The Pecan Thief
When I was six years old, I was visiting my grandfather's farm in Kansas. Grandpa had sent me into the
36 to gather pecans for us to enjoy later.
Pecan picking was really
37 work and my little basket was only half full. I wasn't about to
38 Grandpa down. Just then something caught my
39 . A large brown squirrel was a few feet away. I watched as he picked up a pecan, hurried to a tree and
40 in a large hole in the trunk. A moment later the squirrel 41 out and climbed down to the ground to pick up another nut. Once again, he took the pecan back to his hiding place.
Not so
42 anymore, I thought. I dashed over to the tree and looked into the hole. It was
43 with pecans! Golden pecans were right there for taking. This was my
44 . Handful by handful, I scooped all of those pecans into my basket. Now it was full! I was so
45 of myself. I couldn't wait to show Grandpa all the pecans.
46 , I ran back and shouted, “Look at all the pecans!” He looked into the basket and said, “Well, well, how did you find so many ? ” I told him how I'd
47 the squirrel and taken the pecans from his hiding place.
Grandpa congratulated me on how smart I'd been in observing the squirrel and his habits. Then he did something that
48 me. He handed the basket back to me and put his arm gently
49 my shoulders.
“That squirrel worked very hard to gather his winter
50 of food, ” he said. “Now that all of his pecans are gone, don't you think that little squirrel will
51 the cold winter? ”
“I didn't think about that,” I said.
“I know, ” Grandpa said. “But a good man should never take
52 of someone else's hard work.”
Suddenly I felt a bit
53 . The image of the starving squirrel wouldn't
54 my mind. There was only one thing I could do. I carried the basket back to the tree and poured all the nuts into the hole.
I didn't eat any pecans that night, but I had something much more filling—the
55 of knowing I had done just the right thing.
| 小题1: | | A．woods | B．rooms | C．holes | D．roads |
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| 小题2: | | A．dirty | B．hard | C．light | D．easy |
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| 小题3: | | A．settle | B．let | C．have | D．keep |
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| 小题4: | | A．sweater | B．basket | C．hand | D．eye |
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| 小题5: | | A．joined | B．lived | C．disappeared | D．discovered |
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| 小题6: | | A．held | B．jumped | C．stood | D．found |
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| 小题7: | | A．secret | B．strange | C．anxious | D．patient |
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| 小题8: | | A．filled | B．covered | C．rebuilt | D．decorated |
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| 小题9: | | A．time | B．choice | C．achievement | D．chance |
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| 小题10: | | A．afraid | B．ashamed | C．proud | D．careful |
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| 小题11: | | A．Otherwise | B．However | C．Therefore | D．Besides |
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| 小题12: | | A．followed | B．driven | C．protected | D．caught |
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| 小题13: | | A．annoyed | B．satisfied | C．delighted | D．surprised |
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| 小题14: | | A．off | B．beside | C．around | D．over |
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| 小题15: | | A．cost | B．supply | C．support | D．preparation |
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| 小题16: | | A．escape | B．spend | C．flee | D．survive |
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| 小题17: | | A．place | B．notice | C．charge | D．advantage |
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| 小题18: | | A．unconfident | B．guilty | C．embarrassed | D．nervous |
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| 小题19: | | A．leave | B．open | C．cross | D．occupy |
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| 小题20: | | A．inspiration | B．expectation | C．satisfaction | D．impression |
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