It was a Christmas Eve with heavy snow. A little girl was selling matches on the street. "Matches, matches!"

　　But no one looked at her. She had lost her parents a few days ago, and she was selling matches without a coat in the cold weather. She didn't even sell one box. The girl was so hungry that she couldn't even open her mouth.

　　Then, a carriage came close to her. Trying to keep away from the carriage, she slipped and fell on the ice, and she lost her shoes. She had to walk on the snowy street with bare feet.

　　Over a window, she saw a family gathered under a warm and bright light. They seemed so happy. The snow began to fall more heavily. "It's cold. "Her body was frozen hard.

　　Even though she was hungry and felt pain in her feet, she couldn't go back home because she couldn't sell any matches. "Matches, you want some matches?" The people walking on the street looked very happy holding each other's arms. But no one bought the girl's matches.

　　"Ho~ ho~!" She tried to warm up her hands and feet, but it only made her hungrier. "It's so cold. Why is it so cold today? I have to skip my meal today because I couldn't sell any of these matches."

　　She lit a match to warm up her body. Even though it was a small light, it made her a little warmer. She felt as if she was sitting right next to a fireplace. "Oh, it's warm!" She kept lighting matches.

　　Suddenly, a table full of delicious food came up in front of her. "Oh, it looks delicious."

　　As she lit another match, a Christmas tree appeared. "How beautiful!"

　　She lit the last match. Then, her grandmother appeared. "Sweetie, come to Heaven with me." The girl's grandmother held her tight in her arms and rose up to the sky.

　　The next day, she was dead and found in the street. "Poor girl, Maybe she tried to warm herself with these matches. Tut, tut." People felt pity for the girl and buried her in the ground in the sunlight.

　　單詞注釋：

　　slipvi. 犯錯;滑倒;減退;滑動;失足 vt. 使滑動;滑過;擺脫;塞入;閃開

　　fireplacen. 壁爐