IT was winter-time； the air was cold， the wind sharp；but indoors itwas snug¹ and warm．Indoors lay the flower；

it lay in its bulb underthe earth and the snow．

One day rain fell；the drops trickled² through thesnow-coverlet，down into the ground， touched the flower- bulb， and told about the bright world up above； soon asunbeam， fine andpointed， pierced its way through the snow，down to the bulb，and tapped on it．

"Come in！" said the flower．

"Ican't，" said the sunbeam，" Iam not strong enough to open the door；Ishall be strong when summer comes．"

"When will it be summer？"askedtheflower，andre－ peated it every time a new sunbeampierced down to it． But itwas alongtime， till summer： the snow still lay on the ground，and every night ice formed on the water．

"Howlong it is in coming！Howlong it is！" said the flower；"Ifeela prickling and tingling， Imust stretch my－self， Imust stir myself， Imust open up， Imust get out and nod good morning to the summer； that will be a happy time！"

And the flower stretched itself and strained itself in－side against the thin shell， which the water outside hadsoftened， which the snow and the earth had warmed， and the sunbeam had tapped upon；it shot out under the snow， with its whitey-green bud on its green stalk， with narrow，thick leaves， which seemed trying to shelter it． The snow was cold， but permeated³ with light and easy to push through；and here the sunbeams came with greater strength than before ．

"Welcome！ Welcome！" sang every sunbeam，and theflower raised itself above the snow， out into the world oflight．

The sunbeams patted and kissed it， so that it openeditself completely， white as snow， and adorned⁴ with greenstripes． It bowed its head in gladness and humility．

"Beautiful flower，" sang the sunbeams，"how freshand pure thou art！ Thou art the first； thou art the onlyone！ Thou art our darling！ Thou ringest in summer， love－ly summer， over town and field！ All the snow shall melt！The cold winds shall be chased away！ We shall rule！ Ev－erything will become green！And then thou wilt

点击收听单词发音  

1 snug
adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房
参考例句：
He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。 She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。

2 trickled
v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动
参考例句：
Blood trickled down his face. 血从他脸上一滴滴流下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The tears trickled down her cheeks. 热泪一滴滴从她脸颊上滚下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 permeated
弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透
参考例句：
The smell of leather permeated the room. 屋子里弥漫着皮革的气味。 His public speeches were permeated with hatred of injustice. 在他对民众的演说里，充满了对不公正的愤慨。

4 adorned
[计]被修饰的
参考例句：
The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。 And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。

5 wilt
v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱
参考例句：
Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。 Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

6 penetrated
adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句：
The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。 They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。

7 wither
vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡
参考例句：
She grows as a flower does-she will wither without sun.她象鲜花一样成长--没有太阳就会凋谢。 In autumn the leaves wither and fall off the trees.秋天，树叶枯萎并从树上落下来。

8 lured
吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。 Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

9 delightful
adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的
参考例句：
We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。 Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

10 maiden
n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的
参考例句：
The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。 The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

11 flattened
[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的
参考例句：
She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。 I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

12 sleet
n.雨雪；v.下雨雪，下冰雹
参考例句：
There was a great deal of sleet last night.昨夜雨夹雪下得真大。 When winter comes,we get sleet and frost.冬天来到时我们这儿会有雨夹雪和霜冻。