福建 劉 燕

Cindy,my Rough Collie,was six years old and she was the most home-loving and obedient dog.I loved her and she knew it.When my son was born,she was immediately very protective of him.She'd sit beside his pram （嬰兒車）for hours,popping her front legs up onto the pram now and then to make sure he was okay.

My son was almost three years old.We lived near a busy road and we were super alert to the front door—without exception.One morning,around 4 am,our son somehow managed to escape through his bedroom window.Cindy knew not to go outside(apart from the garden)without us.She also knew that our son wasn't allowed to go through the front door without us,evidenced by her pushing at him if he fiddled with the front door handle.She didn't know that it was double locked.That day,she followed my son through the window.At 5 am,the police woke us by knocking on the door.Their words were—“Your son was nearly killed but your dog copped it.”They then repeated what the lorry driver had said...

He told them that he was driving along in the dark and in the distance he could see something light coloured moving on the road.As he got closer,he could see a dog at the side of the road barking and barking at the light coloured thing.At the last moment,he realised that this was a child and was about to swerve.He said he could see the dog,still barking and glancing between the truck and the child.While the driver was braking,the dog ran out onto the road,jumped at the child's back and threw him out of the path of the lorry and at the same time,the lorry hit the dog and killed her.

According to the police,the driver said that he'd never believe what he saw unless it was with his own eyes.He said that the dog definitely knew the danger,which was why she was barking so anxiously.He said,“That dog just saved that kid's life and she knew what she was doing.”What the collie did moved me and I still miss Cindy every day.

Reading

Check

1.What did the dog do after the author's son was born?

A.She sat beside her little owner all day.

B.She kept her little owner from the outside.

C.She looked at her little owner and ensured his safety.

D.She protected her little owner from falling.

2.How did the little boy get out on the road?

A.By climbing through his bedroom window.

B.By going outside from the back yard door.

C.By going outside from the garden.

D.By going through the front door.

3.What did the dog do while the driver was braking?

A.The dog was barking to protect herself.

B.The dog was still walking with her little owner freely.

C.The dog protected her little owner but sacrificed herself.

D.The dog ran out onto the road barking to keep her little owner safe.

4.What can we know according to the driver from the last paragraph?

A.The driver believed the dog couldn't save the kid.

B.The dog did something,making the police surprised.

C.The driver thought the dog saved the kid's life by instinct.

D.The dog saved the kid's life despite the danger she knew.

Language

Study

Ⅰ.Difficult sentences in the text

1.She'd sit beside his pram for hours,popping her front legs up onto the pram now and then to make sure he was okay.她會在他的嬰兒車旁坐上幾個小時，時不時地把前腿伸到嬰兒車上，以確保他沒事。

【點石成金】popping的邏輯主語是she，表主動，在句子中作伴隨狀語；he was okay在句子中作make sure的賓語。

2.While the driver was braking,the dog ran out onto the road,jumped at the child's back and threw him out of the path of the lorry and at the same time,the lorry hit the dog and killed her.當(dāng)司機剎車時，狗跑到路上，朝著孩子的背跳去，然后把他從卡車的軌道上扔了出去，與此同時，卡車撞到了狗，把她撞死了。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復(fù)合句，while引導(dǎo)時間狀語從句，表示某個動作正在進行時，又發(fā)生了另一動作，如“While I was reading,I fell asleep.” 和 “While we were swimming in the river,we saw a fish jump out of the water.”。

Ⅱ.Text-centered chunks

Rough Collie蘇格蘭牧羊犬

cop v.遭受；忍受

swerve v.突然轉(zhuǎn)向；急轉(zhuǎn)彎

anxiously adv.憂慮地；焦慮地