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那一年，韦恩堡市长正式宣布12月21号作为全市的艾米日。市长解释说，因为艾米敢于做出这样一个简单的许愿，她让大家都学到了东西。

“所有人，”市长说道，“都希望得到并且应该得到尊重、尊严和友善。”

The Little Girl Who Dared to Wish

As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from her classroom, she collided with a tall boy from the fifth grade running in the opposite direction.

“Watch it , squirt.” The boy yelled as he dodged around the little third-grader. Then, with a smirk on his face, the boy took hold of his right leg and mimicked the way Amy limped when she walked.

Amy closed her eyes. Ignore him, she told herself as she headed for her classroom.

But at the end of the day, Amy was still thinking about the tall boy’s mean teasing. It wasn’t as if her were the only one. It seemed that ever since Amy started the third grade, someone teased her every single day. Kids teased her about her speech or her limping. Amy was tired of it. Sometimes, even in a classroom full of other students, the teasing made her feel all alone.

Back home at the dinner table that evening, Amy was quiet. Her mother knew that things were not going well at school. That’s why Patti Hagadorn was happy to have some exciting news to share with her daughter.

“There’s a Christmas wish contest on the radio station,” Amy’s mom announced. “Write a letter to Santa, and you might win a prize. I think someone at this table with blonde curly hair should enter.”

Amy giggled. The contest sounded like fun. She started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas.

A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to her. Out came pencil and paper, and Amy went to work on her letter. “Dear Santa Claus,” she began.

While Amy worked away at her best printing, the rest of the family tried to guess what she might ask from Santa. Amy’s sister, Jamie, and Amy’s mom both thought a three-foot Barbie doll would top Amy’s wish list. Amy’s dad guessed a picture book. But Amy wasn’t ready to reveal her secret Christmas wish just then. Here is Amy’s letter to Santa, just as she wrote it that night:

Dear Santa Claus,

My name is Amy. I am nine years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.

Love, Amy

At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letter poured in for the Christmas wish contest. The workers had fun reading about all the different presents that boys and girls from across the city wanted for Christmas.

When Amy’s letter arrived at the radio station, manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He knew cerebral palsy was a muscle disorder that might confuse the schoolmates of Amy’s who didn’t understand her disability. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third-grader and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.

The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the News Sentinel. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple yet remarkable Christmas gift -- just one day without teasing.

Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement.

During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support.

Amy and her family read every single one. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each other.

She realized that no amount or form of teasing could ever make her feel lonely again.

Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high. Lynn, a sixth-grader from Texas, sent this message:

“I would like to be your friend,” she wrote, “and if you want to visit me, we could have fun. No one would make fun of us, ’cause if they do, we will not even hear them.”

Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne Elementary School. Additionally, everyone at school got another bonus. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.

That year the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21 as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson.

“Everyone,” said the mayor, “wants and deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and warmth.

词汇解释

1. round v.环(绕)

2. dodge vi.闪身躲开

3. smirk v.假笑，得意地笑

4. mimic vt.摹拟

5. tease vt.戏弄，取笑；挑逗，撩拨

6. limping 蹒跚

7. curly a.卷曲的

8. cerebral palsy 脑性瘫痪

9. proclaim vt.宣告，宣布，声明；显示

10. mayor n.市长

参考译文

敢于许愿的小女孩

在艾米绕过她的教室对面的走廊的拐角时，她迎面撞到了一个5年级的高个男孩。

那男孩在避开这个三年级的学生时大叫，“看路，小个子，”然后，他脸上带着带厌的笑容，用手按在他的右腿上，模仿着艾米走路跛行的样子。

艾米将双眼闭上了一会。

“不理会他，”她在返回教室时对自己说。

但是在那天结束时，艾米仍然想着那个高个男孩低劣的嘲笑。其实他不是唯一的一个做出这种事的人。好像自从艾米上三年级后，每天都有人在嘲笑他。孩子嘲笑她的讲话或是她的跛行。艾米受够了。有时，即使在坐满了学生的教室里，别人的嘲笑使她感到孤单无助。

那晚，回到家里，艾米坐在餐桌旁边默不做声。她的母亲知道肯定是在学校里遇到不顺心的事了。所以，派蒂决定告诉她女儿一些激动的消息。

“在电台中有一个圣诞节愿望竞赛的节目，”艾米的母亲告知她。“给圣诞老人写封信，你也许可能得到奖品。我认为坐在餐桌边的金发卷毛的人应该参加。”

艾米咯咯地笑了。竞赛听起来很有趣。她开始思考她最想的圣诞节礼物了。

当艾米第一次想起这个主意时，她脸上挂满了笑。她拿出铅笔和纸，开始写信。“亲爱的圣诞老人，”她开始写道。

当艾米起劲地做作文时，家里的其他人试图猜测她可能向圣诞老人要求什么。艾米的姐姐，杰米，艾米的妈妈都认为3英寸大的芭比娃娃是艾米最想要的东西。艾米的爸爸认为是一本图画书。但是艾米当时还不想告诉他们，她的秘密圣诞节愿望。以下是艾米写给圣诞老人的信，就是那晚上她写的：

亲爱的圣诞老人，

我的名字叫艾米。我9岁大了。我在学校有一个麻烦。你能帮我吗，圣诞老人？孩子们笑话我讲话和走路、奔跑的方式。我患有脑瘫。我只想拥有一天，没人笑话和取笑我。

爱你的，

艾米

在印地安那州的韦恩堡WJLT广播电台，参加圣诞节愿望竞赛的信件蜂拥而至。工作人员在阅读来自全市的男孩和女孩寄来的各种各样的圣诞节礼物信件时感到非常开心。

当艾米的信送到电台时，经理李.托宾仔细地阅读了内容。他知道脑瘫是一种肌肉紊乱的病症，所以可能艾米的同学从外表看不出她有残疾。

他认为对韦恩堡的市民最好听到这位特别的三年级的故事和她非一般的愿望。托宾先生给当地报纸打了电话。

第二天，艾米的照片和她写给圣诞老人的信登上了《新闻前哨》的首页。故事很快传开了。全面范围的报纸和电台、电视台报道了这个印地安那州的韦恩堡的小女孩的故事，她要求的只是这样一个简单但是值得注意的圣诞节礼物——只是没有取笑的一天。

突然，邮差成了艾米家的常客。每天，都有各种型号的信件寄给艾米，来自于全国的小孩和大人们。信里充满了节日的问候和鼓励的话语。

在那个不可忘怀的圣诞节期间，世界范围内超过2千人寄给艾米信件表达友情和支持。艾米和她的家人阅读了全部信件。一些来信者也患有残疾，一些人在小时候也被嘲笑过。每位来信者都向艾米表达了一种特别的信息。通过来自陌生人的祝福卡和信件，艾米瞥见了一个充满了真正地互相关怀的人类的社会。她认识到，再多的或再恶毒的嘲笑都不能再使她感到孤单了。

很多人都被艾米勇敢地说出心声而感动。其他人则鼓励她去不理睬嘲笑，勇敢面对。来自德克萨斯州的一位6年级生，林恩，寄给了她一封信：

“我希望和你交个朋友，”她写道，“如果你想来看望我，我们可以好好玩玩。没人会取笑我们，因为，如果他们取笑，我们听都不会听到。”艾米的确实现了她的愿望，在南韦恩堡小学度过了没有取笑的一天。还有，学校的每个人都学到了额外的东西。教师和学生一起讨论取笑他人会给他人带来不佳的感觉。

那一年，韦恩堡市长正式宣布12月21号作为全市的艾米日。市长解释说，因为艾米敢于做出这样一个简单的许愿，她让大家都学到了东西。

“所有人，”市长说道，“都希望得到并且应该得到尊重、尊严和友善。”