Last night at work, a girl came in and sat at the bar. She asked for a cup of water and a menu and eventually ordered a bacon cheeseburger which costs roughly $12 at my restaurant.
After eating for a few minutes, she asked me for a napkin (餐巾) and a pen. I saw her writing on the napkin but didn’t think anything of it. When I turned around, she was gone. As I went to clear her plate, I noticed that she had left a $100 bill along with a note that read, “Today marks my 14th day of chemo (化疗) along with my 26th birthday. Life’s been good to me so far, and I think I will pass my luck on to someone else. Have a great night!”
I have never been so touched by a stranger in my entire life. About 3 months ago, my own mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, so this hit very close to home. Having just witnessed my mother completed her first 5-week cycle of chemo, I know the pain and exhaustion this young woman is feeling. On top of the chemo, she was selfless enough on her own birthday that she gave a stranger a gift.
This young woman has completely touched my soul and has affected my life in a way that I will never forget. I hope to see her again one day, so I can tell her how much her random act of kindness has touched me and finally changed my life.
Thank you for being such a beautiful person and I pray that you get well.
Thank you for making the world a better place.
1. The author might work as a ______.| A．singer | B．doctor | C．cook | D．waitress |
| A．By giving some economic support to someone in need. |
| B．By offering free chemo to someone else. |
| C．By buying a dinner for someone else. |
| D．By writing a letter full of kindness. |
| A．To make somebody go home. |
| B．To know somebody’s address. |
| C．To have a strong effect on somebody. |
| D．To send food to somebody’s home. |
| A．To thank her for the money she left. |
| B．To tell her what effect she has on the author. |
| C．To tell her she is very beautiful. |
| D．To wish her good luck in getting well. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Imagine if your textbooks turned into comic books, you could learn from comic stories instead of chunks (大块) of texts. Does it sound useful?
This is what comic painter “Brother Hunzi”, or Chen Lei, has been devoted to doing. He wants to help spread knowledge through comic books which have comic characters with exaggerated (夸张的) facial expressions, body language and funny dialogues. So far, Chen and his team have published a series of books about philosophy, economics, literature and much more.
“When I was in middle school, I had no interest in history,” Chen said. “I couldn’t remember historical facts though I studied hard.” However, in college, Chen played a computer game about World War II which aroused his interest in history. “I had no knowledge of the characters and historical background of the game, so I read lots of books about the history from that period,” Chen said. He realized that he didn’t master effective learning methods, or his interest hadn’t been aroused.
In 2015, after finding his enthusiasm for spreading knowledge in a humorous way, he decided to quit his job. He now has his own educational comic book business. The job is quite demanding. Besides basic drawing skills, “You must have a strong ability to learn independently and think logically,” Chen said. “I have to absorb professional knowledge from many different fields.” In January 2021, he released a comic book along with Zhang Wenhong, a well-respected disease expert. Also in 2021, a comic book about the history of the Communist Party of China came out which took the m 6 months to study the materials.
Chen’s brand “Brother Hunzi” has attracted millions of followers on social media platforms. Chen said he is just a “porter (搬运工)” of knowledge, but his goal is to “help people learn more easily”.
1. Why does Chen devote to making comic books?| A．To attract public’s attention. |
| B．To spread educational information. |
| C．To promote funny comic characters. |
| D．To replace textbooks with comic books. |
| A．Chen found his passion in computer games. |
| B．Chen hardly studied history in middle school. |
| C．Chen made comic books about his college life. |
| D．Chen figured out how to learn effectively later. |
| A．Stressed and artistic. |
| B．Funny and confident. |
| C．Concerned and respectful. |
| D．Well-rounded and humorous. |
| A．Chen Rules Comic Industry | B．“Brother Hunzi” Helps Learn |
| C．Textbooks Fall Behind Times | D．Comic Books Wins Popularity |
【推荐2】I have a new hero. It is G. M.Hennen.I found him in the old newspapers as I was doing my research for the column A Look Back in History.
In 1958, he retired as a newspaper carrier from the Sherman Herald Democrat. He was 77 years old and had delivered four million copies of the Democrat. He had gone through 17 automobiles and had thrown on average 400 newspapers a day，six days a week.He drove 100 miles a day, including the day he collected.
Before he was a newspaper carrier，he was also a teacher and a construction worker.
He opened the first motor delivery route in the newspaper's history. Driving a Model T Ford，his route consisted of Pottsboro, Gordonville, Sadler and Southmayd. Before he started in delivery，he solicited subscriptions riding horseback over the county.
Mr.Hennen had only one wreck in 30 years. The car spun out of control and flipped on its top. That didn't stop him. A man with a truck used a tow rope to flip the car back over and tied the doors shut，leaving Mr.Hennen to continue on his way. Now that was determination!
Mr.Hennen told of the time his headlights went out as he was delivering newspapers.He borrowed a kerosene lantern from a farmer to light the way and continued his route.
What a story! I complain when I have to drive to work when it is snowing，and I only have to travel three miles.I could never be that tough.
1. According to the second paragraph, how many newspapers did Mr.Hennen throw a week?| A．1,600. | B．2,000. |
| C．2,400. | D．2,800. |
| A．A newspaper carrier. |
| B．A teacher. |
| C．A construction worker. |
| D．A doctor. |
| A．Luck. | B．Success. |
| C．Failure. | D．Accident. |
| A．Mr.Hennen was a successful worker. |
| B．Mr.Hennen was devoted to his job. |
| C．Mr.Hennen was not afraid of death. |
| D．Mr.Hennen was silly. |
【推荐3】They may seem like ordinary people by day but in their spare time, these office, shop and school workers bring history to life. During the week they work in shops, offices, clinics and schools, but at weekends they transform into Vikings, Romans and Medieval peasants. The world of re-enactment (重演) is booming with more and more men and women taking up the hobby of travelling to bygone times.
Factory manager of a busy printers, Brett Freeman, 46, from Nottingham, changes into “Padmore,” a Victorian street-seller selling stationery (文具).
Already a veteran (老兵) of military re-enactments, Brett joined the “Ragged Victorians” when middle-age kicked in. “I was too old to portray a soldier but I wanted to get back into the hobby and the Ragged Victorians looked the best in terms of being genuine.”
At his first event, group members gave him “loaner gear” and a year to research his character. His teeth blackened with theatrical stain, in top hat and floppy coat, Brett looks every bit his Victorian image.
Seeking inspiration, Brett dipped into the works of Victorian journalist, Henry Mayhew, who wrote about the working people of London.
“My character is inspired by the description of a stationer in Mayhew’s London Labour and London Poor. I mixed that up with my own background in print, and local historical sources to create street stationer, Padmore, which is the name of my Victorian great-great grandfather.”
“Getting into kit (装备) helps immensely and once you are in the public area you try to remain in character wherever possible.” For extra authenticity, Brett combines his language with Victorian selling patter (顺口溜), replacing the word “envelope” with “hangflups.”
“Re-enacting is great fun, but we’re always glad of a hot shower and a comfortable bed at the end of the weekend,” says Brett. “Normal life can seem very dull after a particularly good weekend. It would be wonderful to go back in time for a visit, but studying the period as I have done, makes you realise just how hard life was for our ancestors.”
1. Why does Brett choose to be a Victorian street-seller?| A．He has already played a veteran. |
| B．Portraying a soldier no longer fit him. |
| C．He is a manager of a busy printers. |
| D．His blackened teeth make it real. |
| A．Stage costume lent to him. | B．Money paid on loan. |
| C．Adequate time. | D．An assistant. |
| A．Brave and careful. | B．Kind and positive. |
| C．Humorous and caring. | D．Serious and devoted. |
| A．In a research report. | B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a travel brochure. | D．In an advertisement. |
【推荐1】A second-grade education has not stopped the garbage collection Jose Gutierrez from bringing the gift of reading to thousands of Colombian children.
Gutierrez started collecting books almost 20 years ago. He was driving a garbage truck at night through the country’s wealthier neighborhoods. The thrown-away reading material slowly piled up. Now the ground floor of his small house is a makeshift (临时的) community library. It is stacked with about 20,000 books, including chemistry textbooks, children’s classics and so on.
He says books are luxuries (奢侈) for boys and girls in low-income neighborhoods such as his. New reading material at bookstores is expensive. There are only 19 public libraries in Bogota. It is a city of 8.5 million people.
“Libraries should be in all neighborhoods and on each corner of every neighborhood. But the libraries tend to be located far away from poorer areas,” says Gutierrez.“Books are our salvation (救星).”
The 53-year-old Gutierrez’s love for reading comes from his mother. She always read to her son even though she was too poor to keep him in school.“She used to read stories every night. She always provided encouragement or new ideas for what I should do,” said Gutierrez.
Gutierrez has traveled to book markets in Mexico and Chile to share his experience of starting a library. He has sent many books to other libraries around the country. That is because he does not have room for them. He says he agrees that technology allows books to be read digitally. But he prefers to read in a traditional way. “There is nothing more beautiful than smelling the ink and turning the pages,” he says.
1. How did Jose Gutierrez collect books?| A．By asking for donations. | B．By searching through the trash. |
| C．By borrowing from libraries. | D．By buying a bookstore. |
| A．People in Colombia don’t like reading books. |
| B．Reading material-in libraries should be cheaper. |
| C．Libraries in Colombia are not equally spread. |
| D．Rich people should help poor people in Colombia. |
| A．Knowledgeable. | B．Brave. | C．Inspirational. | D．Generous. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Objective. | D．Unclear. |
【推荐2】Jessie is on a mission to change wellness in New Zealand forever. That sounds like a noble ambition, but it’s one coming from a commitment started by adversity(逆境). Jessie was only 30 when she heard the news no one at any age wants to hear.
“I was happily married, six months pregnant(怀孕的) and excited about my future. Then everything changed in an instant. The doctors had discovered a tumour bigger than my baby’s head around my uterus(子宫).”
Jessie had emergency surgery to save her baby and remove the tumour. She then had to undergo months of debilitating (令人虚弱的) treatment. But the surgery was just the beginning of the journey. Chemotherapy(化疗) doesn’t build people up; it breaks them down. In many ways, the hardest and longest part of the journey is what comes after the therapy stops—a long road back to wellness.
“I came from a medicine-related background, so I knew the power of modern drugs. But there was a point where chemicals weren’t enough, and my recovery delayed. I knew I needed to try to use the power of nature to help me find my way back to wellness,” says Jessie. “I spent years studying options and learning about what was available to me.”
As Jessie regained her strength, she decided she could make a difference to New Zealanders by sharing her experience and new-found knowledge to help people live healthier lives. And through that journey, AJE Healthcare started. Jessie’s mission was to make natural healthcare easy to understand and effective in helping people live their best lives.
But this is just the beginning for Jessie. She is determined to grow her business, serve her customers delightfully, and make natural healthcare accessible to all New Zealanders.
1. When was Jessie diagnosed cancer?| A．When she was pregnant. | B．When she delivered a baby. |
| C．When she had a noble ambition. | D．When she moved to New Zealand. |
| A．It broke her down. | B．It completely cured her. |
| C．It worsened her condition. | D．It was the beginning of the treatment. |
| A．To cure patients of cancer. | B．To make medical care easier. |
| C．To promote Jessie’s business. | D．To help with people’s wellness. |
| A．Finding Purpose Through Adversity |
| B．The Establishment of AJE Healthcare |
| C．Jessie, a Tough Mother in New Zealand |
| D．How New Zealanders Pursue Wellbeing |
【推荐3】Prabodh Malhotra, a retired Melbourne economist, 71, on Wednesday walked the final steps of a 1,000km, 52day hiking between the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation.
His “crazy” idea to hike between the two great cricket (板球) grounds came this time last year when he saw a group of men walk 150km between Newcastle and the SCG for the same breast cancer charity. “I thought if they can do it and raise $1,000 per kilometre, I should be able to raise the bar,” he said on Wednesday.
Before the end of January, he signed up. But his friends thought he was crazy, pointing to the lack of footpaths and the danger caused by trucks, buses and cars passing by. But Malhotra was undeterred.
“If something happens in the process of doing something good for the country, I’m more than happy to go,” he said.
With the help of friends, he set a course through Shepparton, Jindabyne, Canberra and Moss Vale, rotating (换穿) through four pairs of shoes, including a nowrundown pair of Hokas.
Malhotra said he was amazed by the generosity of people along the way. Traders and accommodation providers declined payment and often donated to the McGrath Foundation when they discovered his charitable cause.
“To walk 1,000km up from the MCG at the age of 71 just proves you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it,” McGrath said. “It’s an incredible effort. The raised money will help fund nurses for 2,100 families going through breast cancer in 2024”.
1. What inspired Prabodh Malhotra to start his hike?| A．His love for sports. | B．His desire for health. |
| C．His sight of others hiking. | D．His dream of being famous. |
| A．Unshakable. | B．Undesirable. | C．Unavoidable. | D．Understandable. |
| A．Conservative. | B．Supportive. | C．Negative. | D．Objective. |
| A．Easy and worthwhile. | B．Lengthy and thrilling. |
| C．Comfortable and rewarding. | D．Tough and meaningful. |
【推荐1】Kemira Boyd had just jumped in the shower when she heard her stepmother, Tammy Boyd, banging on the door. Kemira's 12-day-old daughter was choking. Having fed baby Ryleigh just 30 minutes earlier, the 24-year-old new mother burst out of the bathroom and began patting her daughter on the back. Ryleigh was usually quick to cry. Now she didn't make a sound. “I'd been told to raise their arms when babies are choking, so I tried that, but she still was hesitating to breathe,” Kemira told Today. She knew Ryleigh needed to get to the hospital fast.
The trio had barely made it out of their Summerville, South Carolina, neighborhood when the flashing lights of a police patrol car appeared behind them. Deputy Will Kimbro figured that the speeding driver was either too distracted to notice him or simply unconcerned. (1) Kimbro soon found cut it was a frightening combination of the two.
Once she had pulled over to the roadside, a crazy Tammy jumped out of the car, exclaiming that her granddaughter had stopped breathing. Desperate for help, Kemira handed the baby to Kimbro. He put a hand on her little chest. Ryleigh's heart was barely beating.
Kimbro radioed for an ambulance-it was seven minutes out, and the hospital was even further away. That was seven minutes Ryleigh didn't have, her lips already a bad shade of blue. ② He is a school resource officer who usually spends his days patrolling the halls of the middle school ten miles away. But he travels farther away when school is out in the summer. Even luckier: he had recently completed a CPR class and knew exactly how to treat a baby. “Although I was shocked, my training kicked in, and I went to work to keep that baby alive,” says Kimbro.
The deputy gave Ryleigh to Kemira to hold, his hands busy as he checked for a pulse. Then he began tapping and pressing Ryleigh's chest, hoping to massage her heart back into action. Thanks to the CPR class, Kimbro knew the choking baby didn't have a chance if there was a blockage, and he used one finger to clear her airway. That was the magic touch; 20 seconds later, Ryleigh began to fuss. Then came a weak crying sound. “If she is crying like that, she is breathing, said kimbro, the relief apparent in his trembling voice.” As long as she is crying, she is breathing.
But they still had five more minutes until EMT would arrive, and Kimbro worried that Ryleigh would be unable to breathe again. He continued with delicate chest compressions and periodically clearing her airway. “The whole time I was thinking ' Do not let this baby die in front of her mother and grandmother',” he later told Inside Edition.
③ In the body cam footage, Kimbro can be heard reassuring Kemira, the approaching sirens wailing in the background: “I didn't feel a heartbeat earlier, so I started massaging her heart, and now I feel it. It's real strong now.”
After transferring Ryleigh to an EMT, Kimbro peeked into the windows of the ambulance until it pulled away. ④ At the hospital, Ryleigh recovered quickly, and she was back to her usual active self in no time-thanks to a determined school police officer who was in the right place at the right time. Said Kimbro to the Washington Post, “That baby was living no matter what I had to do.”
1. Why did Kemira decide to send Ryleigh to hospital?| A．Ryleigh remained asleep. | B．Ryleigh was quick to cry. |
| C．Ryleigh frightened Tammy to death. | D．Ryleigh had difficulty breathing. |
| A．Hardly had the police car appeared when Kemira spotted it and made a stop. |
| B．Tammy and Kemira were so anxious for help that they were caught speeding. |
| C．Knowing Kimbro could save the baby, Kemira handed her daughter to him. |
| D．A CPR lesson is a must for police officers in Summerville, South Carolina. |
| A．① | B．② | C．③ | D．④ |
| A．It was professional and delicate. | B．It was vital for Kimbro's career. |
| C．It was tense and tiresome for Kimbro. | D．It was awkward and shocking. |
| A．The baby would have survived even if he hadn’t done anything. |
| B．He patrolled away from the middle school in order to save the baby's life. |
| C．He considered it his responsibility to be in the right place at the right time. |
| D．He was determined to keep the baby alive and not to let the mother down. |
| A．A Lifesaving Traffic Stop | B．Life Miracle for Kemira |
| C．The Power of the Policeman | D．The Value of Determination |
【推荐2】After six years of improvement, Ye Olde Black Bear in Tewkesbury, UK will be open to customers. The pub, which was established in 1308, is believed to have once been visited by William Shakespeare. But while many people in the town are delighted that one of its most famous buildings and businesses has been revived, others living close to it have a different voice.
The house has a large open area at the back for hosting live music events, for which the City Council has decided to review (校审) the licence following complaints from the public. The pub said, on its Facebook page: “To review the longstanding licence of The Black Bear is placing it at risk of closure.” It urged its supporters to write letters of support which it would forward on to the council.
The council said, in a letter to residents living near the pub, that possible measures it might take included limiting outdoor entertainment at the site to six days a year, ending at 10:30 pm each time, and requiring a noise limiting device to be fixed. The pub is run by landlord Luke Haynes and his family, who say their research shows it is the oldest pub which has always been a pub in the UK.
Luke said allowing only six events a year would mean the pub would not survive financially, adding profits earned by staging live music sessions in the summer would enable the pub to get through the winter.
He said: “The support from the town has been absolutely great. It’s a very small number of people who are complaining. We’ve had huge support from our neighbours. I’m trying to work with the council to come up with solutions to this.”
The pub’s fans have gathered behind the bid to keep it going, with an online demand having been signed by more than 2,800 people. Georgie Smith, who started it, said: “We believe closing the Black Bear would be harmful to our community, both socially and economically. The importance of pubs in the UK cannot be overstated. They are part of our cultural heritage.”
1. What is the Black Bear?| A．It’s a house where William Shakespeare once lived. |
| B．It’s a famous pub with a long history. |
| C．It’s a music band performing in the open air. |
| D．It’s an Internet company popular with customers. |
| A．The repairs of the historical house. | B．The reopening without permits. |
| C．The complaints from some neighbours. | D．The bad effects on children. |
| A．Ending events at 10:30 pm each time. | B．Showing the licence to the public. |
| C．Fixing a noise limiting device. | D．Holding only six events a year. |
| A．Remember the importance of pubs. | B．Protect the community. |
| C．Support the Black Bear online. | D．Drink in the pub more often. |
Old John has worked as a school keeper in Hill Ford School. After walking into the school building every day, he cleans rubbish bins and bathrooms.
Last Friday, after he arrived at the school, instead of finding rubbish to clean up, he found almost 500 students lining in the hallway(大厅) with handmade cards and singing a happy birthday song to him. It was his 80th birthday. As he walked the long hallway, someone rushed to him and gave him a hug. They handed him so many cards as well and the cards filled several large boxes. Old John was touched by their expression of affection (关爱). He thanked them all. “It's the sixteenth year in this school. They're like my children,” Old John said.
On a regular day, students sometimes come up to find him and say they're not feeling well or other times to tell him about something that happened at break time. He knows most of he students at the school, but can't name each one. Some of them make him know them, like Faith, who often leaves her schoolbag in the canteen, and Lucy, who just wants a hug.
Carrie, a reading teacher said,“He won't brag(夸耀) on himself, but it doesn't matter what he's doing or where he is, he will stop what he's doing at any time to give all his attention and take care of a child if that child is having a bad day. "
He works circles around all the students, cleaning up the mess others don't want to touch. He doesn't expect a lot. Old John said he hadn't planned to do much for his birthday, so he was touched as the students had prepared the surprise celebration.
Over the weekend, he worked through the handmade cards at his house. One card from a student stood out to him. It read “Old John, you are the most loved one in our school…”.
1. Is Old John a school teacher?2. How long has Old John worked in the school?
3. Why is Old John considered as the most loved one in the school?
4. Someone would say that it's worth doing a common job during his whole life. Do you agree?Why or why not?
