Reading the Park

The small boy watched the children on the other side of the railing. They were skimming down the slide,landing on the bouncy lawn. The screamed as they almost touched the sky with each upward curve of the swing. They shrieked at each dip of the merry?鄄go?鄄round. He looked at them and longed to share their joy.

After several minutes the small boy turned slowly from the fence and walked away. As he walked he recalled his first visit to the park. Without hesitation he had gone through the gates and run to the seesaw. A white boy about his own age had sat down opposite him. As his legs folded to send the seesaw flying up from the grass,the small black boy had felt a hand press his shoulder. He turned to look into the face of the attendant. “Get off!” said the man.

“Why?” asked the boy.“What have I done?”

“The council says that we Negroes must not use the same park as the white people. You must use the park where you live.”

“Theres no park where I live,” said the boy.

The attendant took him to the gate. At the entrance the man pointed to a notice board. “Look, you can read it for yourself:WHITES ONLY.”

Since then the boy had walked past the park many times. And every time he had longed to go inside.

That night during supper a thought came to the boys mind. He sat,spoon poised in the air,shaken by the greatness of the idea. Why not go to the park after dark,after it had closed its gates? Ill do it,he told himself. Ill go to the park as soon as were finished eating.

Once clear of his own district, the boy broke into a trot. He passed through the downtown area with its many shop windows. At last he saw in front of him the park with its gates and iron railing.

There was no one in sight. The rails were cold to his touch. He pulled himself up to perch on the top of the fence,then dropped to the lawn below.

He ran from the swings to he merry?鄄go?鄄round,from the seesaw to the chute. Up the steps he went to the top. He stood outlined against the sky. He was a bird, an eagle. He flung himself down on his stomach, sliding swiftly. Wheeeeeee!

On the swing,feet astride,hands clutching the chains,he jerked his body to gain momentum. He crouched like a runner, then straightened. The swing swept higher, higher,higher.

A light switched on in the little house at the far side of the park. The door opened and he saw a dark figure in the doorway. Then the door was shut and the figure strode over to him. He knew it was the attendant.

He kept on swinging.

The man came to a halt in front of him. All the attendants feelings urged him to leave the boy alone. But he was afraid someone might see them. “Get off! Go home!”he screamed, his voice harsh with the anger he felt at the system that drove him against his own people. “If you dont get off,Ill go for the police.”

The boy didnt answer. He just kept on swinging.

The attendant turned and ran for the gate.

“Mamma,mamma,”the small boy cried. His voice mounted, his screams keeping pace with the swing as it climbed higher, higher.

At the entrance to the park the notice board stood tall,its shadow pointing straight at him.

Ⅰ.How well did you read?

1 [Note the fact.] On his first visit to the park.the boy .

A.climbed over the railingB. began to play on the seesaw

C. stood outside and watched

2 [Follow the time order] Which did the attendant do last?

.

A. He showed the boy the notice board

B. He touched the boys shoulder

C. He took the boy to the gate

3 [Read between the lines.] The boy decided to go to the park

after dark because he thought.

A. no one would see himB. more children would be there

C. the notice board would be gone

4 [Note the fact.] To reach the park the boy passed through

.

A. his own district B. the downtown area

C. Both A and B

5 [Understand the mood.] Playing on the chute made the boy

feel like .

A. a breezeB. an eagle C. a runner

6 [Follow the time order.] The last thing the attendant did was

.

A. shout at the boy

B. run to the gateC. walk over to the swing

7 [Understand the mood] At the end of the story the boy was

.

A. puzzled B. happy C. frightened

Ⅱ.Learn about words

A.in the paragraph,find the word that best fits the meaning below. Write the word.

1 screamed;cried out (1)

2 group of people who make laws (4)

3 sit; rest (10)

4 force or speed of movement (12)

5 rose;climbed (18)

B.Read each sentence.Look back at the paragraph and find the word that best fits. Write the word.

6 The warrior stood ready with his spearin the air. (8)

7 We have a high woodenround our garden. (9)

8 They poured the grain down the longreading into the ships hold (11)

9 The birds in his drawing were in black crayon. (11)

10 The at the swimming pool will rent you a towel.(13)