背诵指数：★★★☆☆
难度指数：★★☆☆☆
总词汇量：0368词汇
每个好故事都有灵魂！
今日关键语导读 Today's Key Points
吉布斯先生种下的树要努力地扎根吸收水分，健康地成长。就如在生活中，不管我们愿不愿意，生活总是艰难的。我们已祈祷了太多的安逸，但却少有实现。我们所需要做的是祈祷，深植我们的信念之根，这样我们就不会被雨打风吹所伤害。
文中障碍词抢先攻克！
障碍词先听为快 Words and Expressions
精彩文字，耳听心受！
好英文娓娓动听 Words and Expressions
When I was growing up，I had an old neighbor named Dr.Gibbs.When Dr.Gibbs wasn't saving lives，he was planting trees.His house sat on ten acres，and his life's goal was to make it a forest.
[A]But he never watered his new trees，which flew in the face of conventionaI wisdom.Once I asked why.He said that watering plants spoiIed them，and that if you water them，each successive tree generation will grow weaker and weaker.So you have to make things rough for them and weed out the weenie trees early on.
He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots，and how trees that weren'twatered had to grow deep roots in search of moisture.I took him to mean that deep roots were to be treasured.
I planted a couple of trees a few years back.Carried water to them for a soIid summer.Sprayed them.Prayed over them.The whole nine yards.Two years of coddIing has resulted in trees that expect to be waited on hand and foot.Whenever a cold wind blows in，they trembIe and chatter their branches.Sissy trees.
Funny things about those trees of Dr.Gibbs'.Adversity and deprivation seemed to bene flt them in ways comfort and ease never could.
Every night before I go to bed，I check on my two sons.I stand over them and watch their little bodies，the rising and falling of life within.I often pray for them.Mostly I pray that their lives will be easy.But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer.
[B]This change has to do with the inevitabiIity of cold winds that hit us at the core.I know my children are going to encounter hardship，and I'm praying they won'tbe naive.There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere.
So I'm changing my prayer.Because life is tough，whether we want it to be or not.Too many times we pray for ease，but that's a prayer seldom met.[C]What we need to do is pray for roots that reach deep into the Eternal，so when the rains fall and the winds blow，we won'tbe swept asunder.
难点重点，一目了然！
长难句解析 Sentence Structures
A But he never watered his new trees，which flew in the face of conventionaI wisdom.
但他从不浇灌他的新树，这是完全不符合常理的。
which 引导非限制性定语从句。
B This change has to do with the inevitability of cold winds that hit us at the core.
这改变与将吹在我们要害的寒风的必然性有关。
at the core关键，核心。例如：This concept is at the very core of her theory.这个概念是她的理论的核心。
C What we need to do is pray for roots that reach deep into the EternaI，so when the rains fall and the winds bIow，we won'tbe swept asunder.
我们所需要做的是祈祷，深植我们的信念之根，这样我们就不会被雨打风吹所伤害。
what引导名词性从句，在本句中作主语；when引导时间状语从句。
A Mother's Heart 妈妈的心
Track 020.MP3
朗读指数：★★★☆☆
背诵指数：★★★☆☆
难度指数：★★★☆☆
总词汇量：0400词汇
每个好故事都有灵魂！
今日关键语导读 Today's Key Points
母爱是伟大的，是无私的，是无怨无悔的。母亲是白桦，我们在她的臂膀下远离着风雨。如果有一天你路过这片树林，并走到树丛的这个位置，请坐到白桦妈妈的树干上休息，闭上你的眼睛开始聆听吧，也许就能听到一位妈妈的心跳。
文中障碍词抢先攻克！
障碍词先听为快 Words and Expressions
精彩文字，耳听心受！
好英文娓娓动听 Words and Expressions
The magnificent birch tree grew deep in the heart of the forest，and close nearby grew her three little daughters，still slim of trunk.[A]The Mother Birch's great canopy of branches protected her daughters from wind and rain and from the burning sun，too，during the hot summer.The little birches grew fast，and their life was carefree and happy.With their mother standing beside them they weren't afraid of anything.
One day the forest was shaken by a fierce storm.The little birches trembIed in fear.The Mother Birch hugged them tightIy in her branches."Don'tbe afraid."she said soothingIy，"The lightning won'tnotice you hidden beneath my branches.I'm the tallest tree in the forest."
The blow was so awful that the branches of all the trees in the surrounding grove trembled.The ground was shaking from the lightning's blows，which fell here and there all around.Pouring rain and howIing wind tried to fell the Mother Birch，but she stood firm.[B]Not for a moment did she forget her children，and not for a moment did her embrace weaken.[C]Only when the storm had passed，the wind had stilled，and the drenched earth was again warmed by the sun，did the Mother Birch's battered trunk finally give way.As she felt herself starting to fall，she whispered to her children，"Don'tbe afraid.I'm not leaving you.The lightning could not touch my heart.My old trunk will grow covered with moss and grass，but my heart will never stop beating.My roots are still holding tightly to yours under the earth，and nothing can tear us apart."And with those words，the Mother Birch's trunk crashed to the ground-without even scratching one of her daughters.To this day the old stump is surrounded by three slim birches.Their branches encircle it gently，as if protecting it from rain and sun.Below them lies a great log covered with moss and grass.
If one day you should come walking through the woods to this spot，sit and rest on the Mother Birch's trunk：it's wonderfully soft！Then close your eyes and listen.Perhaps you will hear the beat of a mother's heart.
难点重点，一目了然！
长难句解析 Sentence Structures
A The Mother Birch's great canopy of branches protected her daughters from wind and rain，and from the burning sun，too，during the hot summer.
桦树妈妈在酷夏保护她的女儿们免遭风雨、免受日晒。
protect sb/sth from sth保护，防护。例如：Try to protect your skin from the sun.尽量保护皮肤不受太阳晒。
B Not for a moment did she forget her children，and not for a moment did her embrace weaken.
她没有一刻忘记她的子女，没有一刻示弱。
embrace sb./sth.包含；信奉，皈依；拥抱。例如：He embraced his daughter tenderly.他温柔地拥抱女儿。
C Only when the storm had passed，the wind had stilled，and the drenched earth was again warmed by the sun，did the Mother Birch's battered trunk finally give way.
只有当暴风雨过去，风已经停止，而地球再次被太阳温暖，母亲桦木被摧残的树干最后才让路。
only修饰状语从句且放在句首时，要求句子倒装。例如：Only when he returned did we find out the truth.只有当他回来时，我们才能查明事实真相。