It was cold and dark on the last evening of the year. The snow was falling fast. A poor little girl, with bare head and naked feet, was roaming through the streets.

　　bare adj. 无遮盖的

　　naked adj. 赤裸的

　　roam v. 徘徊

　　She had a pair of slippers when she left home, but they were not very useful. They belonged to her mother, and were too large for the little girl. She had lost them when she ran across the street to avoid two fast carriages. She could not find one of her slippers, and a boy seized upon the other. He ran away with it, and said he could use it as a cradle when he had his own children.

　　slipper n. 拖鞋

　　avoid v. 躲避

　　carriage n. 马车

　　seize v. 夺取

　　cradle n. 摇篮

　　So the little girl went on with her little naked feet. They were quite red and blue with the cold. She carried a number of matches in an old apron, and had a bundle of them in her hands.

　　apron n. 围裙

　　bundle n. 捆, 束

　　No one had bought anything from her, or given her a penny the whole day. She was shivering with cold and hunger.

　　penny n. [美]分

　　shiver v. 颤抖

　　The snow fell on her long hair. It hung in curls on her shoulders, but she did not notice it. Lights were shining from every window, and there was a savory smell of roasted goose. It was New Year’s Eve-yes, she remembered that.

　　curl n. 卷曲

　　shoulder n. 肩膀

　　savory adj. 可口的, 味美的

　　roasted goose 烤鹅

　　eve n. 前夕

　　In a corner between two houses, she sat down and huddled herself together. She drew her little feet under her, but she could not keep off the cold.

　　huddle v. 蜷缩

　　keep off 阻挡

　　She dared not go home, for she had sold no matches, and could not take home even a penny of money. Her father would certainly beat her; besides, it was also cold at home.

　　dare v. 胆敢

　　certainly adv. 肯定

　　besides adv. 而且