The best nourishment of life

江苏徐州七中 彭向梅

悦读贴士

本刊所有文章中注释的词汇均为非课标词汇，无须记忆与理解;在文后注释的词汇为课标词汇，建议同学们将后者整理为词汇掌中宝，以便随带随记。

Step 1感知·阅读导航

话题导入

有一位父亲蹒跚越过铁道，只为送儿子去北京求学。后来，儿子成了文学家，并著文《背影》以纪念拳拳父爱。

有一位母亲总是默默无语，只为儿子倾其所有。后来，儿子成了著名作家，写出了《我与地坛》等多部文学作品，感动了无数人。

有一位父亲善良而睿智，只为患了小儿麻痹症的儿子偷偷浇灌幼苗，由此赋予儿子健全的人格和乐观的态度。后来，儿子成了美国历史上最伟大的总统之一。

斯人已去。很多时候我们已无法说出这些闪耀着人性光辉的父亲抑或母亲的名字，但他们儿子的名字让我们记忆犹新：朱自清、史铁生，还有富兰克林·罗斯福。

生命如一棵树。是什么让幼苗经历风雨，长成参天大树？让我们一起开启阅读时光，在文字中感悟和寻找什么才是生命最好的养料，我们又该如何报答那些参与我们生命成长的人。

全文词数410，难度适中，但意味隽永，建议用时7分钟。

阅读立意

阅读时应达到以下四个基本目标：

1.分析记叙文中情节的推动——开端、发展与结果；

2.体会并掌握顺序的写作手法，以时间先后顺序的关键词为线索的段落开展方式；

3.在同一话题中，采用读后续写的方式完成读写结合和能力的提升；

4.素养构建，学会表达爱与感恩。

A little boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world because poliomyelitis（小儿麻痹症）made his leg lame.He seldom played with his classmates；and when the teacher asked him to answer questions,he always lowered his head without a word.

One spring,the boy’s father asked for some saplings（树苗）from the neighbor.He wanted to plant them in front of the house.He told his children to plant a sapling each person.The father said to the children,“Whose sapling grows best,I will buy him or her a favorite gift.” The boy also wanted to get his father’s gift.But seeing his brothers and sisters carrying water to water the trees happily,anyhow,he hit upon an idea—he hoped the tree he planted would die soon.So after watering it once or twice,he never attended to it.

一个小男孩几乎认为自己是世界上最不幸的孩子，因为小儿麻痹症使他腿脚行动不便。他很少跟同学们玩耍，老师叫他回答问题时，他也总是低着头一言不发。

一年春天，小男孩的父亲从邻居家讨了些树苗，他想把它们栽在房前。他叫孩子们每人种一棵。父亲对孩子们说:“谁栽的树苗长得最好，我就给谁买一件最喜欢的礼物。”小男孩也想得到父亲的礼物，但是看到兄弟姐妹们快活地提着水去浇树，不知怎么回事，他萌生了一个想法：他希望自己栽的树苗早日死去。因此他浇水一两次后，就再也没去照管小树苗了。

几天后，小男孩再去看他种的树苗时，他惊奇地发现它不仅没有枯萎，而且还长出了一些新叶，并且与他哥哥姐姐种的树相比，他的树显得更加翠绿、更有生气。父亲兑现了他的诺言，为小男孩买了一件他最喜欢的礼物，并告诉他:从他栽的树来看，他长大后一定能成为一名出色的植物学家。

从那以后，小男孩慢慢变得乐观起来。一天晚上，小男孩躺在床上睡不着，望着窗外明亮的月光，突然想起生物老师说过植物一般都在晚上生长。何不去看看自己种的那棵小树呢?他轻手轻脚地来到院子里的时候，却看见父亲正用勺子在自己栽种的那棵树下泼洒着什么。顿时，他一切都明白了，原来父亲一直在偷偷地为自己栽种的树苗施肥!他返回房间后，止不住泪流满面。

几十年过去了，小男孩并没有成为植物学家，却成了美国总统。他的名字叫富兰克林·罗斯福。

爱是生命最好的养料，哪怕只是一勺清水，它都能使生命之树茁壮成长。也许那棵树是那样不起眼，也许还弱不禁风，甚至还有些枯萎，但只要有爱的养料孕育，它就能枝繁叶茂，甚至长成参天大树。

A few days later,when the little boy went to see his tree again,he was surprised to find it not only didn’t wilt （枯萎）,but also grew some fresh leaves,and compared with the trees of his brothers and sisters,his appeared greener and more vital.His father kept his promise,bought the little boy his favorite gift and said to him—from the tree he planted,he would become an outstanding botanist when he grew up.

Since then,the little boy slowly became optimistic.One night,the little boy lay on the bed but couldn’t sleep.Looking at the bright moonlight outside the window,he suddenly recalled what the biology teacher once said—plants generally grow at night.Why not go to see the tree?When he came to the courtyard on tiptoe,he found his father was splashing （泼洒）something under his tree with a ladle(长柄勺).All of a sudden,he understood his father had been secretly fertilizing （施肥）his small tree!He returned to his room,tears running down his face without restraint（约束力）.

Decades passed.The little boy didn’t become a botanist,but he was elected President of the United States.His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

Love is the best nourishment of life;even if it is just one ladleful of clear water,it can make the tree of life thrive （兴盛）.Maybe that tree is inconspicuous（不明显的）;perhaps that the tree is so thin,and even some withered （枯萎的）,but as long as there is nourishment of love,it can flourish and even grow into towering trees.

Step 2 实践·文本解读

Ⅰ.热词积累

Vocabulary

1.lame adj.unable to walk well because of an injury to the leg or foot瘸的；跛的

2.optimistic adj.expecting good things to happen or sth to be successful;showing this feeling乐观的；抱乐观看法的

3.recall v.to remember sth记起；回忆起；回想起

4.elect v.to choose sb to do a particular job by voting for them选举；推选

5.nourishment n.food that is needed to stay alive,grow and stay healthy营养

6.flourish v.to grow well;to be healthy and happy茁壮成长；健康幸福

Phrases

1.hit upon an idea萌生一想法

2.attend to照料；护理；处理

3.compare with（把……）与……相比

4.keep one's promise信守诺言

5.an outstanding botanist杰出的植物学家

6.all of a sudden突然地；突如其来地；猛然地

Ⅱ.一句多译

一个小男孩几乎认为自己是世界上最不幸的孩子，因为小儿麻痹症使他的腿跛了。

A little boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world because poliomyelitis made his leg lame.

→A little boy almost the most unfortunate child in the world because poliomyelitis made his leg lame.

【答案】considered/treated/saw/viewed himself as

立意呈现

Ⅰ.Fast reading to get the basic structure of the text.（One word for one blank）

B e g i n n i n g A l i t t l e b o y a l m o s t t h o u g h t o f h i m s e l f a s t h e m o s t 1. c h i l d i n t h e w o r l d d u e t o h i s 2. .D e v e l o p m e n t T h e b o y’s f a t h e r h e l p e d t h e b o y r e b u i l d c o n f i d e n c e a n d b e c o m e 3.w i t h d e e p l o v e.4.T h e l i t t l e b o y w a s e l e c t e d P r e s i d e n t o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s w i t h l o v e.

Ⅱ.Careful reading to complete the time list of the event.

Surprisingly,the tree of the boy was the best,and his father predicted that he would become an outstanding botanistwhen the boy grew up.

A.The father promised that any child whose sapling grew best could get a favorite gift,but the boy gave up on the half way.

B.The little boy was elected President of the United States with the best nourishment of love.

C.Since then

D.The little boy slowly became optimistic and finally found the secret that his father had been fertilizing his small tree for a long time.

【点石成金】分析记叙文的方法很多，可以从六要素，即时间、地点、人物、事件起因、发展和结果分析；也可以从环境、人物和内容分析。而本文共六段，有非常明显的开端、发展、结果三段结构。在发展部分又是典型的时间顺序手法，值得关注。

Ⅲ.Deep reading to understand the title.

1.What’s the function of the title？

2.What’s the function of the last paragraph？

Step 3 运用·读写整合

1.凸显文本特点

本文语篇结构非常清晰，包括开端、发展和结尾三大部分。发展段基于时间关键词衔接展开。缩写语篇时，只要我们能关注宏观的段落结构和发展部分的时间点，即可达成缩写目标。这样的行文特点，同学们可以进行笔记积累。2.读写任务

（1）语篇缩写

A little boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world due to his disease.One spring,________________________________________.A few days later,__________________________.Since then, _________________________.Decades passed._________________________.As is revealed in the text,（主旨）___________________________________________________________________________________.

（2）读后续写

阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

“CanIseemybaby?”thehappynewmotherasked.

She moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face； she gasped （喘息）.The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window.The sad fact was that the baby had been born without ears.

Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect.It was only his appearance that was ruined.When he rushed home from school one day and flung（投进） himself into his mother’s arms,she sighed,knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.

He blurted （脱口而出）out the tragedy.“A boy,a big boy...called me a freak （怪物）.”

He grew up,handsome for his misfortune.A favorite with his fellow classmates,he might have been class president,but for that.He developed a talent for literature and music.

“But you might mingle with （交际） other young people,”his mother scolded him,but felt a kindness in her heart.

The boy’s father had a session with the family physician， “Could nothing be done?”

“I believe I could operate on a pair of outer ears,if they could be accessible,”the doctor decided.Therefore,the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.

Two years went by.One day,his father said to the son, “You’re going to the hospital,son.Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need.But it’s a secret.”

The operation was a brilliant success,and a new person turned up.His talents blossomed into genius,and school and college became a series of triumphs（胜利）.

Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.One day,he asked his father,“Who gave me the ears?Who gave me so much?I could never do enough for him or her.”

“I do not believe you could,” said the father,“but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet.”注意：

1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；2.应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。Paragraph 1:

The years kept their profound secret,but the day did come.

Paragraph 2:

Shocked and moved,the son burst into tears.【文本分析】

快读文章，理清文章脉络，并完成细节填空，每空一词。

【故事情节预测】

1.What’s the secret?

2.What changed the boy’s life and made him burst into tears?

3.What would happen to the mother?

【故事主旨推测】

It’s the mother’s love that really makes a difference.

【尝试写作】

Paragraph 1:

The years kept their profound secret,but the day did come.

Paragraph 2:

Shocked and moved,the son burst into tears.

Step 4 提升·素养建构

父母的爱，如涓涓细流，柔柔地萦绕心间；父母的爱，无私无言，默默地陪伴一生。而在诗歌中，父母的爱也是永恒主题之一。下面精选一首诗，一首歌。诗简洁，朗朗上口，言说妈妈的爱。歌曲I Love You This Much，是由有“美国乡村音乐王子”之称的歌手Jimmy Wayne演唱的，演绎了别样的父子情。Wayne出生在一个破碎的家庭，自幼被生父遗弃，过着颠沛流离、寄人篱下的艰辛生活。直到2001年，年届而立之年的他进入乡村音乐界发展后才取得成功。正是受Jimmy Wayne本身的经历影响，他歌中对亲情的渴盼才那样真挚细腻、令人动容，歌曲深处能触及宽容与豁达——相信自己从不孤单，相信父亲也在以一种不同的方式爱着他。

而叙事手法上，解说mother的词，以诠释首字母开展，简洁明快；而讲述思父之情的I Love You This Much，用歌词讲述了一个故事。暗含的时间事件线，伴随作者的经历和情感的变化。反复出现的揭示主题的——我对你的爱有这么多，循环推进主题。

【妈妈的解说】

M is for the things she gave me.

O means she grows old.

T is for the tears.

H is her heart.

E is for eyes.

R means right and right always be.

Mother’s love is like a circle.

It has no beginning and no ending.

Mother,what a nice word,what a great name?I love you so much.

【对父亲的爱】

I Love You This Much Jimmy Wayne

He can’t remember他已经记不清

The times that he thought,有多少次他这样忖度：

“Does my Daddy love me?”“父亲是不是爱我？”

“Probably not.”“或许不爱吧。 ”

That didn’t stop him但这未曾阻止他

From wishing that he did.希冀父亲爱过。

Didn’t keep him from wanting未曾阻止他对父亲的渴盼

Or worshiping him.与崇拜。

He guesses he saw him,他模糊地记得见过他，

About once a year.一年大概一次罢了。

He could still feel the way he felt,昔日的情景，他仍能感同身受

Standing in tears,茫然伫立，眼泪在流，

Stretching his arms out他极力向远方，

As far as they’d go,伸出双手，

And whispering,喃喃地说：

“Daddy I want you to know...“爸爸，希望你能知道……

I love you this much.我如此爱你。

And I’m waiting on you， 我一直在等你，

To make up your mind.确定地回答我。

Do you love me too?你也爱我吗？

However long it takes,无论等待多久，

I’m never giving up.我都不会放弃。

No matter what,无论答案如何，

I love you this much.我如此爱你。

……

解说mother的词，以诠释首字母开展，简洁明快；而讲述思父之情的I Love You This Much，以歌词讲述一个故事，始终以时间事件线推动情节发展。从模糊记得父亲，到作者逐渐长大，再到父亲的葬礼，伴随作者的情感变化。每一章节，反复出现揭示主题的 “I love you this much.And I’m waiting on you...” 的自我追问，重复循环，升华主题，和本文《生命最好的养料》结构和叙事手法有异曲同工之妙。