Lesson

3

The Littlest Firefighter

The 26-year-old mother stared down at her son who was dying of terminal① leukemia②. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination③. Like any parent she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that.

But she still wanted her son’s dreams to come true. She took her son’s hand and asked, “Bopsy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?”

“Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.” Mom smiled back and said, “Let’s see if we can make your wish come true.”

Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son’s final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her six-year-old son a ride around the block④ on a fire engine.

Fireman Bob said, “Look, we can do better than that. If you’ll have your son ready at seven o’clock Wednesday morning, we’ll make him an honorary⑤ fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you’ll give us his sizes, we’ll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat—not a toy one—with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They’re all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast.”

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Bopsy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted⑥ him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Bopsy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven.

There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Bopsy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic’s van, and even the fire chief’s car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.

Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished⑦ upon him, so deeply touched Bopsy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Bopsy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Bopsy as he made his transition.

The chief replied, “We can do better than that. We’ll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It’s just the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?”

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital, extended its ladder up to Bopsy’s third floor open window and five firefighters climbed up the ladder into Bopsy’s room. With his mother’s permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Bopsy looked up at the fire chief and said, “Chief, am I really a fireman now?” “Yes, Bopsy, you are a fireman now,” the chief said. With those words, Bopsy smiled and closed his eyes one last time. He passed away later that evening.

(799 words)

①terminal [ˑtɜ:mɪnl] adj. 末期的 n.终端

②leukemia [lu:ˑki:mɪə] n. 白血病

③determination [dɪˌtɜ:mɪ'neɪʃn] n. 决心，果断

④block [blɒk] n. 块，街区

⑤honorary [ˑɔnəˌreri:] adj. 荣誉的，名誉的

⑥escort [ˑeskɔ:t] v. 护卫，护送

⑦lavish [ˑlævɪʃ] vt. 浪费，滥用

I. How well did you read?

1. [Evaluate the information] Which words can best describe Bob?

A. Determined and serious.

B. Caring and honest.

C. Warm-hearted and sincere.

2. [Check the details] Which of the following is not true?

A. Bob had a real fire uniform for Bopsy.

B. The firemen do not have much to do.

C. The chief did a lot to try to make Bospy feel content and be loved.

3. [Draw a conclusion] What can we infer from the passage?

A. Bopsy’s mother thought his disease would be cured by making his dream come true.

B. Bopsy was sure that he would be a fireman when he grew up.

C. There were many firemen like Bob in Phoenix fire department.

II. Read for words.

Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

1. Bob picked up Bopsy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck.

A. protected B. forced C. instructed

2. Bopsy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station.

A. put B. drive C. manage

3. He was also videotaped for the local news program.

A. broadcast B. prepared C. recorded