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John was on his way home when he saw smoke rising from
somewhere in his housing estate. He thought to himself
irritably, "Doesn't the person know that it is illegal
to light bonfires ? I'm going to give whoever it is a
piece of my mind before I report the matter to the
Ministry of Health !" John strode briskly towards the
source of the fire. As he got closer, he saw that the
smoke was not caused by a bonfire but by a burning house
! John was the only spectator there. He watched in
horror as the flames licked greedily at the wooden
house. From somewhere inside the house, a young girl
screamed, "Help ! Somebody, please save me !"
John was at a loss as to what to do. He had heard
stories of people dashing into burning buildings to save
victims trapped inside. Each time he read such a story,
John did not think that there was anything courageous
about their actions. They were only doing what was
natural -- why, what was there to be scared about saving
someone ? But now, in a similar situation, John found
himself rooted to the ground.
How could he stand by and watch a child burn to death
? As the flames grew higher and higher, John stared at
the burning house in indecision. Then he made up his
mind. He knew that there was no way he could allow
anyone, what more a mere child, to burn to death. It
went against every moral fiber in his body. Even if it
were to cost him his life, he had to uphold the
principles by which he had lived all these years. If he
did not try to save the girl, he would have guilt
hanging over his head for the rest of his life.
Sprinting into the burning house, John numbly dodged
the flames that were fast sealing off the only safe
exit. He made his way quickly to where the child lay on
the floor. She was evidently unconscious, the smoky
fumes having taken their toll on her. Choking from the
acrid smoke, John picked her up and quickly dashed
towards the exit. As he carried the girl to safety, he
had to avoid a burning timber beam that crashed to the
floor. The few minutes in the burning house felt like an
eternity to John. He made it out of the door in the nick
of time. A crowd had gathered round the burning house by
now. John just managed to thrust the child to someone in
the crowd before succumbing to the fumes. |
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3. |
(a) Why did John think that it was no
big deal saving someone trapped in a burning building ?
(b) Why do you think that he was
hesitant at first about saving the girl ?
(c) Which word in this paragraph has
a meaning the opposite of 'courageous' ?
(d) Explain in your own words the
meaning of the phrase 'rooted to the ground'. |
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4. |
(a) He finally decided to do so because it was against his principles to
allow someone to die when the person could still be saved.
(b) He would feel guilty if he did nothing to save the girl in the
burning house.
(c) The word is 'decided'.
(d) It means 'he has the courage to face opposition bravely when doing
what is right'. |
