A very frightening thing happened on the weekend, but luckily a hero saved all. A New Jersey police officer safely caught a one-month-old baby dropped off a second-floor balcony over the weekend, authorities said.
The Hudson County prosecutor’s office said Officer Eduardo Matute was among those called to the Jersey City residence Saturday morning after reports that a man was threatening the baby.
NorthJersey.com reports that he and several officers were positioned below the second-floor balcony as the child was dangled over the balcony fence. Officials said the man dropped the baby after a long negotiation with the officers leader, and to the relief of everyone present, Matute caught the child on the spot.
City spokesperson Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said the child was taken to the hospital. Mayor Steve Fulop later posted a photo on social media of the officer holding the child, who was wrapped in a white blanket.
“Thankfully the baby wasn’t harmed physically,” Fulop said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what charges he would face. Other details weren’t available.
“Kudos to the JCPD and all the officers involved for their heroics and for bringing a safe conclusion to this dangerous situation,” the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
1. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “dangled” in Paragraph 3?| A．Hung. | B．Fastened. | C．Exhibited. | D．Thrown. |
| A．Amazed. | B．Relieved. | C．Frightened. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．It lost its father. | B．It was seriously hurt. |
| C．It was completely safe. | D．It was without physical damage. |
| A．An Unknown Hero | B．A Lucky Dog |
| C．A Police Officer Saving a Baby | D．A Policeman Making a Breakthrough |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Korten went to a public school. There were students who were friends with Korten and who weren’t, But deep down, our hero knew that he was “that kid” in school because of his Korten was often nulled Butism (自闭症). Diagnosed that he could never speak, Korten was often pulled out of class for speech treatment. He was infamous for having “breakdowns” in the middle of a class and for seeing specialists inside and outside of the school.
When all hope seemed lost, it was athletics that came to Korten’s rescue. After trying swimming, he took up running and joined the cross-country team of his school. But autism seriously affected him, In the beginning, Korten couldn’t run around the school yard without stopping at least a couple of times. Frustrated, he would often drop out of them.
However, the sportsperson’s mentality (心态) which was locked up by his autism before had begun to rise. Despite his condition, Korten decided to take part in the cross-country races during the upcoming season. He worked on his skills with his father during the summer break and to his surprise, Korten was not only competing but successfully finishing the races with some of the best records. He even almost won the 1,500-metre race that year.
When he started his college life, Korten realized that he wasn’t the only one with “issues”. There were people who, though, may not be autistic, were fighting their own battles. Having displayed his real and complete self in front of the world, Korten not only was able to give his 100% to sports, but also was awarded the “Who’s who among students on campus”, a valuable recognition given to those with high academics along with participating in many after-school activities.
1. Why was Korten referred to as “that kid” in school?| A．He dropped out of school. | B．He had no friends at school. |
| C．He was a hero of his school. | D．He was often absent for his condition. |
| A．His love for sport. | B．His special condition. |
| C．His newly-found fighting spirit. | D．His father’s encouragement. |
| A．One should accept his real self. | B．Everyone in college fought for a goal. |
| C．Few students in college knew Korten. | D．Korten was more recognized in academics. |
| A．Show Concern for Autism | B．Face Your Life Challenges |
| C．Find an Interest in a Sport | D．Recognize Your Own Issue |
Thank You, Ma’m
by Langston Hughes
She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails. It had a long strap (带子), and she carried it hung across her shoulder. It was about eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from behind. But the boy`s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance so, instead of taking off full blast (尽全力) as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.
After that the woman said, “Pick up my pocketbook, boy, and give it here.” She still held him. But she bent down enough to permit him to stoop and pick up her purse. Then she said, “Now ain’t you ashamed of yourself?”
Firmly gripped by his shirt front, the boy said, “Yes’m.”
The woman said, “What did you want to do it for?”
The boy said, “I didn’t aim to.”
She said, “You a lie!”
By that time two or three people passed, stopped, turned to look, and some stood watching.
“If I turn you loose, will you run?” asked the woman.
“Yes’m,” said the boy.
“Then I won’t turn you loose,” said the woman. She did not release him.
“I’m very sorry, lady, I’m sorry,” whispered the boy.
“Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”
“No’m,” said the boy.
“Then it will get washed this evening,” said the large woman starting up the street, dragging the frightened boy behind her.
He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild, in tennis shoes and blue jeans.
The woman said, “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?”
“No’m,” said the being dragged boy. “I just want you to turn me loose.”
“Was I bothering you when I turned that corner?” asked the woman.
“No’m.”
“But you put yourself in contact with me,” said the woman. “If you think that that contact is not going to last a while, you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.”
Sweat popped out on the boy`s face and he began to struggle. Mrs. Jones stopped, jerked (猛拉) him around in front of her, put a half-nelson about his neck, and continued to drag him up the street. When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a hall, and into a large kitchenettefurnished room at the rear of the house. She switched on the light and left the door open. The boy could hear other roomers laughing and talking in the large house. Some of their doors were open, too, so he knew he and the woman were not alone. The woman still had him by the neck in the middle of her room.
She said, “What is your name?”
“Roger,” answered the boy.
“Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, and then she turned him loose—at last. Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink.
Let the water run until it gets warm,” she said. “Here’s a clean towel.”
“You gonna take me to jail?” asked the boy, bending over the sink.
“Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere,” said the woman. “Here I am trying to get home to cook me a bite to eat and you snatch my pocketbook! Maybe, you ain’t been to your supper either, late as it be. Have you?”
“There’s nobody home at my house,” said the boy.
“Then we’ll eat,” said the woman, “I believe you’re hungry—or been hungry—to try to snatch my pocketbook.”
“I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes,” said the boy.
“Well, you didn’t have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes,” said Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. “You could have asked me.”
“M’am? ”
The water dripping from his face, the boy looked at her. There was a long pause. A very long pause. After he had dried his face and not knowing what else to do dried it again, the boy turned around, wondering what next. The door was open. He could make a dash for it down the hall. He could run, run, run, run, run!
The woman was sitting on the day-bed. After a while she said, “I were young once and I wanted things I could not get.”
There was another long pause. The boy’s mouth opened. Then he frowned, but not knowing he frowned.
The woman said, “Um-hum! You thought I was going to say but, didn’t you? You thought I was going to say, but I didn’t snatch people’s pocketbooks. Well, I wasn’t going to say that.” Pause. Silence. “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son—neither tell God, if he didn’t already know. So you set down while I fix us something to eat. You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable.”
In another corner of the room behind a screen was a gas plate and an icebox. Mrs. Jones got up and went behind the screen. The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse which she left behind her on the day-bed. But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye, if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.
“Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe to get some milk or something?”
“Don’t believe I do,” said the woman, “unless you just want sweet milk yourself. I was going to make cocoa out of this canned milk I got here.”
“That will be fine,” said the boy.
She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made the cocoa, and set the table. The woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his folks, or anything else that would embarrass him. Instead, as they ate, she told him about her job in a hotel beauty-shop that stayed open late, what the work was like, and how all kinds of women came in and out, blondes, redheads, and Spanish. Then she cut him a half of her ten-cent cake.
“Eat some more, son,” she said.
When they were finished eating she got up and said, “Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s—because shoes come by devilish (邪恶的) like that will burn your feet. I got to get my rest now. But I wish you would behave yourself, son, from here on in.”
She led him down the hall to the front door and opened it. “Good-night! Behave yourself, boy!” she said, looking out into the street. The boy wanted to say something else other than "Thank you, ma’am” to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t. In fact, he barely managed to say “Thank you” before she shut the door. And he never saw her again.
1. What do you know about Mrs. Jones from the first three paragraph. (No more than 15 words)2. Why do you think Mrs. Jones avoids asking Roger about his family or background? (No more than 15 words)
3. What does Mrs. Jones mean when she says that “shoes got by devilish ways will burn your feet”? (No more than 20 words)
4. Do you think Roger will change as a result of his meeting Mrs. Jones? Support your opinion with clues in the story. (No more than 40 words)
【推荐3】We've all heard the quote, “Be Kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
My husband and son died within two years of each other. From my personal experience, I believe that if we aren't careful, grief can become a rather self-involved process in which we can become so focused on our own suffering that we miss the opportunity to connect with, and possibly bring comfort to, someone else who may be going through a similar experience.
Six months after my husband died, I was sinking in the quicksand of grief. I could not pull myself out of the misery. In that moment, I actually believed that my life was more difficult than anyone else around me. Life handed me a perfectly wrapped lesson that opened my eyes to the fact that through my suffering I had allowed myself to become blinded by my self-pity.
The lesson presented itself in a health crisis. I had complications(并发症) from a surgical procedure and ended up being hospitalized for four days. I was in an extreme amount of pain during this time. Between the physical pain and the emotional pain of grief, I was an absolute mess.
I should also tell you that I am a Registered Nurse. As a nurse, it is hard to be on the receiving end of medicine as the patient. The first three nights that I was in the hospital, the same nurse took care of me. She was young, maybe in her mid to late 20s, and she hardly interacted with me at all the first two nights, other than to give my medications as scheduled. She obviously had no idea how much emotional pain I was in. How hard is it to ask your patient how she's feeling? I wrote her off as a bad nurse who had little empathy, and remained absorbed in my own emotional and physical pain. The third night the young nurse was a little more talkative. She asked me how I was feeling (finally!). I told her that I was struggling with depression and grief because my husband had died in an airplane accident. She looked at me and told me that her husband had died too, just two months earlier. I was stunned. Speechless. Shocked.
Never, in any of the possibilities that my mind entertained of why this nurse was so stand-offish with me, did I even consider that she might be in the same pain I was. Not only was she grieving as I was, but she was having to take care of me, instead of caring for herself and her family.
We went on to talk and share our stories about our late husbands and children. I like to think that we helped each other a bit that night. We had much more in common than I would have believed. We were both widowed single moms with young children, and nurses. But, that was where the similarities ended. Her husband had no insurance policy. She had very little family support. She was working paycheck to paycheck to support her boys. I was humbled. I realized how much I had to be grateful for. And, frankly, I never saw life the same way after this experience.
This experience was a life-changing event for me. I had always prided myself on being an empathetic person, but I realize now that I had not really understood what being empathetic meant. To truly be empathetic, you must be able to see beyond your own pain to be witness to the pain. I never looked at another person in the same way after this experience. I thank death for very few things. The gift of empathy for my fellow man, and understanding that we all suffer in ways that aren't always visible, are presents from death that I will always be grateful for.
Always take the time to be kind. Even when you're suffering with your own pain. And don't assume that someone else has it easier than you. You never know the battles someone else is fighting.
1. What can be learned from the underlined sentence in para3?| A．Self-pity always brings about selflessness. | B．Self-pity always results in selfishness. |
| C．Selflessness often brings out blindness. | D．Selfishness can prevent self-pity. |
| A．The nurse treated her abruptly. |
| B．The nurse didn't offer medications on time. |
| C．The nurse seldom communicated with her. |
| D．The nurse was irresponsible. |
| A．beaten | B．ashamed |
| C．defeated | D．depressed |
| A．Every bean has its black. | B．Let bygones be bygones. |
| C．Stand in others' shoes. | D．Misfortunes never come singly. |
【推荐1】When Rich Jean wanted to help his daughter, Abigail, learn to read, he took her to the library near their home in Brooklyn, N. Y. That's where they met Hasina Islam, who Jean says arose her interest in reading and the library.
“You see what you started? You see that spark that you put in this child?” Jean told Hasina Islam at a StoryCorps conversation in 2016. At the time, Abigail was 7 and Islam was 27. Their friendship began when Abigail was 3. Through the years, Islam has offered book suggestions that Abigail has read with great enthusiasm. “What's cool is that Hasina has recommended a lot of books that I, at the time, thought might be a little too advanced for you," Jean told Abigail. “Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Abigail said.
Islam's own love of the library was sparked when she was in the third grade. She lived near the main branch of the Queens Public Library in New York City, and she went there to research Henry Hudson, an English explorer, for a school project.
"The librarian made me feel so special. She remembered my name, and my favorite thing was that she gave me book recommendations," she said." When I was graduating from college, I thought about how I was going to make a difference in the world. And I remembered my librarian，and I remembered that feeling that she gave me every single time I went to the library. ”
1. When might Abigail and Hasina Islam first meet?| A．In 2012. | B．In 2016. |
| C．In 2018. | D．In 2020. |
| A．It was Islam's favorite book. | B．It might be hard for Abigail. |
| C．It was a best seller at that time. | D．It was important for Abigail. |
| A．By offering books to her. | B．By reading together with her. |
| C．By giving advice on books. | D．By introducing great libraries. |
| A．Islam's special college life. | B．Islam's working experiences. |
| C．Islam's living conditions. | D．Islam's reasons for loving library. |
【推荐2】Nothing seems to brighten up a room faster than a bouquet of flowers. While bringing a touch of nature inside, fresh flowers make a room look and smell better. Perhaps that’s why people who are limited to hospital rooms appreciate flowers so much.
Larsen Jay experienced this for himself. After falling from a building in 2007, Jay was in the hospital for weeks. He faced numerous surgeries and began losing hope. Jay’s friends and family members, though, came to his rescue. They delivered fresh flowers each day and something wonderful happened. Jay’s mood began to improve, and he looked forward to the future with increased hope.
He soon realized that others around him weren’t receiving the same type of emotional support. This drove him to go from room to room, giving away his flowers. The results were amazing! He found that people’s misery quickly turned to happiness.
After leaving the hospital, Jay couldn’t forget the power of his flowers. Within six months, he came up with the idea for Random Acts of Flowers.
Random Acts of Flowers accepts donations of previously used flowers, often from weddings, and rearranges them. The flowers are then given to people in hospitals and nursing homes. In their first year, the organization served fewer than 100 people. But by 2018 they had given out close to 300,000 bouquets.
According to many studies, fresh flowers and plants can help with the healing process. A Harvard study found that flowers bring health benefits, including reduced stress. A different study found that patients with flowers had shorter hospital stays and lower levels of pain. A 2001 Rutgers study discovered that flowers help reduce depression. The University of Tennessee Medical Center did a study on Random Acts of Flowers in 2016. Almost 95 percent of the patients who had received flowers reported an improvement in their emotional condition.
Time spent in hospitals and nursing homes is no bed of roses. But groups like Random Acts of Flowers are making a difference. They give away fresh flowers to show kindness and promote healing.
1. Why did Larsen Jay have to stay in hospital for a long time?| A．Because he got injured in an accident. |
| B．Because he wanted to cheer others up. |
| C．Because he had to look after other patients. |
| D．Because he needed to carry out operations. |
| A．The frequency of his friends’ visit. |
| B．The flowers he gave out to others. |
| C．The changes of other patients when they got flowers. |
| D．The experiences of his own when he received flowers. |
| A．By listing statistics. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By quoting research results. |
| D．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| A．It is well received. |
| B．It cures the patients. |
| C．It needs more support. |
| D．It is highly profitable. |
【推荐3】For more than a century, the Mississippi Delta has been a popular destination for immigrants. Recently, I was assigned to learn more about one immigrant group: the Chinese in Greenville, a small city along the Mississippi River. There I met Raymond Wong. whose family has long been part of the community.
The first wave of Chinese immigrants came to the Mississippi Delta soon after the Civil War, and the pace picked up by the early 1900s. The Chinese initially came to pick cotton, but they quickly started opening grocery stores, mostly in the African-American communities where they lived.
“On my street alone, there were no less than four grocery stores. I’m talking about a minor street,” Wong recalls. “I was raised in a grocery store. All my family — six of us — lived in a couple of rooms at the back of our store. As soon as I could calculate money I had to work in the store.”
In 1968, Wong’s father opened a Chinese restaurant, one of the first in the town. “The restaurant existed for 40 years.” Wong says. Wong remembers a time of big excitement when his family finally could afford to buy a house in a white neighborhood. Then suddenly, that conversation stopped.
“When people found out that we were moving in, they started throwing bottles in the driveway,” Wong says. “We ended up building a house directly behind the grocery.”
And the future? It’s probably not in the Delta. Wong remembers the question his son raised when he was still in high school: “Dad, do you want me to take over the store when you retire?” Wong’s response was immediate: “No. I want you to live better than me.” That’s the story of the typical Delta Chinese.
1. What did the Delta Chinese originally do shortly after the Civil War?| A．Working in cotton fields. | B．Running restaurants. |
| C．Importing Chinese food. | D．Opening grocery stores. |
| A．Raymond Wong had a fun and care free childhood. |
| B．The store owners’ children were very talented in math. |
| C．There was intense competition among the grocery stores. |
| D．The Wong family was among the most successful families in Greenville. |
| A．Because the house owner raised the price. | B．Because their business failed unexpectedly. |
| C．Because they did not have enough money. | D．Because the white people did not accept them. |
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Insecure. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Optimistic. |
