13. On Saturday morning, Tom Sawyer had to paint his aunt's fence (栅栏). Tom looked at the thirty meters of wide fence and felt bad. He thought of the fun he had planned for the day. Soon the free boys would go out to play, and they would laugh at him for having to work. He felt even worse. (1)
Soon Ben Rogers appeared, eating an apple. Tom ignored (不理) him and continued painting. He stopped and looked at his work like an artist. "Hello, Tom. I'm going swimming. Don't you wish you could. But of course, you have to work. "
Tom looked at Ben, then said, "What do you call work?"
"Isn't this work?"
Tom continued painting, and answered, "Well, maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. All I know is, I like it."
"Do you really like it?"
"(2)
"
That made it sound different. Ben stopped eating his apple. Tom moved his brush carefully backwards and forwards and stepped back to look. Ben watched every move, getting more interested. Presently, he said, "Hey, Tom, let me paint a little."
Tom thought, and then said, "No, I don't think so, Ben. Aunt Polly wants this fence painted carefully because it's on the street. It's difficult to do it right."
"Come on, let me try."
"I'd like to, Ben. But Aunt Polly won't even let my brother Sid do it."
"I'll be careful. I'll give you my apple."
(3)
While Ben was working in the sun, Tom sat under a tree eating the apple and thinking how to catch more boys. And there were lots of them. Boys came to make fun, but stayed to paint. By the time Ben was tired, Tom had exchanged the next turn with Billy Fisher for a good kite, and then Johnny Miller, and so on. (4)
He had learned that to make someone want something, you only have to make it difficult to get.
根据短文内容,从方框中选出四个选项填入文中空缺处,使短文内容通顺完整,有一项剩余。
A. All of the boys were glad to paint this fence because they could get Tom's toys if they did. B. Tom gave Ben his brush with reluctance (勉强) on his face, but with happiness in his heart. C. Suddenly he had an idea. He took his brush and started painting. D. By the time he had no more paint, he had had lots of toys and treasures, and the fence had had three coats of paint. E. Why not? Does a boy get a chance to paint a fence every day? |