100个儿童英语小故事: The Pea Blossom 豌豆花

 

040 The Pea Blossom

Five grains of green peas were growing together side by side in a shell. The green pea grains grew little by little with warm sunshine. Because of the green shell, they thought the whole world also would be green.

"Make some room for me. Why do we feel this shell is much smaller than before?" As they grew up, they felt cramped¹ in the shell. Autumn was just around the corner, and the green shell turned yellowish.

One boy came close and picked the green pea shell. "The shell will be opened!" "Which one of us will go the farthest?" The green pea grains murmured together nervously², and looked forward to the shell being opened.

The boy grasped the shell tightly and spread his hand out. Then, the shell was opened, and the grains jumped and popped out of the shell.

The first green pea fell down on a roof and became food for a pigeon. The second green pea did too. The third green pea fell into a sewer³ and lived in the mud. The fourth green pea remained in the boy's hand and was locked in the boy's treasure box.

The youngest green pea jumped out as hard as he could and went the farthest. It landed in the corner of a windowsill of a house in a street. It was full of dust and moss⁴.

An ill girl and her mother lived in the house. They were so poor that her mother had to work all day. The ill girl had to stay in her bed all the time by herself. 

Small leaves and dust from here and there covered the youngest pea. In spring, a small bud began to come out of his body. One day, the ill girl saw the new bud on the windowsill of her attic⁵. "Mom, look at this. There's small buds on the windowsill." Her mother came close to the window and looked at it carefully.

"You're right. The small green pea pushed out new buds!" Her mother was also surprised at the new buds, and the girl's eyes were glittering with joy. "Mom, would you move my bed close to the window? I want to watch it growing and stretching out." "Sure, I will. Cheer up!"

Her mother put some soil on the windowsill and she made a stick stand for the green pea. She helped the green pea stretch its roots and vines. The girl stretched her body to look out at the green pea's vines. She kept stretching her back, and in the end, she can get out of her bed and stand. Her cheeks became full of fresh red color. 

Then, one morning, the girl shouted out with joy. "Oh! The white flowers began to come out. Mom, come and look at this green pea flower." Her mother ran to her and embraced her daughter who was standing⁶ by herself. "That little grain of green pea helped my daughter to stand up and walk." Tears were standing in the mother's eyes. The two were standing with happy smiles next to the window of bright and warm sunshine.

1 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

2 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

3 sewer   

n.排水沟，下水道

参考例句：

• They are tearing up the street to repair a sewer. 他们正挖开马路修下水道。
• The boy kicked a stone into the sewer. 那个男孩把一石子踢进了下水道。

4 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

5 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。