Jamil Jan Kochai, the author of 99 Nights in Logar, searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung — the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier. On Saturday night, the two were finally reunited at one of his book-reading events.
The writer was born in a refugee camp (难民营) for Afghans in Peshawar, Pakistan, and his family moved to California when he was just a year old. At home, they spoke mostly Pashto and some Farsi, so by the time he reached first grade, he was at a total loss because he could hardly speak English. Then came Mrs. Lung, who quickly realized that Kochai was deeply struggling at Alyce Norman Elementary School.
The two got to work, meeting for one-on-one lessons nearly every day after school. At the end of the school year, Kochai won reading-comprehension competitions.
Lung and Kochai lost touch when Kochai’s father got a job in another city and the boy moved on, with a new love of reading and writing. When he grew older, Kochai’s parents encouraged him to find his former teacher to thank her. But despite his efforts, he failed to track her down.
“I didn’t know her first name. She was always just Mrs. Lung to me, so when I called places to ask about her, they couldn’t find any records of her,” Kochai said.
Then, while promoting his first novel, he wrote an essay for Literary Hub magazine touching on the transformative impact that Lung had on his life. Lung’s doctor happened to read it, and told the now-retired educator about that.
Lung’s husband saw a Facebook post about Kochai’s reading event on Saturday in Davis, California and suggested he drive his wife there.
“I had no idea they were going to be there,” Kochai said. “It was just like a sweet dream. Mrs. Lung was sitting in the front row. She was just the same Mrs. Lung. Just as sweet, kind and warm as ever.”
Kochai and Lung hugged, and Kochai finally got the chance to express to her how much he still thought of her and how much she meant to him.
1. How did Mrs. Lung help Kochai?| A．By dropping by his house regularly. | B．By asking him to read more in class. |
| C．By spending extra time tutoring him. | D．By saving him out of a refugee camp. |
| A．There were few records about her. | B．His parents provided little support. |
| C．He was too young to remember her. | D．He had limited information about her. |
| A．Surprised and delighted. | B．Shocked and angry. |
| C．Ashamed and regretful. | D．Proud and grateful. |
| A．A Distinguished Guest Showed Up at a Reading Event |
| B．A Writer Was Finally Reunited With His Former Teacher |
| C．A Famous Teacher Saved a Poor Student’s Whole Life |
| D．A Book Changed a Celebrity and a Retired Teacher |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Beethoven wrote many famous pieces of music, but he’s probably best known for his nine symphonies. When Beethoven died in 1827, he had some ideas for a 10th Symphony(交响曲). But all that he left behind were some notes about the piece and a few “sketches” -short bits of written music.
In 2019, a special team of musicians, computer scientists, and historians was formed. Their goal: to try to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony with the help of AI(人工智能) to celebrate his 250th birthday. The team didn’t just want to complete the symphony, they wanted to come as close as possible to producing the symphony that Beethoven meant to write.
They fed the program all of Beethoven’s music so that the AI could look for patterns in the way Beethoven wrote. Other members of the team studied Beethoven’s notes and sketches, and figured out what Beethoven was planning to do or where in the symphony he planned to use them.
One early test told the team they were on the right track. They took a few minutes of music created by the AI based on Beethoven’s sketches, and played it for Beethoven experts, musicians, and reporters. No one could tell which parts had been written by Beethoven and which parts were made up by the AI. Finally, the AI had the challenge of connecting the little musical bits into a symphony. Last Saturday night, the piece was performed for the first time ever by the Beethoven Orchestra in Bonn, Germany.
So Beethoven now has a 10th Symphony. And though Beethoven didn’t write it all, the team feels sure that the music is very much like what he might have written, if he’d had the chance. Actually, this is the second attempt to finish Beethoven’s 10th Symphony. In 1988, musician Barry Cooper also worked on completing part of Beethoven’s 10th.
If you’re curious about what the new symphony sounds like, here is a link to an MP3 file containing a few minutes of the piece.
1. Why did the team try to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony?| A．To use it for Beethoven’s birthday celebration. |
| B．To create a symphony as close as possible to Beethoven’s. |
| C．To realise Beethoven’s ideas for a 10th Symphony. |
| D．To continue Barry Cooper’s unfinished work. |
| A．The team put some of Beethoven’s music into the AI. |
| B．The AI found out the way that Beethoven wrote his music. |
| C．Team members analyzed why Beethoven wrote the notes and sketches. |
| D．The AI connected the bits of music written by Beethoven into a symphony. |
| A．totally different from Beethoven’s sketches |
| B．exactly the same as Beethoven’s sketches |
| C．like what Beethoven had intended to write |
| D．successfully performed many times. |
| A．AI Completed Beethoven’s 10th Symphony |
| B．AI is a Good Composer of Classical Music |
| C．A Team was Formed to Celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday |
| D．A Team Used AI to Help Finish Beethoven’s 10th Symphony |
Despite these worries, I came to New Zealand in July 2009. I have found the place and people very nice and supportive. Soon after I arrived, I realized the importance of getting a job for my living expenses.
Determined to do this on my own, I spent a whole day going door to door asking for a job. However, I received little response. This became my routine every day after college for a few weeks.
One afternoon, I walked into a building to ask whether there were any job opportunities. People there were very surprised, and advised me not to continue my job search in that manner. As I was about to leave, a clerk in the building, who had been listening to what the others had said, approached me and asked me to wait outside for a while. Fifteen minutes later, he returned. He asked me about my plans and encouraged me to stay confident. Then he offered to take me to Royal Oak to search for a job.
I was a little surprised but had a good feeling about him. He gave me some suggestions on dressing and speaking. I handed out my resumes and went home feeling very satisfied. The following day, I received a call from a store in Royal Oak offering me a job.
It seems that the world always gives back to you when you need it .And this time，it was a complete stranger who turned out to be a real blessing.
1. What wasn’t the author’s mother worried about?
| A．The author couldn’t speak the local language. |
| B．The author wasn’t familiar with local customs. |
| C．People might look down on the author. |
| D．It might be difficult for the author to find a job. |
| A．decided to go back to his own country |
| B．had to find a job to cover his living expenses |
| C．felt the local people were not very friendly |
| D．wanted to get a job that needed practical skills |
| A．a clerk recommended him to the company he worked for |
| B．he was confident that he would find a good one |
| C．he found many college students like him already there |
| D．a clerk gave him encouragement and advice |
| A．How a stranger offered the author a job. |
| B．How a stranger turned out to be a real blessing. |
| C．How the author was helped to get a job by a stranger. |
| D．How the author adapted himself to a new situation. |
【推荐3】A jobless man wanted very much to have the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. “You have passed the test,” he said. “Give me your email address and I’ll send you the form to fill in and the date when you may start.” The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an email.” “I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an email, that means you are not living. And anyone who isn’t living cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do with only $10 in his pocket. He thought and thought. Then he went to the supermarket and bought 10 kilos of tomatoes. He sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he had 20 dollars. He repeated the operation three times, and started to go early every day, and returned home late. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man was one of the biggest food retailers (零售商) in the US.
One day, one of his friends asked him for his email. He said, “I haven’t got one.” His friend couldn’t believe his ears. “Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”
1. What did the man do for the test?| A．He sent emails. | B．He did the cleaning. |
| C．He sold computers. | D．He filled in forms. |
| A．went to look for another job |
| B．asked for food from door to door |
| C．thought of an idea to make money |
| D．bought a computer and got an email |
| A．Because he had many friends to help him. |
| B．Because he was smart and worked very hard. |
| C．Because he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. |
| D．Because he wanted to show Microsoft he was living. |
| A．Computers are very important in our daily life. |
| B．Everyone can make a lot of money with only $10. |
| C．The HR manager didn’t find the ability of the man. |
| D．Nothing in the world is impossible if we work hard. |
【推荐1】I’m 16. On a recent night, while I was busy thinking about what to do over the weekend, I accidentally heard my parents talking about my future in the bedroom.
My dad was upset — not the usual stuff that a lot of parents worry about, like which college I’m going to, how far away it is from home and how much it’s going to coat. Instead, he was upset about the world for me. He was worried that there will be a global energy crisis, a nuclear explosion set off in anger and an infectious disease that kills millions in the world.
As I lay on the living room sofa, listening to their conversation and starting to worry about the future my father was describing, I found myself looking at some old family photos. There was a picture of my grandfather in his army uniform. Next to his picture were photos of my great-grandparents, two poor black immigrants. Seeing those pictures made me feel a lot better, I believe tomorrow will be better than today — that the world my generation grows into is going to get better, not worse. Those pictures helped me understand why.
I considered some of the awful things my grandparents and great-grandparents had seen in their lifetimes: two world wars, a nuclear bomb and killer flu. But they saw other things, too, better things: the end of two world wars, the polio vaccine and passage of the civil rights laws. I believe that my generation will see better things, too — that we will witness the time when AIDS is cured and cancer is defeated.
Ever since I was a little kid, whenever I’ve had a lousy day, my dad would put his arms around me and promise me that “tomorrow will be a better day”.
As I listened to my dad talking that night, so worried about what the future holds for me and my generation, I wanted to put my arms around him, and tell him what he always told me, “Don’t worry, Dad, tomorrow will be a better day.” This, I do believe.
1. What was the author’s father worried about?| A．The quality of education. | B．The danger of nuclear energy. |
| C．The rising medical costs. | D．The worsening global problems. |
| A．doctor | B．soldier | C．scientist | D．civil rights activist |
| A．Cold. | B．Happy. | C．Bad. | D．Busy. |
| A．Tomorrow Will Be a Better Day | B．I Am Proud of My Family History |
| C．I Want to Have a Talk With My Parents | D．My Parents Are Worried About My Future |
【推荐2】Mark Twain was a great writer in America. He was also a funny man. There were many interesting stories about him.
In his city, a man didn’t like Mark Twain. On April Fool’s Day, the man wanted to play a joke on the great writer. A newspaper in New York said that Mark Twain died. All his friends around the country were sad when they read it. Then they decided to visit his home. When the friends got there, they found Mark Twain writing in front of his desk. They got a big surprise and thought the newspaper did a bad thing. But Mark Twain didn’t get angry. He smiled and said, “The report(报道)about my death is right. But the time is too early.”
1. The report about Mark Twain was on ______.| A．June 2nd | B．April 2nd | C．June 1st | D．April 1st |
| A．前往 | B．居住 | C．拜访 | D．悼念 |
| A．listening to the radio | B．reading |
| C．writing | D．watching TV |
| A．didn’t like that man | B．was a funny man |
| C．didn’t like the newspaper | D．knew he wouldn’t die |
【推荐3】A photo of a Kentucky coal miner with his family at a college basketball game is going viral (疯狂传播). The photo shows Michael McGuire and his son sitting in the stands at the University of Kentucky Wildcats game on Saturday. McGuire is still wearing his work uniform and his face and arms are covered in black coal dust, which makes him different from others.
Kentucky’s head coach John Calipari put the picture online and expressed admiration for McGuire’s hard work and love for his son.
“My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home, ” Calipari wrote. “From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son and watch our team. I don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him and his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!”
McGuire had not yet been identified at that point, but Kentucky fans quickly found him and connected the coach with the family.
MeGuire’s wife, Mollie, replied on social media with a photo she had taken at the game. She wrote: “My amazing husband started his day at 4:45 am that morning and worked all day and then drove straight to the arena to meet us and enjoy the game with our son! We are truly blessed with such an amazing man! We love our coal miner. ”
McGuire told local station WKYT that he didn’t want to miss his son Easton’s first basketball experience. He said Easton had a good time.
Coach Calipari said he hopes McGuire will be a lesson for his players. “I talked to my guys about it. It’s just a great lesson, and I showed them the picture yesterday of Michael and his son. I talked about hard, tiring work that’s honorable work, adding that he made time for his son, even when he knew he couldn’t shower. It didn’t matter what he looked like. He just wanted to be with his son,” Calipari said.
1. What was special about McGuire while he was watching the basketball match?| A．His love for his son. | B．His dirty appearance. |
| C．His interest in basketball. | D．The expression on his face. |
| A．He wanted to attract more worker fans. |
| B．He was moved by McGuire’s happy family. |
| C．No one was so interested in his team as McGuire. |
| D．His family was connected with a coal mine. |
| A．Her pride. | B．Her regret. | C．Her expectation. | D．Her worry |
| A．Offer help to the family. | B．Learn from the coal miner. |
| C．Try to be the best sportsmen | D．Never judge a person from his looks. |
