Turtles have an unfortunate habit of eating plastic objects floating in the sea. These cannot be digested and may ultimately kill them. It is widely assumed that this fondness for plastics is a matter of mistaken identity. Drifting plastic bags, for instance, look similar to jellyfish (水母), which many types of turtles love to eat. Yet lots of plastic objects that end up inside turtles have no similarity to jellyfish. Joseph Pfaller of the University of Florida therefore suspects that the smell of marine microorganisms (海洋微生物) which grow on floating plastic objects fools turtles into feeding.
The idea that the smell of floating plastic objects might lure animals to their death first emerged in 2016. Researchers at the University of California noticed that certain chemicals, notably dimethyl sulphide (二甲基硫), which are released into the air by floating plastics, are those which many seabirds sniff (嗅) to track down food. These chemicals mark good places to hunt because they indicate plenty of the algae (海藻) and bacteria (细菌). The researchers also found that birds which pursue their food in this way are five or six times more likely to eat plastic than those which do not.
Since turtles are known to break the surface periodically and sniff the air when finding the way to their feeding areas, Dr Pfaller theorised that they are following these same chemicals, and are likewise fooled into thinking that floating plastic objects are eatable.
To test that idea, he and his colleagues set up an experiment. They arranged for 15 turtles to be exposed to four smells: the vapour from deionised water; the smell of turtle-feeding balls made of shrimp and fish meal; the smell of a clean plastic bottle chopped up into ten pieces; and the smell of a similarly chopped bottle that had been kept in the ocean for five weeks to allow algae and bacteria to grow on it.
Two of the smells proved far more attractive to the animals than the others. When sniffing both the smell of food balls and that of five-week-old bottles, turtles kept their nostrils out of the water more than three times as long, and took twice as many breaths as they did when what was on offer was the smell of fresh bottle-plastic or deionised-water vapour.
Though they have not yet tested whether dimethyl sulphide is the culprit, Dr Pfaller and his colleagues think it is the most likely candidate. In an unpolluted ocean, pretty well anything which had this smell would be eatable— or, at least, harmless. Unfortunately, five-week-old plastic bottles and their like are not.
1. Paragraph 1 mainly tells us that turtles ________.| A．mistake plastic objects for jellyfish |
| B．are fooled into eating plastics by a smell |
| C．are dying out as a result of plastic pollution |
| D．break down plastics without much difficulty |
| A．Seabirds eat plastics for the taste. |
| B．The algae and bacteria grow well on plastics. |
| C．Researchers got the idea from the study of turtles. |
| D．Some seabirds pursue food in a similar way to turtles. |
| A．turtles prefer the smell of plastics |
| B．turtles live on marine microorganisms |
| C．dimethyl sulphide may be to blame for turtles’ death |
| D．plastics release the same chemicals as microorganisms |
| A．To propose a new way to study turtles. |
| B．To stress the importance of improving ecosystem. |
| C．To introduce the findings on the cause of turtles’ death. |
| D．To explain the effects of plastic pollution on sea animals. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Eavesdropping (窃听) doesn’t just belong in the playbooks of police officers and spies. It is also a phenomenon that plays out among animals. Two biologists from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Linnea W.Havmoller and Rasmus W.Havmoller spent nine months in a Panamanian rainforest studying how coatis (长鼻浣熊) cash in on the messy table manners of monkeys.
“Monkeys are messy eaters. After just a few bites of a fruit, they let it fall to the ground. Other species benefit from this habit. But to do so most effectively, they need to know where and when the monkeys are eating. Here, our study demonstrates that some animals use eavesdropping,” says Linnea W. Havmoller.
The eavesdropping consists of the fact that terrestrial (陆栖的) fruit-eating animals — coatis, in this case — listen in when spider monkeys eat fruits up in trees. The monkeys’ half-eaten fruit falls and becomes a tasty treasure for the creatures below. And these animals are ready to move in as soon as they hear the sound of fruit falling to the ground.
“In the bigger picture, this means that in areas where monkeys have been removed from the local environment — typically as a result of hunting or destroyed forest — there can be a large and negative effect. Not only will the species of animals which depend on the fruit being dropped by monkeys suffer — there can be an impact on the entire rainforest ecosystem because terrestrial fruit-eating animals help spread the seeds that allow the forest to reproduce,” says Rasmus W. Havmoller.
While previous observations of the eavesdropping phenomenon have been recorded by pen and paper — and were at risk of misinterpretation — the UCPH researchers adopted a variety of technologies. They collected data using GPS collars, camera traps, speakers playing monkey sounds, and traps that collected fallen fruit. Data from the study show that over 90% of the fruit which landed in the traps had bite marks and was half-eaten by monkeys, and that the fruit that fell outside the traps was eaten almost immediately.
1. What does the underlined part “cash in on” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Fight with. | B．Take advantage of. |
| C．Make fun of. | D．Pick out. |
| A．They rely mainly on windfalls. |
| B．They climb up trees to eat fruits. |
| C．They steal stored fruits from other animals. |
| D．They wait for dropped fruits from spider monkeys. |
| A．There is a shortage of seed spreading animals. |
| B．The damage to the rainforest ecosystem is severe. |
| C．The loss of one species affects biodiversity in the rainforest. |
| D．Hunting makes terrestrial animals decrease in great number. |
| A．They were supported by reliable data. |
| B．They ran the risk of being misunderstood. |
| C．They were recorded by pen and paper. |
| D．They used previous observations for reference. |
【推荐2】In the long dispute over whether dogs are smarter than cats, a recent study published in the journal Learning & Behavior suggests that dogs are no more exceptional than other animals when it comes to smartness and intelligence.
The news is sure to cause the debate among dog owners and scientists who study dog behaviors. The authors reviewed existing studies and data on animal cognition(认知) and found that while dogs are smart and trainable, they are not ＂super smart＂ , despite what most dog owners will tell you. Dog research was quite popular in the 1990s and continues to be so. When it came to other animals, though, scientific studies on intelligence were barely involved in, despite evidence to suggest that horses, chimpanzees(黑猩猩) and cats had tricks of their own. Almost everything a dog claimed to do, other animals could do too.
Researchers set out to test the supposition. They compared dog cognition with members of three similar groups: meat-eating animals, social hunters and farm animals. Among the animals they studied were wolves, cats, chimpanzees, dolphins, horses and pigeons. What they found was that ＂dog cognition does not look exceptional.＂ Dogs cannot use tools, unlike dolphins, New Caledonian crows and chimpanzees, which have been observed using plant stems to fish for termites(白蚁). Homing pigeons are trained to fly home, sometimes crossing hundreds of miles of unfamiliar area. At the same time, farm animals share similar characters with their dog partners. Horses, like dogs, perform complex tasks. And cats? They have more in common with dogs than one might think. Still it is much easier to show intelligence in dogs because they like to be trained. Dogs are not smarter than they are supposed to be, given what they are.
1. What is the finding of the study?| A．Dogs are cleverer than cats and horses. |
| B．Dogs are no cleverer than other animals. |
| C．Dogs are not smarter than chimpanzees. |
| D．Dogs are more honest than most animals. |
| A．Only dogs are trained well to do many things. |
| B．People focus on studying dogs’ intelligence only. |
| C．Dogs can do many more things than other animals. |
| D．Existing studies and data on dogs suggest dogs are smarter. |
| A．Cats can use tools to fish. |
| B．Cats can go home from far away. |
| C．Cats can learn to do complex tasks. |
| D．Cats are more unwilling to be trained. |
| A．Cats are smarter than they were. |
| B．Dogs aren’t so clever as we think. |
| C．Any animal is smart and trainable. |
| D．All animals should be treated equally. |
【推荐3】National Bird Day
National Bird Day is a holiday which has been celebrated on January 5th. The purpose of this holiday is to bring attention to the situation of our friends—birds. This holiday is also a good day to appreciate the beauty and the diversity of these creatures.
However, National Bird Day shouldn't be confused with Bird Day—one of the oldest bird holidays. Bird Day is a holiday that is celebrated annually in the United States on May 4th since the late 19th century.
History
National Bird Day is a holiday which has been celebrated for over a decade now. Bird Day, on the other hand, goes back a lot further. According to the Library of Congress, Bird Day was established by Charles Almanzo Babcock in 1894.
Facts About Birds
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are almost 10,000 different species of birds. But almost 900 of them are on the verge of extinction(濒临灭绝).
Customs, Traditions, and Celebrations
National Bird Day can be celebrated in many different ways. Participants can watch birds, and they can take part in one of the activities for the protection of birds. In schools across the US, children often are given the task of researching into birds on this day or drawing a nice picture of birds for the classroom.
1. What can we learn about National Bird Day?| A．It is celebrated earlier than Bird Day every year. |
| B．It is celebrated all over the world. |
| C．It is one of the oldest bird holidays. |
| D．It is set up earlier than Bird Day. |
| A．0.8%. | B．0.9%. |
| C．8%. | D．9%. |
| A．Buy some birds. | B．Feed some birds. |
| C．Study some birds. | D．Set some birds free. |
【推荐1】Chances are that you can name a few animals that are facing extinction. But what about plants? With some 40% of plant species under threat of extinction — and given humankind’s dependence on the plant world — one might think they should be protected as soon as possible. However, so many people suffer from plant blindness which refers to the inability to see or notice the plants in one’s own environment, leading to the inability to recognize the importance of plants.
Now a paper published by Oxford University Press might have found a solution for that. That’s watching nature documentaries. Having noticed that TV shows like Seven Worlds, One Planet, Planet Earth II, and Blue Planet II increased viewers’ interest in the animals on the shows, the researchers set out to discover if TV shows could do the same for plants.
For the paper, they focused on The Green Planet. The show was watched by nearly 5 million people in the United Kingdom. It features various plant species and doesn’t shy away from environmental concerns. To figure out if the documentary attracted viewers enough to make them want to learn more, the researchers noted which species appeared on the show and then looked at data on Google Trends and Wikipedia page hits for those same species before and after the episodes (剧集) of the documentary aired.
Actually, some 28.1% of search terms representing plants mentioned in The Green Planet had peak (高峰时期的) popularity in the UK, measured using Google Trends, the week after the broadcast of the relevant episode. Wikipedia data showed this as well. Almost a third (31.3%) of the Wikipedia pages related to plants mentioned in the documentary showed increased visits the week after the broadcast. The researchers also noted that people were more likely to do online searches for plants that enjoyed more screen time on The Green Planet.
“Our results suggest that the viewers found certain plant species particularly attractive. These plants could be used for promoting plant conservation efforts,” said the paper’s lead author, Joanna Kacprzyk.
1. What is the problem mentioned at the beginning of the text?| A．The harm of introduced plant species to native plants. |
| B．Limited education about local wildlife protection |
| C．The lack of public awareness about plants. |
| D．People’s increasingly poor eyesight. |
| A．By showing news about extinct plant species. |
| B．By comparing its popularity with other TV shows’. |
| C．By measuring people’s online behavior towards it. |
| D．By recording viewers’ preferences for social media sites. |
| A．Better sales of natural products. |
| B．A rise in online searches for specific plants. |
| C．Growing public interest in outdoor activities. |
| D．More educational websites related to wildlife. |
| A．An effective solution to animal protection |
| B．The changing views about nature programs |
| C．Plant blindness: a widespread phenomenon |
| D．Nature documentaries: a hidden guardian of plants |
【推荐2】You may not realize that your brain is consuming energy almost all the time. Paying attention, decision-making, empathy, even meditation consume mental resources. You can’t think much at all-or laugh, or respond to danger, or dream about the future, or even remember where you put the car keys-without mental energy.
Despite its essential status, mental energy is a missing factor in most accounts of psychic(心理的)operations. It’s not even clear what mental energy is. One model sees it as one part mood state, one part cognition, and one part motivation. There’s no agreed-upon measure of or method for assessing mental energy.
Whatever mental energy turns out to be, one thing is clear: it’s something people want more of. Perhaps because we live in disquieting times that we struggle to make sense of even decisions about what to put in the garbage bring us face-to-face with existential threats-there are continuous demands on mental energy. Or maybe it’s just the price of having a big cerebral cortex(大脑皮层)in a time of information overload.
There are known ways of maintaining mental energy. Most accessible, perhaps, is the careful use of whatever mental energy individuals already have. Habits help conserve mental energy. They obviate the need to make any number of decisions so as to maintain mental energy. Good habits are even better; they additionally prevent the need to expend energy on mopping up the damage done by bad habits.
It’s also possible to generate mental energy from within by a technique known as mental contrasting. New York University psychologist Gabriele Oettingen developed mental contrasting as a way to use the energy necessary to turn goals into achievements. The technique requires imagining a future you want to attain-writing a book, say-and the best outcome of that desired goal-feelings of accomplishment and pride. The critical part is then avoiding pure fantasy by contrasting your wishes with the reality of the work necessary to attain them. The judgments people then make about how likely they are to attain the desired future are starting working, and the energy mobilization(能量调动)can be measured physically in tests of hand-grip strength(握力). Further,Oettingen finds，mental contrasting gives rise to a universal arousal state in which energy is transferrable to mental tasks wholly unrelated to the fantasy that birthed it.
1. What do we know about mental energy?| A．It’s clear that people desire more of mental energy. |
| B．Most threats and struggles can be addressed with mental energy. |
| C．It is a model with parts including mood state, cognition, and motivation. |
| D．Most accounts of psychic operations describe mental energy as a main factor. |
| A．Meet. |
| B．Remove. |
| C．Increase. |
| D．Provide. |
| A．By turning goals into achievements. |
| B．By transferring your energy to mental tasks. |
| C．By picturing your desired goal and its outcome. |
| D．By fantasizing about your accomplishments. |
| A．The making of mental energy. |
| B．The functions of mental energy. |
| C．Habits, good keepers of mental energy. |
| D．Mental contrasts, sources of mental energy. |
【推荐3】Repair or replace? This is a difficult choice for people when appliances (家用电器) that they own, like TVs and refrigerators, break down. Too often, the only option, or at least the cheaper one, is to replace an appliance rather than get it repaired.
But now in the UK, people don’t have to do this. Manufacturers (制造商) are now legally required to make spare parts that people can buy to repair their products.
The right to repair rules are designed to deal with “built-in obsolescence” where manufacturers build appliances to break down after a certain period on purpose to encourage people to buy new ones.
These new rules should bring an end to the frustration (沮丧) of having to throw away a product because a small part is no longer working and no longer supplied. Rather than having to buy a whole new product, replacement parts must now be sold directly by the manufacturer for 10 years, whether or not they are still selling the complete product.
Some companies said the rules could make appliances more expensive. John Elliott, chairman of Ebac, said, “The rules will influence companies who have been in a race to the bottom on prices for many white goods, but it will not make much difference to my business. We don’t look to make the cheapest washing machine. We look for one that’s going to do the job and last a long time.”
The company has been manufacturing washing machines for about fifty years. “Our focus is always on quality — not just a low price,” Mr Elliott said. “The secret of a product that’s easy to repair and long-lasting is the design.”
Rob Johnson, operations director at repair business Pacifica, said that his company was now hoping to enlarge its team of engineers because of new rules. The company already has 400 skilful engineers going into homes to fix about 6,000 appliances per week.
He said the rules “give customers real choice” about whether to repair or replace their product.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Fixing broken appliances. | B．Buying cheaper appliances. |
| C．Replacing broken appliances. | D．Finding spare parts of appliances. |
| A．Sell certain products for at least ten years. |
| B．Make sure their products last for ten years. |
| C．Sell spare parts of their products for ten years. |
| D．Have their products serviced for over ten years. |
| A．It will stick with its original focus. | B．It will lose business to its competitors. |
| C．It will sell its products at higher prices. | D．It will make its products easier to repair. |
| A．Take on more engineers. | B．Start a new repair business. |
| C．Give customers lessons on repairing. | D．Train its engineers to be more skilful. |
【推荐1】Many years ago mathematics was my enemy． I was afraid of it and I hated it so much that you could not imagine．
Then came a new teacher to our village． On the first day， he entered the classroom with huge steps， reached the blackboard in a few seconds， and wrote his name on the blackboard． Some letters were in higher places and some were in lower places； some were as big as the board itself and some were so small that we had to open our eyes a lot to see them； some were wide enough， but on the other hand some were too thin．
As he turned around， the class suddenly became still and silent， trying to make out what it was． As we read his name， we were all smiling， no laughing out loud． Soon we realized that he had a special and lasting sense of humor and we began to learn mathematics in a relaxed and happy mood （心情）．
As for my mathematics study， the barriers（障碍） began to turn into pieces， and the fear began to disappear slowly． What was dark and colorless suddenly became exciting， challenging， interesting and above all simply fun．There was some humor added to every sum （算术） and there was fun in every problem．
Thanks to this special teacher， math became the most enjoyable subject to me．
1. The writer thought mathematics was very before he met the new math teacher．| A．interesting |
| B．easy |
| C．boring |
| D．challenging |
| A．see |
| B．hear |
| C．write |
| D．feel |
| A．his parents |
| B．his teacher |
| C．his classmates |
| D．his friends |
| A．His name |
| B．A picture |
| C．A word |
| D．A sentence |
| A．A teacher made math fun |
| B．First day of my school |
| C．Math teacher's handwriting |
| D．The way to learn math |
【推荐2】According to a study, only one in three parents leave work on time. As a mom of two boys, I have something to say.
I am 38, an analyst. There is no culture of presenteeism （出勤主义） at my company --- no one gets prizes for staying late. If I chose, I could work at home more (I currently do one day per week at home), and leave earlier. However, I would miss out on social and professional contact, and the career and development opportunities, as well as feeling more part of the team. No one is directly discriminating, but if I am not there, I don’t get the opportunities that others do.
My kids would love it if I could pick them up from school. My son was asked recently what he would change if he were boss of the school, and he said: “No after-school club, the parents come every day. ” When I do make it, they are so happy to see me there. If I could get home on time I would be with the kids more, to play with them, teach them things and help them with their development. It would give me more time to feel on top of things in life, not just scraping by day to day.
My mother gave up work to bring up three kids. She went back when I was about 11. We clearly benefited enormously from all her input in terms of our education and development. I feel like kids of parents who are around more get a head start in life. It may seem strange coming from a family where both parents have good jobs and are relatively well paid… but small kids don't need you to earn lots of money, they need you to spend time with them.
1. What will happen if the author always works at home?| A．She’ll have more motivation to produce better results. |
| B．She’ll have the same chance to be treated as others |
| C．She’ll miss many chances to be promoted |
| D．She will be paid lower pay with less work |
| A．Having more money to set up more clubs. |
| B．Having his mother come earlier to pick him up. |
| C．Having the ability to be a real boss of a big firm. |
| D．Having the power to arrange his mother's schedule. |
| A．It’s good for her mother’s future work experience. |
| B．It had little effect on her sibling’s education. |
| C．It’s good for her sibling’s growing in many aspects. |
| D．It had little good effect on her sibling's development. |
| A．Balance their work and life. |
| B．Try not to work overtime. |
| C．Earn enough money before their kids are born. |
| D．Don’t work out when kids are too young. |
【推荐3】Recently, my husband and three kids were playing in Mediterranean(地中海)，swimming and floating in the pictureperfect sea.It was ridiculously beautiful in Majorca，Spain.The way the sun danced across the water and how the blue horizon was dotted with storybook sailboats were such beautiful scenes.
My husband and I always dreamed about taking our kids on a trip around the world. It was one of the things we talked at length about. When we imagined our life with the children, we hoped we would have.
Fourteen years later, we had three boys who were growing up faster by the day. It was time to make good on those plans. We renewed our passports, and then packed our bags. We showed our kids the world. It was about experiencing the dozens of flights and trains and taxis together. We showed them how wonderful, how diverse, and how fascinating the world is. We wanted them to learn all that we had learned ourselves, through our own travels.
But there was something more than that：What we really wanted is to slow down time. We wanted the days to last a bit longer, and the weeks to take their time. The years with our children are going too fast. We wanted to put the brakes on our busy lives for a year, and just be with our kids. We wanted a break from the daily morning routine of making lunches, eating breakfast and going out the door in time for school. We needed family time out.
It was the wonderful two months in Europe, full of incredible moments.When we look back at our lives, I know we'll be glad we did it.I know we'll be happy that this is a chapter of the story of our family.
1. What did the couple often dream of fourteen years ago?| A．Going to Mediterranean. |
| B．Travelling with their children. |
| C．Some storybook sailboats. |
| D．Their children's growing fast. |
| A．do good to. | B．carry out. |
| C．make up. | D．put off. |
| A．The travel. | B．The children. |
| C．The transportation. | D．The diverse world. |
| A．Doing everything slowly. | B．Living a busy life. |
| C．Sticking to the routine. | D．Slowing down the time. |
【推荐1】If you’re short on cash, you don’t have to pay for an expensive gym membership to get in shape. Below are some choices for you! And the best is that they don’t cost a penny!
Nike + Run Club and Nike Training Club
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, various location
Nike’s free run club with coaches and pacers opens to anyone who wants to learn how to run like the professionals. Besides, there’s the Nike Training Club for all health levels, covering boxing and other exercise. It’s not one for men, though — the classes have a women-only policy. Call up in advance for participation (参与)!
Our Parks
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
This brilliant program works with local communities to bring free health group classes across the city. They’re led by qualified instructors and you can join anything from the body-building club at the Olympic Park to yoga in Victoria Park — just remember to register (注册) online and book ahead.
Sweaty Betty’s In-store Classes
Daily, various locations and time
With over 70 classes to pick each week, it’s no wonder mums crowd into Sweaty Betty to keep their health on track. But to sign up for a class, it’s fastest lingers first — places can be booked up to a week in advance so simply register online and watch out for a free spot.
Sweatshop Running Community
Sundays to Thursdays, various locations and times
Running can be a lonely old task. Sweatshop’s run clubs, held at branches across London, aim to make it a little more social. We’d recommend this for more experienced runners — the entry level distance is 5 kilometers — but a pace keeper at the back means you won’t be left behind. Ready to work up a good sweat? Just go to the events listed on their Facebook page!
1. Which of the four programs admits women only?| A．Our Parks. |
| B．Sweaty Betty’s In-store Classes. |
| C．Sweatshop Running Community. |
| D．Nike Training Club. |
| A．calling up in advance |
| B．registering online and waiting |
| C．showing up at the intended spot |
| D．booking a week earlier |
| A．running with a pace keeper |
| B．doing yoga in a beautiful park |
| C．training in boxing by the professionals |
| D．a variety of health classes |
| A．offer exercising courses for beginners |
| B．advertise free body-building programs |
| C．give advice on how to do physical activities |
| D．create a communication platform for runners |
【推荐2】Microsoft PowerPoint is the world’s most common presentation tool. It emerged from software company Forethought Inc in the 1980s. Bob Gaskins was the man behind it.
“I knew in the early 80s that there were as many as a billion, a thousand million presentation slides being made per year just in America,” Gaskins says, “but they were all made by hand and almost nobody was using computers to do them.”
“It was clear to me that here was a huge application worth billions and billions of dollars a year that could be done on computers as soon as there was a revolution in the kinds of computers that we had.”
Gaskins was onto something, but it was a hard sell at the time. The software wouldn’t run on any existing personal computers. Anyone wanting to use it had to buy a new machine. Even so, people bought personal computers for the first time in order to be able to use PowerPoint, says Wired magazine journalist Russell Davies.
Davies explains that before PowerPoint, people used slides to convey information to groups—but anyone creating a presentation had to send away to get their materials made. It took a long time to do, was difficult to make changes and because it was so expensive, only the most senior people in an organisation got to do it.
“PowerPoint.” Davies says, “made it possible for everyone in an organisation to stand up and say their piece.”
PowerPoint has helped turn us all into presenters, but it’s also been accused of over-simplifying ideas and distracting us from clear thinking.
Sarah Kaplan is a management professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She has noticed that, rather than people asking for new analysis or insights in meetings, they were asking for more PowerPoint slides.
Kaplan says that some CEOS, such as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, have banned its use. “He felt, and I think many people feel, that PowerPoint became such an object of the process that they lost the ideas inside of it and that is the risk.”
1. What drove Bob Gaskins to develop PowerPoint?| A．His personal needs at the office. |
| B．The support from Forethought Inc. |
| C．The great potential market demand. |
| D．His interest in science and technology. |
| A．It was very expensive. |
| B．It was very difficult to use. |
| C．It couldn’t be used on old computers. |
| D．It couldn’t satisfy young people’s needs. |
| A．It falls to solve practical problems. |
| B．It fails to convey messages effectively. |
| C．It makes something valuable unavailable. |
| D．It results in creative thinking getting ignored. |
【推荐3】Our wedding was about to begin. My throat was tight and my cheeks got red, but I didn't care. I was ready to marry David Sanchez. We're a “nontraditional” couple: getting married in a bookstore that supports a charity to fight HIV and homelessness.
“Kim! I could walk you down the aisle (走道) if you like！” David's father offered gently.
“I'm OK. But I appreciate that，” I said with a smile. And I was reminded, again, of my dad's absence.
My father died of cancer six weeks ago. For the last two months, we tried to make him feel comfortable and loved as he departed from this world. He always told us that he didn't like a funeral (葬礼) and insisted that our wedding go forward as planned. But how could we honor him since the wedding would be the first time the family would gather after his death and some even didn't know he was sick?
During the ceremony, my dear friend Eva delivered a reading entitled “When Things Go Missing” by Kathryn Schulz. She paused and got everyone on the same page, “When we are experiencing it, loss often feels like confusion in the usual order of things. In fact, the entire plan of the universe consists of losing, and life amounts to a reverse (逆向的) savings account in which we are eventually robbed of everything.”
I felt the energy full of the room. Everyone was listening. By choosing to accept the pain, we knew what a wedding does to join two families and mark the next chapter for a couple. Loss became a compass that kept us away from a fantasy and toward celebrating the difficult realities of life.
After rings were exchanged, fried chicken was served, our friends offered so many funny and touching toasts, and finally David sang “Married” on my father's guitar. I felt joy filling all the holes in my soul. Celebrating my father's life at our wedding made me grateful for all the time I had spent with him.
1. Why did David's father offer to walk the author down the aisle?| A．To relieve her tension. |
| B．To welcome her to his family. |
| C．To play the author's late father's role. |
| D．To contribute something to the charity. |
| A．She got a compass as a wedding gift. |
| B．She enjoyed David's promise for their marriage. |
| C．She received more sympathy from families and friends. |
| D．She recalled the days spent with her father and understood life better. |
| A．Because she could keep away from the pain. |
| B．Because she knew everyone was listening. |
| C．Because she got more courage for the marriage and life. |
| D．Because she could read a piece of Kathryn Schulz's works. |
| A．It was held in a library. |
| B．It was a touching and happy one. |
| C．Kim and David turned it into a funeral. |
| D．There was no other activity except reading. |
