窗外的芙蓉樹The Trees Outside My Window
Read the article quickly and answer the following questions.
1. Why did the author regard the hibiscus tree as her best friend?
2. Why did the author feel surprised when she saw the blossom plum tree?
From the window of my room, I could see a tall cotton-rose hibiscus. In spring, when green foliage was half hidden by mist, the tree looked very enchanting dotted with red blossom. This inspiring neighbor of mine often set my mind working. I gradually regarded it as my best friend.
Nevertheless, when I opened the window one morning, to my amazement, the tree was almost bare beyond recognition as a result of the storm ravages the night before.Struck by the plight, I was seized with a sudden saddens at the thought“all the blossom is doomed to fall”. I could not help sighing with emotion: the course of life never runs smooth, for there are so many ups and downs, twists and turns. The vicissitudes of my life saw my beloved friends parting one after another. Isn’t it similar to the tree shedding its flowers in the wind?
This event faded from my memory as time went by. One day after I came home from the countryside, I found the room stuffy and casually opened the window.Something outside caught my eye and dazzled me. It was a plum tree all scarlet with blossom set off beautifully by the sunset. The surprise discovery overwhelmed me with pleasure. I wondered why I had no idea of someunyielding life sprouting over the fallen petals when I was grieving for the hibiscus.
When the last withered petal dropped, all the joyful admiration for the hibiscus sank into oblivion as if nothing was left, until the landscape was again ablaze with the red plum blossom to remind people of life’s alternation and continuance. Can’t it be said that life is actually a symphony, a harmonious composition of loss gain.
Standing by the window lost in thought for a long time, I realized that no scenery in the world remains unchanged. As long as you keep your heart basking in the sun, every dawn will present a fine prospect for you to unfold and the world will always be bringing about new hopes.
透過我房間的窗子，可以看到一株高大的芙蓉樹。它在春日的薄霧中若隱若現，紅花點點，甚是迷人。它總能給我靈感，使我文思泉湧。我逐漸地把它當成了最好的朋友。
然而，一天早晨，當我把窗子打開時，吃驚地發現前夜的那場風雨竟將芙蓉樹吹打得落紅滿地。霎時，那種“花開終有落”的悲涼之感襲上心頭，我不禁喟歎：人生之旅，總會有各種牽絆，曲折的經曆總會伴隨著我們。我曾多次承受與摯友離別的傷感，這隨風而逝的花朵不正是脆弱生命的真實寫照嗎？
那天的感觸隨著時間的流逝在我的記憶中逐漸淡忘。一天，我從鄉下回到家中，覺得室內的空氣令人窒息，便隨手將窗子打開。眼前的景象頓時讓我驚呆了。一棵李子樹滿樹都開了火紅的花朵，在落日餘暉的映照下顯得格外漂亮。這驚奇的發現讓我興奮不已。當初我為落紅的芙蓉樹悲傷時，卻沒想到那淒涼景象背後，竟會萌生出如此頑強的生命。
當最後一片枯萎的芙蓉花瓣飄落時，人們不再對它讚美欣賞。直到李子樹成長起來，那火紅的花兒正向人們昭示著生命的更迭與繁衍。不能否認生命原本就是一場得失共存的交響樂呢？
我站在窗前，不禁思緒萬千。我意識到，生命中沒什麽恒久不變的風景，隻要你的心永遠朝著太陽，那麽每一個清晨都會向你展現一番美景，等待你去欣賞——這個世界總會帶給你新的希望。
Chunks in Practice
Please fill in the blanks with the proper words according to the given sentences.
1. He was _____ with panic when a big black cat jumped out suddenly.
當一隻大黑貓突然跳出來時，他感到驚恐萬分。
2.Any attempt to set back the wheel of history is _____to failure.
任何要使曆史倒退的企圖都是注定要失敗的。
3. The trees were _____ with the colours of autumn.
樹木閃耀著秋天的顏色。
4. To our_____ , the visiting team won this basketball game.
令我們吃驚的是，客隊居然贏了這場籃球比賽。
Chunks in Practice
Grammer analysis
Struck by the plight, I was seized with a sudden saddens at the thought "all the blossom is doomed to fall". I could not help sighing with emotion: the course of life never runs smooth, for there are so many ups and downs, twists and turns.
霎時，那種“花開終有落”的悲涼之感襲上心頭，我不禁喟歎：人生之旅，總會有各種牽絆，
曲折的經曆總會伴隨著我們。
注：這是由兩個複合句構成的作者感慨。“struck by the plight”是過去分詞作狀語，其主語
是“the thought”與“all the blossom is doomed to fall"是同位語關係。在第二句中的固定短語
sb can / could not help do sth某人禁不住做某事。作者體驗到眼前“花開終有落”的悲涼，
不由觸景生情，聯想到人生也如隨風逝去的花朵一樣，總是在經曆各種坎坷。
Now a Try
Read the passage again, then try to make a summary.