Ugly, a male cat, loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and, shall we say, love. To start with, he had only one eye and where the other should have been was a big hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, and his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time, making him look like he was always turning the corner. Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction.“That’s one UGLY cat!”So, all the children were warned not to touch him. The adults threw rocks at him. Whenever he was treated badly, he would curl his thin body around feet in forgiveness or begged for love.
One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor’s dog. The dog's owner did not respond kindly. From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was lying, it was apparent Ugly’s sad life was almost at an end. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear his heavy breath, and could feel him struggling. It must be hurting him terribly.
However, Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying, was trying to get closer to me. He turned his one golden eye towards me, and even in the greatest pain Ugly was asking only for a little affection. At that time I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.
Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards. Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. It is time for me to learn to love truly and deeply.
小題1:What reaction did people have when they saw Ugly? (No more than 8 words ) (2 marks)
小題2:Why did the author try to rush to help him? (No more than 5 words) (2 marks)
小題3:What did the author think about the cat when it suffered from much pain?
(No more than 14 words ) (3 marks)
小題4:What is the difference between the neighbor’s attitude and the author’s attitude towards the cat? (No more than 13 words) (3 marks)
