The Little Match Girl

The Little Match Girl

By Hans Christian Anderson 1 （报幕，开始音乐起，40秒）It was late on a bitterly cold, snowy New Year?s Eve. A poor little girl was wandering in a dark, cold street. She was bare-headed and bare-footed. She certainly had had her slippers on when she left home, but they were not much good, for they were so huge. They had last been worn by her mother. And they fell off the poor little girl?s feet when she was running across the street to avoid two carriges that were rollling rapidly by. One of the shoes could not be found at all. And the other was picked up by a boy who ran off with it, （风声起，40秒）saying it would do for a cradle when he had children of his own.（开始音乐完）So the poor little girl had to go on with her little bare feet which were red and blue with cold.

2 She carried a quantity of matches in her old apron and held a packet of them in her hand. Noboby had bought any of her matches during all the long day. Noboby had even given her a copper. The poor little creature was hungry and perishing with cold, and she looked the picture of misery. （风声停）The snow-flakes fell upon her long yellow hair which curled so prettily around her face. But she paid no attention to that. （平安夜起，40秒）

3 Lights were shining from every window, and there were the most delicious odor of roast goose in the street, for it was New Year?s Eve. She could not forget that. She found a corner where one house projected a little beyond the next one and here she crouched, drawing up her feet under her, but she was colder than ever. She did not dare to go home for she had not sold out any matches, and had not earned a single penny. （平安夜停）Her father would beat her. Besides, it was almost as cold at home as it was here. They only had the roof over them and wind whisled through it although they stuffed up with big crack rags and straw. Her little hands were almost dead with cold. Oh! One little match would do some good! Dare she pull one out of the bundle and strike it on the wall to warm her fingers? She pulled one out. Rishhh! How it splattered! How it blazed! It burnt with a bright, clear flame just like candle when she held her hand on it. It was a very curious candle, too. That little girl fancied that she was sitting in front of a big stove with polished brass feet and handles. There was splendid fire blazing in it and warming her so beautifully. But what happened? Just as she was stretching out her feet to warm them, the match went out, the stove vanished. And she was left sitting with the end of burnt-out match in her hand. (钢琴曲起，90秒)

4 She struck a new one. It burnt. It blazed up. And where they fell upon the wall, it became transparent like gauze. And she could see right through it into the room. The table was spread with the snowy cloth and pretty China. A roast goose, stuffed with apples and prunes with steaming on it. And what it was even better, the goose hopped from the dish with a carving knife and fork stuck in his back and it waddled across the floor. It came right up to the

poor child and then, the match went out. There was nothing to be seen , but the thick, black wall.

5 Again, she lit another. This time she was sitting under a lovely Christmas tree. It was much bigger and more beautifully decorated than the one she had seen when she peeped through the glass doors at the rich merchant?s house this very last Christmas. Thousand of lighted candles gleamed upon its branches and coloured pictures such as she had seen in the shop windows looked down to her. The little girl stretched out both her hand towards them, and out went the match.

6 All the Christmas candles rose higher and higher, till she saw that they were only the twinkling stars. One of them fell, （钢琴曲完）and made a bright streak of light across the sky. Someone is dying, thought the little girl. For her old grandmother, the only person who had ever been kind to her, used to say, …when a star falls, a soul is going up to God. ?（结束音乐起，170秒）

7 Now she struck another match against the wall, and this time it was her grandmother who appeared in the circle of flame. She saw her quite clearly and distincly looking so gentle and happy. …Grandmother!? cried the little creature. …Oh! Do take me with you. I know you will vanish when the match goes out. You will vanish like the warm stove, the delicious goose and the beautiful Christmas tree. She hastily struck a whole bundle of matches, because she did so long to keep her grandmother with her. The light of the matches made it as bright as day. Grandmother had never before looked so big or so beautiful. She lift the little girl up in her arms and they soared in a halo of light and joy, far, far above the earth where there was no more cold, no hunger, no pain, for they were with God.

8 In the cold morning light, the poor little girl sat there in the corner between the houses, with rosy cheeks and a smile on her face, dead, frozen to death on the last night of the old year. New Year?s Day broke on the little body still sitting with the ends of the burnt-out matches in her hand. She must have tried to warm herself, some say. Nobody knew what beautiful vision she had seen nor in what a halo she entered with her grandmother upon the glory of the New Year. （最后用小女孩的脸部特写伴着音乐停留到结束，播放下面三段文字，让音乐放完。）

或许我们无法拯救天下所有“卖火柴的小女孩”。

但是我们可以努力不让悲惨的故事在自己身边发生，

从我做起，珍惜现在，发奋图强，征服英语，改变命运！

学艺立身，得一家温饱；日行一善，使邻人蒙恩。

THANK YOU!