100个儿童英语小故事: The Little Match-Girl 卖火柴的小女孩

 

 

019 The Little Match-Girl

It was a Christmas Eve with heavy snow. A little girl was selling matches on the street. "Matches, matches!"

But no one looked at her. She had lost her parents a few days ago, and she was selling matches without a coat in the cold weather. She didn't even sell one box. The girl was so hungry that she couldn't even open her mouth.

Then, a carriage came close to her. Trying to keep away from the carriage, she slipped¹ and fell on the ice, and she lost her shoes. She had to walk on the snowy street with bare feet. 

Over a window, she saw a family gathered under a warm and bright light. They seemed so happy. The snow began to fall more heavily. "It's cold. "Her body was frozen² hard.

Even though she was hungry and felt pain in her feet, she couldn't go back home because she couldn't sell any matches. "Matches, you want some matches?" The people walking on the street looked very happy holding each other's arms. But no one bought the girl's matches.

"Ho~ ho~!" She tried to warm up her hands and feet, but it only made her hungrier. "It's so cold. Why is it so cold today? I have to skip my meal today because I couldn't sell any of these matches."

She lit a match to warm up her body. Even though it was a small light, it made her a little warmer. She felt as if she was sitting right next to a fireplace³. "Oh, it's warm!" She kept lighting⁴ matches.

Suddenly, a table full of delicious food came up in front of her. "Oh, it looks delicious."

As she lit another match, a Christmas tree appeared. "How beautiful!"

She lit the last match. Then, her grandmother appeared. "Sweetie, come to Heaven with me." The girl's grandmother held her tight⁵ in her arms and rose up to the sky.

The next day, she was dead and found in the street. "Poor girl, Maybe she tried to warm herself with these matches. Tut, tut." People felt pity for the girl and buried her in the ground in the sunlight⁶.

 

1 slipped   

adj.打滑，打滑的v.滑( slip的过去式和过去分词 )；滑脱；下降；（健康状况等）变差

参考例句：

• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。
• The climber slipped and dropped to his death. 攀登者一失足掉下去摔死了。

2 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

3 fireplace   

n.壁炉，炉灶

参考例句：

• The fireplace smokes badly.这壁炉冒烟太多。
• I think we should wall up the fireplace.我想应该封住壁炉。

4 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

5 tight   

adj.紧的；难解的；紧密的

参考例句：

• Time is going to be tight,so you'd better hurry.时间很紧，你最好抓紧一点。
• The box is so tight that I can't open it.这个盒子太紧，我打不开。

6 sunlight   

n.日光，阳光，日照

参考例句：

• The room was flooded with warm and golden sunlight.房间充满着温暖、金色的阳光。
• In the bright sunlight she had to narrow her eyes.在强烈阳光下她必须眯着双眼。