5．
阅读理解
A little boy almost thought of himself as the unluckiest child in the
world because he was born with a lame(瘸的)leg. He seldom played with his
classmates and always lowered his head without a word. One spring, the boy's
father gave each child a small tree to plant. "Whoever grows the best tree
will get a favourite gift," he said to them. Seeing his brothers and
sisters watering the trees happily in the garden, a terrible idea hit his mind:
he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So he never cared about it.
A few days later, he was surprised to find it not only didn't die, but
also grew some fresh leaves, and that it looked greener and healthier than the
others. He got a favourite gift and was told by his father: from the tree he
planted, he would become a great botanist (植物学家). One night, looking at the bright
moonlight outside the window, he suddenly remembered what his teacher once
said—most plants grow at night. Why not go to see the lovely tree? When he came
to the garden, he found his father was watering his tree carefully. At that
time, he understood: his father had secretly taken good care of his small tree!
He returned to his room with tears (泪水) running out.
Many years passed. The little boy didn't become a botanist, but he was
known as a great president of the United States. His name was Franklin
Roosevelt.
