多功能英语阅读11 The Frog

The Frog

Betty, Bobby, and Barry are seated at a small circular table in the back of the

Biology classroom. This is an abnormal three-person team, not a group would have

chosen any of them to be in, but one assigned by the new tutor, Miss Azinger.

Our feminine lead, Betty, is a nice looking young lady, with a doll face and

tidy long brown hair. She is one of few students who like Biology. She grasps for

every ounce of knowlegde diffused 1 to help her reach her goal of becoming a

veterinarian, and strives to verify a homogeneous hypothesis in a compulsory 2 course.

To Betty's right sits Bobby. He has an outgoing personality trait, but very

little interest in today's lesson of dissecting 3 a frog to understand its

physiological 4 condition. His initial interest in the doctrine 5 of evolution, which

marked an epoch 6 in science, has diminished and he has lagged behind in his

school work since he plays on the football league. Instead of reading, he flings

spitballs rocketing through the air using a red elastic 7 straw.

An ingenious, handsome adolescent, Barry, sits beside them. He works very

hard in school for it is his hop 8 to receive a scholarship to law school. As he

attempts to read the assigned chapter, he is distracted by Bobby. With an annoyed

look, Barry snatches the straw from Bobby's hand and slides it into his T-shirt

pocket. Bobby frowns and speaks a few words. Barry shakes his head no and continues

to read.

Miss Azinger notices the disturbance 9. She writes a few notes on the reaction

of the students hit by the small flying missiles and seems pleased at Barry's

solution to Bobby's annoyance 10.

Twenty-five minutes into the class time, Miss Azinger leaves her chair and

goes to ther groups of students at the lab tables. She collects their worksheet and

they return to their assigned tables. When all are seated, she motions to the other

half of ther class and they move to the lab zone. Barry leads the way and sits at a

corner table beside a window; Bobby and Betty join him.

Barry picks up the instruction sheet and begins to read it aloud. Bobby pays

no specific attention to Barry, gets up, and goes to the tank where the frogs are

housed. He picks up the fattest green frog and holds it to the face of a pretty blond

girl. She jumps back and Bobby laughs. He then holds the frog toward two other girls.

When Bobby rejoins his group, he teasingly puts the frog next to Betty's

face. To his surprise, Betty grabs the frog and gently cradles it in her hand as she

stokes its head.

Barry smiles and begins to prepare the table for the lab. He carefully puts a

heavy cardboard on the table then spreads the thick plastic to cover it. He places

the pins to hold the frog on each side of the work area, and then goes to the shelf

to get a ceramic 11 jar with a lid and a sealed parcel that contains particle medicine

to put the frog to sleep.

Bobby picks up the knife and pretends cut up a frog. Betty frowns, but the girl

at the next table laughs at him so he continues.

Returning with the jar, Barry holds his hand out to Betty. Bobby quickly throws

down the knife, pushes Barry's hand aside, and reaches for the frog. As the two

young men begin to push each other's hand out the way, Betty puts the frog behind

her back as tears form in her eyes.

Miss Azinger's attention is locked on the three students. She starts to stand

when the young men sudden stop. Both silently stare at the tears rolling down Betty's

face. Bobby stands upright and raises his hands in the air as if in surrender.

Barry sadly looks at Betty and says a few words. She nods her head no. After a

few more words, Barry walks over to the window and looks out while Betty sits

with the frog safely protected in her hands.

Barry returns to the table and speaks a few more words to Betty. He holds up

the lab instructions and the questions they must answer to pass the lab quiz. Again

he reaches for the frog, but Betty pulls the top of her shirt away from her skin and

holds the frog ready to down her shirt.

Miss Azinger franticly adds more notes into her notebook, looking up every

few seconds to check on the three. The commotion 12 has caught the eye of several

classmates. They jogs the person next to them and soon the whole class is watching

Betty, Bobby, and Barry.

For the first time this year, Bobby sits quietly in his chair. He watches every

move Barry and Betty make. Barry moves his hand toward Betty as he talks to her.

When his hand is almost next to hers, she pushes it away, stands, and quickly moves

biside the window.

Barry and Bobby join Betty beside the window. Barry looks upset, but Bobby

moves closer to Betty and she lets him pet the frog. Bobby opens the window and

Barry quickly closes it and gives Bobby a firmly push away. Bobby raises his fists,

but Betty quickly steps between them. With tears pouring down her cheeks, she hands

the frog to Barry.

Bobby holds Betty in his arms while Barry takes the frog back to the table and

puts the frog into the jar. For the first time he notices the class staring at him.

He hesitates a moment, then takes the frog out of the jar, and walks to the window.

With one last look at the frog, he opens the window, and throws the frog outside.

Silently he walks back to the table, picks up a pencil, and puts a big bold F

(abbreviation of the word false) on their lab paper.

Betty gives him a big embrace, Bobby shakes his hand, and together the three

take the paper to Misss Azinger.