The gift of giving

湖南岳陽市華容四中 涂國平

All Sewn Up is a mystery,but it's also a book about giving.Anne's young daughter,Liddie,gets involved ina coat driveand soon has the entire town participating.As I wrote about her campaign,I remembered my own childhood.My mother had a heart for giving.

We celebrated May Day by making flower bouquets in canning jars.Mom would add home-made cookies,and we would sneak （潛行）up to old people's houses,set our gifts on their doorsteps,ring the bell,then run and hide to watch them come to the door and discover their gifts.We always got a smile,though they couldn't see us,and their pleasure filled my heart with joy.I learned that giving is truly a gift to the giver.Our own problems diminish（減少）when we help someone else.

My mother had a servant's heart.In her late fifties,she and a friend started a hospice shop.The store is still in operation some 40 years later.They often had people come in asking for help.They gave out clothing,bedding and household items to many in need.

A homeless man came in one day,looking for work.He was hungry.My mother gave him a broom and asked him to sweep the front sidewalk.While he was working,she went out and purchased a meal for him.He came back to sweep many times,and she would buy food for him.Then one day he disappeared.

Months later,he brought his daughter to the shop to meet my mother.He explained that her kindness made him long for his family.He had returned home and gotten help to overcome an addiction.He thanked my mother for giving him hope and encouragement to change his life.

Our gifts turn into precious gems（寶石）when we offer what we have.

閱讀檢測

1.What does the underlined part“a coat drive”refer to?

A.Driving for the prize of a coat.

B.Raising clothes for the needed.

C.Reading about the drive and coats.

D.Writing mysterious stories about coats.

2.Why did the writer hide herself when sending gifts to the old people?

A.Because the gifts were only paper flowers.

B.Because she didn't want them to know her.

C.Because she was not confident enough.

D.Because they would bring her more problems.

3.Why did the homeless man disappear one day?

A.The man was determined to start a new life.

B.The man can't stand the addiction any more.

C.The writer's mother sold the little shop then.

D.The writer's mother can't afford to feed him.

4.What does the text intend to tell us?

A.To give is ready to receive.

B.Kindness makes a difference.

C.The older you get,the harder it is to part with.

D.Where there's a will,there's a way.

語言學習

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He thanked my mother for giving him hope and encouragement to change his life.他對我媽媽表達了謝意，感謝她給予他希望和鼓勵，讓他的生活得到改變。

【信息提取】thank sb for doing sth 意為“因為……而感激某人”。

【句式仿寫】謝謝你邀請我參加你的生日派對。