Every superhero, no matter how small, needs a cape (披风). That was Rose Smith’s motivation when she started sewing superhero capes for kids with cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases.
It all began when Rose heard of a girl named Anna. Anna was fighting against a potentially deadly skin condition called harlequin ichthyosis (丑角鱼鳞廯). What she was going through was really tough, but she faced it bravely. “I had a happy moment,” Rose says. “Anna was a superhero! She needed a cape.”
So, Rose sent her one, and Anna’s mother was delighted. After that, Rose found ten more kids online and sent out ten more capes. Before long, she quit her job at a software company and work full time for the website-www.tinysuperheroes.com, where people can buy handmade capes for brave kids facing illness and disability.
Since 2013, Rose and her small paid staff have sent more than 12,000 handmade capes to kids in all 50 states and 15 other countries. The capes can be made in different colors and can be decorated with the child’s initials (姓氏首字母) or specialized patches, including a heart or a rocket.
One was five-year-old Gary. He was born with heart defects. Rose sent him a red cape with a bright yellow G in the center. It was a hit. Gary, who is now a frequenter on the company’s social media posts, becomes a very well-known kid. In fact, two years later, “We still bring Gary’s cape with us to every hospital appointment, as it brings him much power to face his disease,” said Gary’s mom.
1. What inspired Rose Smith to make capes?| A．The bravery of the sick kids. | B．Anna and her mother’s wish. |
| C．Children’s love for superheroes. | D．Her interest in sewing capes. |
| A．From the Internet. | B．From Rose’s house. |
| C．From Rose’s store. | D．From the hospital. |
| A．An advertising designer. | B．A company owner. |
| C．An image representative. | D．A website programmer. |
| A．The cape is his favorite clothing. | B．He looks cool in the superhero cape. |
| C．The sick kids share the same kind cape. | D．The cape gives him courage and strength. |
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【推荐1】I grew up in New Hampshire, a small town in South Canada, where in my father’s words the seasons were “Spring, Summer, Fairtime and Winter!”At that time, a week-long fair was held in the town every autumn. Thousands of people from other towns came to sell and buy things. It was the busiest time of the year.
When “Fairtime” came, my grandma became the most “useful” and busiest person of the family. Grandma was a kind, well-educated old lady. She was good at cooking. All her relatives liked the food she cooked. During “fairtime”, they would come to live in her house and have meals there. Grandma was always happy to look after them.
Year after year, many people moved to big cities. There was no longer “Fairtime”. Grandma became very old and was gradually going blind. My parents and I moved to live with Grandma in her house. We did our best to make her day-to-day life as comfortable as possible. I was at high school then. What I often did at home was to help Grandma with the daily newspaper’s crossword puzzle. However, she didn’t look happy. She often sat in her room for hours, without saying a word.
To attract people to move back, the Town Hall decided to reopen the Fair. One day, when I came back from school, I saw Grandma wearing her glasses, washing the dishes in the kitchen. With a big smile on her face, she looked a lot much younger. She told me that her two nieces would come. “They said the food I cooked was very delicious and they want to stay in my house again.” Grandma said happily. “They will stay here for one week and we can have a big party. That must be the busiest week I’ve had in years!”
I suddenly realized that Grandma didn’t want to be looked after. She wanted to be “useful”, appreciated and helpful.
1. For what purpose did thousands of people come to the town?| A．To learn to cook. | B．To have a big party. |
| C．To enjoy Grandma’s food. | D．To sell and buy things. |
| A．She was not “useful”. | B．No one lived with her. |
| C．She was too busy. | D．She couldn’t see anything |
| A．Grandma didn’t like “Fairtime”. | B．Grandma was a kind old lady. |
| C．Grandma was good at cooking. | D．Many people moved to big cities. |
| A．Fairtime | B．My “Old” Grandma |
| C．A Small Town | D．Grandma’s Family |
【推荐2】The area in front of Janet and Jeffrey Crouch’s house in Columbia, Maryland, does not look usual for their neighbourhood. That is because the Crouches do not have a grass lawn(草坪). Instead, they have some small trees and many native plants.
In recent years, support for replacing lawns with native plants has been increasing in the US. It can be costly to keep a lawn looking good and green. But the Crouches had to spend much more money for the right not to have one.
People living in a house next to them complained to their homeowner’s association, or HOA. HOAs can make rules about the plants that homeowners in a neighbourhood are permitted to grow. Many HOAs require grass lawns. The HOA ordered the Crouches to pull out their native plants and put in grass. However, they refused. “We knew we were doing things that were beneficial for the environment, ” said Janet Crouch.
Lawns are called environmental dead zones in part because they provide no food or shelter for wildlife. They also do not support pollinators like birds, bees, and butterflies. Bee populations have been getting smaller in North America and may be getting smaller around the world.
There are other reasons that lawns are bad for the environment. They require a lot of water and chemicals. Large amounts of water can remove nutrients from the soil. After the water removes the nutrients, people buy even more chemicals to put on their lawns. Scientists say some of these chemicals might cause cancer and other health problems. There are over 16million hectares of grass lawns in the US. That means lawns use more water than any other irrigated(灌溉)crop in the country.
The Crouches’ battle against their HOA took three years. They say they spent $60, 000 fighting to keep their natural garden. They won. Because of their efforts, the state of Maryland passed a law that lets people grow native plants instead of grass, no matter what their HOA wants.
1. Which is one of HOA’s responsibilities?| A．Developing and interpreting all relevant laws. |
| B．Protecting the balance of nature in the community. |
| C．Maintaining a unified greenery within the community. |
| D．Dealing with all the requirements of residents. |
| A．To attract people’s attention. |
| B．To improve the neighbourhood relations. |
| C．To save on the cost of lawn maintenance. |
| D．To better improve the ecological environment. |
| A．Lawns are suitable for bee reproduction. |
| B．Local plants are environmentally friendly. |
| C．Local plants can prevent soil and water pollution. |
| D．Lawns are beneficial for soil and water conservation. |
| A．Determined. | B．Humorous. | C．Brave. | D．Careful. |
【推荐3】I first discovered the Little Free Library concept while being on a 2015 vacation in Santa Barbara, California. I fell in love with the idea of free literature-sharing boxes posted at the edges of parks and along sidewalks in neighbourhoods. And because our home was already filled with mountainous piles of books, my husband wasn’t the least bit surprised when I suggested starting a Little Free Library of our own. In our garden shed (棚) , we filled the shelves with books from our personal collection. Over the next two months, strangers discovered our Little Free Library and began their regular visit.
My love of reading dates back to 1970, when I studied in a three-room primary schoolhouse on a dirt road. One day, I accidentally came to the basement library and I was fascinated by the picture books. Unfortunately, the books were later thrown away when the school discovered the basement was full of mould (霉). Happily, weeks later, a truck arrived with a trailer—which, with the help of our county’s public library, had been transformed into a paradise (乐土) for those who enjoyed reading. Now I still remember the floor-to-ceiling shelves and the carpeted benches in it. Every time I left, I wrote my name on several sign-out cards, which were filled with names of children from neighbouring schools. We liked the same books and, although we never met, I considered them friends.
At the beginning of the first COVID-19 lockdown, our Little Free Library began to include children’s stories. I witnessed mothers lifting their children for a look into the library. Walkers included our street in their route so they could check for new offerings. Some folks routinely drove from several blocks away to visit. From time to time, visitors filled shelves with literary fiction, romances, poetry and a range of non-fiction. I smiled when people met me in the yard and commented that our Little Free Library was like a bird feeder.
We remain grateful that we have kept our Little Free Library open. It has become an alternative means of creating a community of people with mutual regard for humanity and the written word. We are together even when apart.
1. What inspired the author to start the Little Free Library?| A．Her large collection of books. | B．An experience during a vacation. |
| C．Her husband’s encouragement. | D．Strangers’ visit to her garden shed. |
| A．neighbouring schools donated books to the Little Free Library |
| B．the author’s enthusiasm for reading started from her childhood |
| C．children wrote their names on the sign-out cards to meet friends |
| D．the county’s public library became a perfect place for book lovers |
| A．it provided food for thought | B．it attracted birds for shelter |
| C．visitors could feed birds here | D．people could exchange books here |
Luke Mickelson was a high school football coach. He coached his kids’ sports teams. But when he met children who were sleeping on the floor, he decided to build and offer a bed to children in need.
“This little girl had a nest (窝) of clothes; it looked like a little bird’s nest. And that’s what her bed was,” Mickelson said. “When we gave her the bed, she hugged it and just couldn’t let go.”
Surprised to discover how widespread this need was in his community, Mickelson founded Sleep in Heavenly Peace in 2012, an organization (组织) that offers beds to children in need. The organization has offered more than 1, 500 free beds. But along with its rapid growth, Mickelson was faced with a hard choice: keeping his job or his organization. He chose to leave his high-paying job and ran his organization.
“I left my job of eighteen years because I wanted to do this full-time, because I knew the need was big. I found the need I have isn’t about money,” he said. “The need I have is seeing the happiness on kids’ faces and making a difference.”
1. When did Mickelson decide to build and offer a bed to children in need? (不超过10个词)2. 把画横线的句子翻译成汉语。
3. What is Sleep in Heavenly Peace? (不超过10个词)
4. What did Mickelson finally choose to do？(不超过10个词)
5. What need does Mickelson have? (不超过10个词)
【推荐2】I often cycle (骑自行车) around Australia and plan to cycle the Nullarbor to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS, 多发性硬化症). I have MS myself, but cycling is a pain-free activity for me. I feel quite relaxed after cycling. But a not-so-kind person stole all of my bikes when I was travelling.
Since this happened, the human kindness I have been shown makes me feel very surprised. A kind lady bought a mountain bike for me to continue riding. A gentleman donated (捐赠) another bike to me to continue training on roads. It was almost impossible to find a bike in my size, because the bike I had before was very short. And it required an extra-small frame (框架). I was quite lucky. My hometown got behind me to raise some money. With this money, I have bought a bike that is just the right size for me.
So far people have offered me places to stay, welcomed me into their warm homes. They made sure I have enough water when riding so long. They also put money in my hands in the street to help me reach my goal. The stolen bikes turned into an interview with ABC Radio and papers in Tasmania.
My point is that there are so many good and kind-hearted people out there. My experience is that people are mainly kind and beautiful. I could never doubt (怀疑) the fact that the world holds more good and kind people than unkind people. That, in itself, is hope! I’m happy that I will cycle on the road again soon, and do my best to give back kindness.
1. The passage is probably a ________.| A．travelling note | B．volunteer poster | C．fiction | D．science survey |
| A．Many people followed him. | B．A gentleman caught up with him. |
| C．His hometown supported him. | D．Other friends fell behind him. |
a. Some kind people bought bikes for him.
b. He’ll try to give back kindness.
c. All of his bikes were stolen.
d. Radio and papers interviewed him.
e. Some people served him well.
| A．b-d-a-c-e | B．c-d-a-e-b | C．a-e-d-b-c | D．c-a-e-d-b |
| A．To encourage us to be born with kindness. |
| B．To tell us how to take care of our things during the trip. |
| C．To show us kind people are more than unkind people in the world. |
| D．To teach us to be happy. |
| A．relaxed-happy-sad-excited | B．relaxed-surprised-lucky-happy |
| C．thirsty-nervous-excited-afraid | D．surprised-sorry-excited-upset |
【推荐3】Many teenagers care about helping other people. Few turn their concern into a career (事业). But that’s just what Tom Wilson did. At 12, he started volunteering. Now as the Youth Program Officer at the Connor Foundation, he leads national charity programs and helps the organization decide which projects to support.
“I learned about service by watching my parents.” Tom grew up in a town where people enjoyed helping others. His parents set an example for him with everyday acts of kindness. In 2002, Tom moved to another small town and decided to carry on volunteering. However, he found that there aren’t many choices for teenagers. So he started a nonprofit (非盈利) group, helping them lead their own service projects.
“I turned my love for service into my career.” Tom worked on his nonprofit in middle school and high school, and then one of his teachers advised him to make a career out of helping others. This led him to start a company that provided low-cost camps and educational programs for children. He learned it was possible to make a career out of helping others.
When Tom began his work, he found that some adults didn’t believe teenagers could make a change. Luckily, he was encouraged by his parents and other supportive adults. It was their support that gave Tom courage. Now he works to show teenagers that they can make positive changes. “We want teenagers to know it’s possible for them, their friends, and their generation to make a difference,” he says, and he has always believed in the power of youth to accomplish amazing and meaningful things. Tom advises that teenagers be creative as they look for new solutions to problems. He believes in the power of imagination. “Teenagers are so imaginative,” he says. “They don’t see the same difficulties as adults do.”
1. How did Tom know the value of service at an early age?| A．He joined a national charity program. |
| B．He discovered it through service projects. |
| C．He was chosen to be a Youth Program Officer. |
| D．He observed his parents’ daily acts of kindness. |
| A．He needed to enrich his volunteer experiences. |
| B．He wanted to join in the educational programs. |
| C．He hoped to offer chances for teenagers to volunteer. |
| D．He wanted to make new friends with other teenagers. |
| A．Pressure from his parents. | B．His teacher’s suggestion. |
| C．A need for low-cost camps. | D．His desire for a new career. |
| A．Teenagers should start their own careers. |
| B．Teenagers have the power to make a difference. |
| C．Adults are always supportive of youth projects. |
| D．Adults should help teenagers deal with problems. |
