【推荐2】Tobias Weller is nothing short of extraordinary.

At 9-years-old, he’s dealt with things most of us won’t face in our lifetimes. Simple tasks, like standing on his own two feet, are impossible for him and he requires assistance for most activities we consider basic. But Just because he’s someone who needs help, that doesn’t mean he can’t give help.

At first Tobias decided to complete a sponsored one-kilometer walk. But for some reasons, the race was canceled, and Tobias’ plans were destroyed.

The moment young Weller learned about Captain Tom, a 100-year-old British vet who has now raised 41 million dollars for charities by walking in his walker, he decided if a century-year-old man could walk for miles, he could also make it happen.

Forget the one kilometer, Tobias was going to walk a marathon—26.2 miles—in order to raise money for his two favorite charities. He went up and down his street for months. First with 50 meters a day, but as he grew stronger, the distance expanded and eventually he built up to 750 meters a day. It took him 70 days to cross that finish line, but he did it.

His mother, Ruth Garbutt, presented him with a medal as he crossed the finish line.

She said: “I’m so, so proud of Tobias. I’m bursting with pride for all he’s achieved and how hard he’s worked during the marathon…He couldn’t push the walker at the start of the marathon and now he can, he can push it on the flat and he’s proved today he can push it uphill as well.”

Honestly, just wow. The amount of pain and extreme tiredness he must have suffered during his walks is unimaginable. But he never stopped, he just kept pushing, and in the end he raised over $111, 000 for his charities.

“I’m pleased to raise loads of money. Other children who aren’t as lucky as me can benefit from the money that’s been raised.” Tobias said.

1. Tobias decided to walk a marathon mainly to ________.

A．challenge himself

B．strengthen his body

C．contribute to charities

D．compete with Captain Tom

2. What do we know about Tobias’s marathon?

A．It was canceled finally.

B．It lasted more than two months.

C．Tobias finished it without a walker.

D．Tobias was awarded the first prize.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Tobias?

A．Ambitious and calm.	B．Strong-willed and kind.
C．Courageous and honest.	D．Determined and cooperative.

【推荐1】The magic of baseball is its fluid connection between players, each in the right position at the right time, playing their part to perfection. When a team is on the site of competition, there is nothing more breathtaking than baseball. But it takes a lot of practice to look effortless.

That’s what was happening —practice —one afternoon when the Valley High School team was distracted by a scream for help. Coach Brett Sawyer heard the noise and saw the en-tire team rushing towards the parking lot, jumping over fences.

One of their schoolmates was stuck under a car that had accidentally backed over her. One of the players, Chas Roberts, remembered afterward, “You had to do what you had to do to save someone’s life.” The players quickly surrounded the car, each taking a hold, and lifted the car. An assistant coach was then able to pull the girl out from underneath the car. She is expected to make a full recovery.

Maybe it’s the connection human beings have with each other, rushing in to help when it’s needed. And maybe playing together as a team became natural because each knew what to do. Or maybe it’s both. Maybe, deep inside, we all know that we are on the same team.

The next day, the varsity team lost their last game of the year. But winning was a little less important to them that day. The coach was proud of them for what they accomplished and said, “To be honest, we might not have the best baseball team around, but we do have a great group of guys.”

The magic of life is the fluid connection between people: how they love, how they share, how they help. There is nothing more breathtaking than the game of life well played.

1. What is the magic of baseball?

A．Right position and right time.

B．Strong team members and coaches.

C．Catching the ball wholly every time.

D．Collaboration among team members.

2. Why did the entire team rush towards the parking lot?

A．To save a girl’s life.	B．To solve the problem of noise.
C．To practice jumping over fences.	D．To run out and scream for help.

3. What does Chas Roberts mainly want to express in Paragraph 3?

A．One schoolmate was stuck under a car.

B．Helping others is everyone’s born ability.

C．Lifting the car is not hard for their team.

D．An assistant coach led the whole process.

4. Which is the best title of this text?

A．The magic of baseball	B．An unforgettable match
C．Teamwork that saves lives	D．Fluid connection between people

【推荐2】An 11-year-old Oklahoma boy is being called a hero after his quick thinking saved two lives in a single day.

The first incident occurred during the school day. Johnson jumped into action after one of his classmates at the 6th Grade Academy accidentally swallowed a water bottle cap after attempting to open it with his mouth. Johnson “immediately sprinted over” to the choking child and performed the Heimlich maneuver (海姆里克腹部冲击法). From the account of the witnesses, when he did it, the bottle cap popped out.

Johnson said he learned how to do the Heimlich maneuver on YouTube, and advised others to do the same. “Just in case you’re in the situation I was in, you can know what to do,” he said.

But Johnson’s heroism didn’t end there.

After school, Johnson spotted a woman with a walker attempting to escape a burning home. The boy said the fire began at the back of the building, but it eventually got to the front of the house. That’s when Johnson jumped into action. The sixth-grader quickly realized the woman was “not moving fast enough” and rushed across the street to help her to her truck. “It was a disabled lady and she was walking out of her house,” Johnson said of the incident. “She was on her porch. But I thought, being a good citizen, I would cross and help her get into her truck and leave.”

LaToya Johnson, the boy’s mother, said that her son’s actions weren’t entirely surprising. In addition to the boy’s dream of becoming an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), LaToya said her brother. Wendell Johnson, is an EMT.

“I’m just a proud mom,” she said.

1. Which of the following can replace the underlined phrase “popped out”?

A．Broke out.

B．Came out.

C．Slowed down.

D．Moved on.

2. What can be inferred about the woman from the second accident?

A．She was able to drive.	B．She lost the ability to walk.
C．She was disabled in both legs.	D．She turned to Johnson for help.

3. Which words can best describe Johnson?

A．Patient and enthusiastic.	B．Easy-going and knowledgeable.
C．Determined and intelligent.	D．Courageous and warm-hearted.

4. Why does the author write the news?

A．To call people’s attention to fire.

B．To describe two serious accidents.

C．To report an 11-year-old boy’s brave act.

D．To prove the importance of Heimlich maneuver.

【推荐3】Glaub and Parker settled in to their new home on 22nd Street, and for the first two years a few letters trickled in from kids or parents asking “Santa” (圣诞老人) for gifts they could not otherwise afford: toys, coats, a doll. Then in the months leading to Christmas 2010, they were deluged. Every day, they’d open their mailbox to find it so full of letters to Santa that they had to empty the mailbox in time for another big bunch of letters. They responded to as many as they could, writing notes, even buying gifts. But they could only do so much.

Glaub, of course, is not Santa. He runs a Broadway marketing company. But one night, when he and Parker threw a 1960s-themed Christmas party, a solution appeared. Guests, dressed in mod outfits and hippie beads, noticed the hundreds of letters Glaub and Parker had yet to act upon and asked about them. That’s when Glaub and Parker realized they didn’t have to fulfill all these letters themselves. “People want to help.”

And so was born Miracle on 22nd Street, a community-based volunteer organization that responds to children’s letters to Santa with season’s greetings and gifts for kids. Working with other nonprofits that help those in need, they invited families from around the country to go online and request gifts and Christmas toys for their children.

Letters typically request popular items, but some letters are heartbreaking. One child wrote: “Dear Santa, For Christmas, I want my brothers to get better. My younger brother has a hard time walking and has to use his wheelchair. I wish he could play like me. I also wish my baby brother could eat like me and not have his feeding tube. I know these are not real presents, but this is all I want this year.” That’s a tough ask. But Miracle on 22nd Street did send the children gift cards and a kind note.

Last year, Glaub and Miracle on 22nd Street helped more than 800 families. Glaub no longer dwells on why the letters come to the apartment. Putting in the long hours to help the families is what it’s all about for him. “It wouldn’t be Christmas without it,” he says.

1. What does the underlined word. mean in paragraph 1?

A．Wildly varied.	B．Genuinely welcomed.
C．Severely flooded.	D．Desperately worn.

2. What does Glaub and Parker think of their guests in the party?

A．Attractive.

B．Sociable.

C．Helpful.

D．Tolerant.

3. What does the volunteer organization do?

A．Establishing branches across the country.	B．Offering Christmas service for free.
C．Inviting families in need to 22nd Street.	D．Selling gifts and Christmas toys online.

4. Why does Glaub no longer think about the reason for the letters’ coming?

A．He earns more money in daily work.

B．He wants to have a happier Christmas.

C．He is busier in running his marketing company.

D．He attaches more importance to helping people.

【推荐1】阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

In 2016, Wanda Dench was trying to let her grandkids know about the family’s upcoming plans for the holiday and tried to send a text message to her grandson. But Jamal Hinton, who was a 17-year-old high school student and complete stranger to Dench at the time, received the text instead.

Once the two Arizona natives realized the mistake, Hinton asked if he could “still get a plate,” according to screenshots he posted on Twitter. Dench replied, “Of course, you can. That’s what grandmas do...feed everyone.”

Hinton shared the sweet conversation on social media and the story quickly went viral (疯传). They have celebrated Thanksgiving together every year since, always snapping photos and taking videos, much to the delight of many following their story.

This year, a very important person is missing from the annual tradition — Dench’s husband, Lonnie. He died from the coronavirus this spring. Wanda was able to be with him during his final moments.

Dench and Hinton thought about the risks of holding a Thanksgiving celebration amid the pandemic (疫情期间), weighing if they could figure out a way to get together the day before gathering with their own individual families. But, they eventually concluded the risk was too high.

In honor of Lonnie, the friends instead held a small gathering on Friday. Dench, her actual grandson, her daughter, Hinton and his girlfriend, Mikaela, got together for an early Thanksgiving meal. The event was a sharp contrast from the larger celebrations of years past.

“I didn’t want to miss Thanksgiving with Jamal,” Dench said. “This year is definitely different than all the years in the past.”

To honor Lonnie, an empty seat and lit candle were placed at the head of the table. The beloved husband would always say grace before the holiday meal, so this year, Dench led the prayer.

“Thank you for all the blessings, and thank you so much for having Lonnie in my life,” Dench said as everyone sat around the table. “I miss him, but I know he’s in a good place. So to everybody here, I love you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.”

1. What was the relationship between Dench and Hinton at the beginning of the story? (no more than 3 words)
2. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 2? (no more than 6 words)
3. Why was this year’s gathering a sharp contrast from the larger celebrations of years past? (no more than 15 words)
4. Why did Dench lead the prayer this year? (no more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of Dench and Hinton's story? And give your reasons. (no more than 20 words)

【推荐3】One year before, at age 18, Leszyeski had aged out of foster care (寄养中心), having been in the system since she was four when her single mother was no longer able to care for her. Leszyeski was now enrolled in college hoping to become a doctor. And the only furniture she had in her apartment was an air mattress with a hole in it.

Then she learned about an organization Chairity. The organization provides furniture and household goods for young adults who have left foster care. Leszyeski reached out to Charity, a nonprofit formed by 23-year-old Maria Paparella.

Paparella first became aware of foster care in elementary school when her parents were considering adopting a child. The plan didn't work out, but Paparella often found herself thinking about that child. “I'm really close with my family, and I just couldn't imagine being completely on my own at 18,” she says.

At 16, Paparella visited Summit County Children Services, with a list of questions, trying to understand what aging out looked like. One of her questions was “What's not being met for these young people?” Near the top of the list was furniture. “That struck home,” says Paparella. The idea of “moving into an apartment without a bed to sleep on or a sofa to sit on” pulled at her heartstrings.

Paparella contacted her parents' friends, asking if they had spare furniture to donate. A local furniture store offered free ware-house space and its delivery truck. Watching the recipients' faces when they received a bed, a couch — whatever — was amazing. Paparella remembers delivering a gold lamp to a woman and watching her polish it lovingly, getting rid of dirt and fingerprints.

Today, Chairity has given furniture to nearly 200 young adults in homes across six Ohio counties. Paparella is convinced these contributions give the recipients hope and confidence. Leszyeski agrees.“It makes me feel like I'm not different from other people. My whole life, I've felt abnormal,”she says,“Now, I feel normal.”

1. Which can best describe Leszyeski's life after leaving foster care?

A．Tough but hopeful.	B．Poor and aimless.
C．Wealthy but boring.	D．Independent and carefree.

2. Why did Paparella found Chairity?

A．To get some financial benefits from it.	B．To help those aging out of foster care.
C．To aid the needy couple adopt a child.	D．To ask people to donate some couches.

3. When was Paparella most touched at the age of 16?

A．Living without parents.	B．Moving into a new house.
C．Getting free truck delivery.	D．Visiting a foster care center.

4. What does Leszyeski think of Chairity?

A．It changes young adults' whole life.	B．It brings confidence to the recipients.
C．It has helped lots of homeless people.	D．It makes people different from others.