许国璋-现代英语第一册-Lesson13.docVIP

PAGE PAGE 3 ]Lesson Thirteen A Modern Fairy Tale By the time spring came around again, there was a baby sister for him. This time well plant an apple tree, my love ,the princess decreed “Next to the orange tree. And in the springtime we’ll call our daughter Anne. A for apple, A for Anne.” The tree was duly planted at the correct distance from the orange tree which by now was very sturdy. Anne was a sweet contented baby, and Oscar was already on his chubby but rather uncertain legs. Exactly a year later a third baby arrived. And if youre thinking that by now our princess will have lost some of her grace and beauty youd be wrong. With each birth she grew more radiant. Her hair was just as-gold, her complexion like a nose petal, and her figure (though admittedly for only a brief time each year〉was as slim and supple as the day she married. The baby was another boy. Blond like his mother and the other two children. A lemon tree this time,” the princess. “For his hair is the same pale gold as a lemon. And we11 call him”She paused, thinking of names beginning with L. We’11 call him Leo. The lemon tree was immediately planted. The prince judged that by now the trees reached half way down the avenue from the front door to the main gates ,leaving space for three more. There was surely not a happier place in the country anywhere ! Filled with the sounds of happy children playing ,the latest baby crying, and always in the backyard a vista of snow-white napkins strung around the rotary hoist.(The princess didnt approve of clothes dryers.) As for the prince , he t00,one way and another, was kept pretty busy. He engaged a young man to tend the lawns and the flower beds and the vegetab1e garden ,but he himself looked after the fruit trees. He afertilized and pruned at the appropriate times, and kept them free of pests. He didnt believe in noxious chemicals,and personally removed chewing ,gnawing and crawling insects by hand ,keeping a ladder expressly for the purpose. By the