The job description of a postman doesn’t always include travelling through thick forests, fast-flowing waters and occasionally being run after by wild animals, but for D. Sivan, that is exactly what it is.
Every day for 30 years, this humble postman has been delivering post to some of the most remote villages in Coonoor which are inaccessible by road. Carrying the mail, he walks along the Nilgiri Mountain Railway track, walking through thick forests, crossing slippery streams and walking on railway bridges. Having travelled through the difficult path for 30 years, Mr. Sivan has grown fond of the wild animals he encounters on his daily walks, going so far as to say that they’ve all become his friends. But even his friends have occasionally caused him some trouble, with an elephant once having run after him. He was saved by a truck driver who spotted him and honked at the elephant. The animals recognize him now, though.
As the years rolled by, emails started replacing letter writing. And as more and more people moved from the Nilgiri hills to the plains-the towns of Mettupalayam and Coimbatore, Sivan’s bag became lighter and lighter every day. Many weeks he ended up carrying just 3-4 letter to each village.
One day Sivan noticed that a man to whom he was supposed to deliver his pension had moved to Coimbatore. The man had fallen very sick and was hospitalized. Sivan tracked down the hospital, travelled 80 kms by bus and later car, and delivered the pension. The kind postman even paid for the whole trip himself!
Not all heroes wear a cape(披风); some have white hair and carry a simple bag full of letters. Not all heroes write cool stories on Instagram; some just sit outside a door and read out a son’s letter to his mother.
1. Which of the following best describes Sivan’s daily delivery journey?| A．Awkward. | B．Comfortable. | C．Adventurous. | D．Uneventful. |
| A．To send a pension check. | B．To enjoy a trip to the plains. |
| C．To get hospital treatment. | D．To draw his pension. |
| A．Letters or emails | B．The world’s busiest postman |
| C．The postal service in Coonoor | D．Capeless hero with a bag |
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【推荐1】When I was a young man, I had a big ego (自负) and very little empathy (同理心). I thought I knew everything. I looked forward to fame and success. I can even remember proudly telling one of my friends in college: “If only everyone listened to me, they would all be happy.” I finally left school, ready to take on the world. Little did I know the world was about to take on me.
In the years following college, instead of success, I found struggles. I had trouble finding work. The jobs I did work at were either temporary or back-breaking and none of them paid well. When my wife and I had children, we were shocked to learn that not one but both of our sons had autis (自闭症) and would need to be taken care of for the rest of their lives. I had no idea why this had happened to us and I was very angry with the world.
In time, however, I began to change. My formerly massive ego was shrinking fast and my empathy was beginning to grow. Instead of finding joy in success, I found it in moments of love. Playing and laughing with my sons brought me so much happiness. My boys taught me more about peace, patience, kindness, joy, and unconditional love than I could have ever learned on my own. I began to share the lessons I learned through my writing and my life.
I finally realized that my purpose in this world had nothing to do with fame or success but everything to do with allowing love and light into my life and sharing it with everyone I could.
1. What was the author like when he was young?| A．He was popular. |
| B．He was a top student. |
| C．He was overconfident about his abilities. |
| D．He was warm-hearted to others. |
| A．found a tiring but well-paid job |
| B．wanted to live a challenging life |
| C．didn’t want to have children early |
| D．suffered many difficulties in life |
| A．The time with his family. |
| B．The books he wrote. |
| C．The difficulties in his work. |
| D．The improvement in his life. |
| A．Life can be very hard for some people. |
| B．Parents need to be patient with their kids. |
| C．It’s important to learn how to be a father. |
| D．The purpose of life is to share love. |
【推荐2】Do you learn from your mistakes? I hope so. But have you ever made the same mistake twice? I have. Sometimes I make the same mistake three or four times!
Sometimes, good things happen because of mistakes. Once I got on the wrong train. That was a big mistake. But on that train. I saw a good friend. I was so happy I made that mistake!
Another time I ruined a surprise. My mother planned a surprise party for my father. She told me it was a secret. But I was just a little boy and I couldn’t keep the secret. I told my father about the party .At first, my mother was mad at me. But then my father said he was happy he knew about it. He said he didn’t like surprises.
1. The boy saw ________on the wrong train.| A．his friend | B．his father |
| C．his mother | D．his teacher |
| A．keep a secret about the party | B．tell his father about the party |
| C．plan a surprise party | D．invite his friends to the party |
| A．Mistakes are not welcome. |
| B．A mistake is a terrible thing. |
| C．All mistakes mean happy accidents. |
| D．Sometimes a mistake can be a good thing. |
【推荐3】I grew up in a home with a mother who believes that vaccines cause brain damage, and do not contribute to the health and safety of a society. The only shot I received was for tetanus (破伤风) when I was two months old. After that, nothing.
At the beginning of each school year, I was very anxious. Delayed term paper? Mischievous (捣蛋的) behaviour? Late for school? None of them. I’d be pulled out of class and brought to the headmaster’s office. The school doctor would tell me I haven’t received any of the necessary shots to attend school. But the same thing occurred each time: my mom would exempt (免除) me from the shots and nothing would happen.
After doing a lot of research, I found although people who don’t vaccinate their children make up only a relatively small group, they can cause major consequences. People who, for health or age reasons, cannot receive vaccines are at a higher risk of catching a preventable disease.
Eventually, I turned 18. In Ohio, where I live, I had to wait until I became a legal adult to make the decision to receive vaccine shots. A huge factor in taking the step to ensure my health was the message board website Reddit. Last year, I asked Reddit users for advice about what vaccines to ask for and how to go about getting them from a doctor. After my post received more than 1,000 comments, I made an appointment with my family physician. Despite how strongly my mother felt, I went through with it anyway.
I did something every person should do. It wasn’t special in any way. Vaccines protect the health and safety of not only yourself but also other people. Vaccination is important because someone could die if you don’t get vaccinated. This was the biggest reason I got vaccinated despite the opposition.
1. What can we know about the author from Paragraph 1?| A．He was born disabled. | B．He suffered from tetanus. |
| C．He was hardly vaccinated. | D．He was spoiled by his mother. |
| A．Because he would never behave himself. |
| B．Because he couldn’t go to school on time. |
| C．Because he often forgot to do his term paper. |
| D．Because he would be called to meet headmaster. |
| A．Grateful | B．Annoyed | C．Excited | D．Guilty |
| A．Obeying the old pays off. | B．Keeping fit is the best policy. |
| C．Doing the right thing matters. | D．Following advice is beneficial. |
【推荐1】“It’s over! Thank goodness!”
School was over and I was tired. I sat at the front of the school bus.
Janie, the driver, always tries to break the uncomfortable atmosphere by talking. I try to listen politely, but usually I’m too busy thinking about my day. On this day, however, her talk was worth listening to.
“My father’s ill,” she said to no one in particular. I could see worry in her eyes. I had never seen her like this before. She always meets students with a smile.
With a sudden chance of interest, I asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
With her eyes wet and her voice unusual, she answered, “Heart trouble.” Her eyes lowered as she continued, “I’ve already lost my mum, so I don’t think I can stand losing him.” I couldn’t answer. My heart ached for her.
I sat on the seat thinking of the great pain my own mother was thrown into when her father died. I saw how hard it was, and still is, for her. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through that.
Suddenly I realized Janie wasn’t only a bus driver, which was just her job. She had a whole world of family and cares too.
I shouldn’t have been so selfish. I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver. I had judged her by her job and brushed her off as unimportant.
I shouldn’t have been so selfish and self-centered. Understanding people is an art.
1. When the students get on the school bus, Janie usually ________.| A．listens to music | B．talks about her own worry |
| C．sits on her seat without words | D．meets them with a smile |
| A．her father’s death | B．her mother’s pain |
| C．the ache of her own heart | D．the pain of Janie’s parents |
| A．thought of Janie as nothing but a driver | B．made only a few friends in the school |
| C．hardly thought of herself | D．never listened to others |
| A．losing parents makes people sad and helpless |
| B．understanding the people around us takes time |
| C．we should learn to understand the people around us |
| D．it’s not right to judge the people around us by their clothes |
【推荐2】A brown leather cap, worn by pioneer pilot Amelia Earhart during her record-breaking flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, had sold for $825,000 online, according to the Heritage Auctions (拍卖) website. The leather cap was expected to sell at around $80,000, but on Saturday, a person purchased it at about ten times the amount.
Anthony Twiggs, a retired photographer in Minnesota, put the helmet up for auction after experts confirmed its authenticity, according to The New York Times. Twiggs had received the cap 20 years ago from his mother, Ellie Brookhart, who claimed she got from a friend in 1929 following the first Women’s National Air Derby, an all-female race, in which Amelia finished third.
When the pilot was talking with reporters after the race, Ellie Brookhart and her friend were among the greeting crowd. The friend spotted the cap on the ground and presented the leather helmet—with the name “A. Earhart” printed on the inside—to Twiggs’ mother in an attempt to impress her. “My mother decided to keep it for Amelia,” Twiggs tells The New York Times. But Amelia was too busy with reporters then and when his mother tried to give it back to her a bit later, she had already left.
For the next 90 years, the cap was kept in a closet in Brookhart’s home, where she would bring it out occasionally over the years to show her four children. After his mother’s death, Twiggs tried to interest museums and collectors in acquiring it. However, he hit a wall. No one believed the story.
Now 67, Twiggs sent photos to John Robinson of Resolution Photomatching to verify (核实) the flying cap’s authenticity. After comparing images of Earhart wearing the hat with the current photos of the artifact, Robinson gave him a positive answer.
1. What turned out to be unexpected about the auction?| A．The style of the cap. | B．The owner of the cap. |
| C．The buyer of the item. | D．The final price of the item. |
| A．She had no intention to keep the cap at first. | B．She was too busy to return the cap to Amelia. |
| C．She interviewed Amelia Earhart in 1929. | D．She was interested in collecting caps. |
| A．Interested. | B．Doubtful. | C．Unclear. | D．Favorable. |
| A．A book review. | B．A history report. | C．A news story. | D．An auction advertisement. |
【推荐3】Last week, while visiting my dad with my daughter, we went to a restaurant for dinner. When we were seated, my dad asked the waitress if there were any soldiers eating at the restaurant. Then waitress said there was a soldier having dinner with his friend. My dad told the waitress to tell the soldier and his friend that their dinner was paid for! He also said that he did not want to be known as the benefactor(施主).
Then waitress later commented on my dad’s thoughtful behavior saying that she had never seen anything like this before. At a local college, she had studied opera and so she used this to thank my dad by performing a piece from The Pearl Fisherman. Her voice brought me to tears because it sounded perfect!
After a while, the soldier appeared at our table (I don’t know how he knew my dad paid the bill for him.) and said that he would be sent to the front the next morning and that he could not leave this country without saying “thanks” to my dad. My dad replied that it was he who wanted to say “thanks”. They shook hands as the soldier left.
Before we left, the waitress came by again. She did a magic show as another way to show her “thanks” to my dad. Her show was really great. My dad left her a note with email address asking for her next performance time in addition to a $ 50 tip.
Everyone witnessed something exemplary (可作榜样的) in the human spirit that night. I can only hope to see more of this in the future.
1. My dad offered help to the soldier and his friend in the restaurant probably because ______.| A．he wanted to know more about them |
| B．he wanted to thank them for all they had done |
| C．he wanted the waitress to thank him |
| D．he wanted the soldiers to know his kindness |
| A．she was asked to perform to the guests |
| B．she wanted to show off her wonderful skills |
| C．she wanted to attract more and more guests |
| D．she wanted to show her respect and thanks to the author’s dad |
| A．He gave something to author’s dad. |
| B．He gave a big tip to the waitress. |
| C．He did a magic show for the author and her father. |
| D．He said thanks to the author’s dad in person. |
| A．funny | B．understandable | C．honorable | D．worthless |
| A．find ways to thank others | B．learn to be grateful to others |
| C．try to learn from each other | D．respect soldiers and waitresses |
