2016年公共英語四級寫作範文:A Special Breakfast
Until last year, the greatest sorrow of my life was that my wife Alice and I couldn’t have any children. To make up for this in a small way, we always invited all the children on our street to our house each Christmas morning for breakfast.
We would decorate the house with snowflakes and angels in the windows, a nativity scene and a Christmas tree in the living room, and other ornaments that we hoped would appeal to the children. When our young guests arrived—there were usually ten or fifteen of them—we said grace and served them such delicacies as orange juice garnished with a candy cane. And after the meal we gave each of the youngsters a wrapped toy or game. We used to look forward to these breakfasts with the joyful impatience of children.
But last year, about six weeks before Christmas, Alice died. I could not concentrate at work. I could not force myself to cook anything but the simplest dishes. Sometimes I would sit for hours without moving, and then suddenly find myself crying for no apparent reason.
I decided not to invite the children over for the traditional Christmas breakfast. But Kathy and Peter, my next door neighbors, asked me to join them and their three children for dinner on Christmas Eve. As soon as I arrived and had my coat off, Kathy asked me, “Do you have any milk at your house?”
“Yes,” I replied. “If you need some, I’ll go right away.”
“Oh, that’s all right. Come and sit down. The kids have been waiting for you. Just give Peter your keys.”
So I sat down, prepared for a nice chat with eight-year-old Beth and six-year-old Jimmy. (Their little sister was upstairs sleeping.) But my words wouldn’t come. What if Beth and Jimmy should ask me about my Christmas breakfast? How could I explain to them? Would they think I was just selfish or self-pitying? I began to think they would. Worse, I began to think they would be right.
But neither of them mentioned the breakfast. At first I felt relieved, but then I started to wonder if they remembered it or cared about it. As they prattled on about their toys, their friends and Christmas, I thought they would be reminded of our breakfast tradition, and yet they said nothing. This was strange, I thought, but the more we talked, the more I became convinced that they remembered the breakfast but didn’t want to embarrass Grandpa Melowski (as they called me) by bringing it up.
Dinner was soon ready and afterward we all went to late Mass. After Mass, the Zacks let me out of their car in front of my house. I thanked them and wished them all merry Christmas as I walked toward my front door. Only then did I notice that Peter had left a light on when he borrowed the milk—and that someone had decorated my windows with snowflakes and angels!
When I opened the door, I saw that the whole house had been transformed with a Christmas tree, a nativity scene, candles and all the other decorations of the season. On the dining room table was Alice’s green Christmas tablecloth and her pinecone centerpiece. What a kind gesture! At that moment, I wished that I could still put on the breakfast, but I had made no preparations.
Early the next morning, a five-year-old with a package of sweet rolls rang my bell. Before I could ask him what was going on, he was joined by two of his friends, one with a pound of bacon, the other with a pitcher of orange juice. Within fifteen minutes, my house was alive with all the children on my street, and I had all the food I needed for the usual festive breakfast. I was tremendously pleased, although in the back of my mind I still feared that I would disappoint my guests. I knew my spur-of-the-moment party was missing one important ingredient.
At about nine-thirty, though, I had another surprise. Kathy Zack came to my back door.
“How’s the breakfast?” she asked.
“I’m having the time of my life,” I answered.
“I brought something for you,” she said, setting a shopping bag on the counter.
“More food?”
“No,” she said. “Take a look.”
Inside the bag were individually wrapped packages, each bearing the name of one of the children and signed, “Merry Christmas from Grandpa Melowski.”
My happiness was complete. It was more than just knowing that the children would receive their customary gifts and wouldn’t be disappointed; it was the feeling that everyone cared.
I like to think it’s significant that I received a gift of love on the same day that the world received a sign of God’s love two thousand years ago in Bethlehem. I never found out who to thank for my Christmas present. I said my “Thank you” in my prayers that night—and that spoke of my gratitude more than anything I could ever say to my neighbors.
-
公共英語三級成績查詢
20**上半年公共英語三級考試成績現已公佈!根據教育部考試中心綜合查詢網發佈的消息得知,20**上半年公共英語三級成績查詢時間為5月12日起。提醒考生,成績公佈後應按以下程序查詢:①、選擇考試時間,報考省份、考試級別;②、輸入准考證號、姓名和報考的身份證件號碼(至...
-
2016年公共英語五級考試經典閲讀素材
距離2016年下半年的公共英語五級考試越來越近了,大家要抓緊時間備考,下面是yjbys網小編提供給大家關於公共英語五級考試經典閲讀素材,供大家練習。Whytheinductiveandmathematicalsciences,aftertheirfirstrapiddevelopmentattheculminationofGreekcivilization,a...
-
全國英語等級考試三級閲讀衝刺模擬試題
Acontentedmindisaperpetualfeast.以下是小編為大家搜索整理的全國英語等級考試三級閲讀衝刺模擬試題,希望能給大家帶來幫助!更多精彩內容請及時關注我們應屆畢業生考試網!PartCDirections:Readingthefollowingtextfromwhichfivesentenceshavesefromthe$enl,ence...
-
全國英語等級考試一級作文精編版(精選22篇)
在日常學習、工作抑或是生活中,大家都寫過作文吧,作文根據寫作時限的不同可以分為限時作文和非限時作文。還是對作文一籌莫展嗎?下面是小編精心整理的全國英語等級考試一級作文精編版,歡迎大家借鑑與參考,希望對大家有所幫助。全國英語等級考試一級作文精編版篇1Iwi...
相關文章
- 高中生優秀英語作文:Have a break away from electronics
- 英語報紙解讀:Data may disrupt a peculiar business大綱
- RemarksofPresidentBarackObama優秀英語作文
- 英語閲讀:African Union Leaders Talk Mali, Chinese Investmen
- A Special Breakfast英語作文
- 英語報紙解讀:Data may disrupt a peculiar business
- 六級英語寫作範文:The Celebration of Western Festivals
- 英語寫作技巧:Ask for a casual leave
- Is a Test of Spoken English Necessary英語四級作文
- 英語作文:大學生村官 College Graduates Work as Village Offic