am starting to feel bored here.

2. Until our last breath， we have things to do， love to give， and joy to share.

释义：只要我们还有一息尚存，就还有事情要做，有关爱要付出，有快乐要分享。

点拨：things to do， love to give， joy to share都是以“名词+动词不定式”的结构组成，动词不定式作定语，与其所修饰的词之间有动宾关系。这三个相似结构的内容并列使用，使用了排比的修辞手法，可以表示强调，使句子结构紧凑，或制造某种氛围，或表示某种语气。例如：

He wants water to drink.

I. Choose the right answer：

1. What made the three trees die， according to the writer？

A. They grew out of small and hardy twigs.

B. The daughter didn't plant them correctly.

C. The soil around them was not rich.

D. There was no sunlight in the backyard.

2. What did the only remaining tree look like a few years ago？

A. It was straight and tall. B. It grew fat very quickly.

C. It looked like a bird's nest. D. There were not many leaves on it.

3. What might the writer do with the tree later？

A. He might cut it down. B. He might leave it as it is.

C. He might build more nests on it. D. He might take away some of its leaves.

4. In the story， the writer aims to tell us that ________.

A. we should take care of animals and plants

B. we should work hard until our last breath

C. every living thing has its own purpose

D. we are living in a beautiful world

II. Fill in the blanks：

1. ________________ （再仔細看一下） the wallpaper， you'll find a pair of painted hands.

2. The soldiers fought against their enemies ________________ （直到最后一口气）.

3. No matter how hard life is， we should go on ________________ （对未来怀有希望）.

4. ________________ （上部三分之一） the building was on fire.