雷雨

As I sat in my room one summer day preparing my lessons， I felt that it was very hot and disagreeable. The sun shone brightly and the birds kept perching on the trees which， as there was no wind， made no stir. Suddenly a dark cloud hid the sun. The wind began to blow. I knew that a storm would soon come.

　　The sky was full of black clouds. Flashes of lightning lit up the courtyards， old houses and porches， and thunder began to roar overhead. No birds sang any longer while the leaves of the trees rustled and a wind blew against our faces. A drop of water fell， then another， and then the rain fell on the roofs with a noise like the beating of drums. A brilliant stripe of light filled the sky. Suddenly there came a terrible thunderclap overhead， and then the sky was full of roars of thunder.

　　After a while， the rain stopped and the thunder and lightning ceased. The sky became blue again， and the birds once more sang sweetly， while the trees and the flowers seemed almost as happy as before.