After their three children grew up and left home, Margaret Thompson and her husband, Kenneth, stretched their legs together on walking holidays in Switzerland. In Interlaken, year after year, they would head up the mountain and watch the paragliders (空中滑翔) launch themselves into the sky. Back in town, in a large park, they watched them return to earth. “Some day I’d love to do that,” Thompson told Kenneth.
But there was always so much to do in Interlaken. So she continued to watch the gliders take flight and land. Kenneth died in 2005. Eleven years later, and three decades after those walking holidays, Thompson finally took to the skies herself, in a paraglider with an instructor. Thompson was 80.
Recently, Thompson heard from an instructor that grown men, when airborne, sometimes cry and beg to be brought down. But what she remembers is “feeling free. You feel weightless. It’s quite windy. It blows you around. You sail along and look around you, and see all the toy houses down below. You feel like you are up in heaven somewhere there, watching everyone down below.”
Thirty years seems a long time to hold on to a dream. “It was,” she says. Why did it take so long? “I wanted to do it, but I felt somebody should benefit from it.” She did not think of just enjoying the experience? “I don’t think so. There had to be a cause at the end of it all,” she says. With her first paraglide, she raised ￡1,500 for Moorfields eye hospital in London, most of it with the aid of social clubs run by the Presbyterian church she regularly attends.
Is she scared of getting older? “Fear? No. People say: ‘Isn’t getting old awful?’ I say: ‘No. You are free to do more things that you want to do.”
Thompson felt no fear paragliding. “I mean, you sort of say to yourself: Well, if anything happens to me now, I’m OK. People might worry about falling, it being the end of them. But that didn’t bother me at all. When it’s your time, it’s your time. No matter where you are.”
1. Why didn’t Thompson take up paragliding after her children left home?| A．She was engaged. | B．She preferred walking. |
| C．She was afraid of heights. | D．She had to tend her husband. |
| A．She lost his direction. | B．She was scared to death. |
| C．She regretted paragliding. | D．She had a sense of freedom. |
| A．She got support from social clubs. | B．She wanted to make it meaningful. |
| C．She hoped to contribute to the church. | D．She had a good cause to experience fun. |
| A．Terrified. | B．Helpless. | C．Calm. | D．Doubtful. |
相似题推荐
PROBLEMS Alice: Yesterday, at the beginning of the chemistry exam, I spent more time on a difficult question than I intended. When I saw the others turning to the next page, I became so nervous that I couldn’t even work out simple questions. I really want to know how to control myself in exams. Could you give me some advice? Rob: I’m trying to review for my exams, but it’s hard to concentrate for long. I sit on the bed with my books, but then I lie down and fall asleep. And my parents ask me to do things or my friends call, so I give up studying. I’m starting to panic. What should I do? Lara: I get good marks at school, so my friends all want to copy my homework. But I spend a lot of time working while they’re having fun. It’s not fair, and I’m getting fed up with this situation. But how do I tell them they can’t copy my work—I don’t want to lose my friends. Help! |
ADVICE Concentrate on the exam. Don’t daydream or be distracted by the other test takers. Some students do exams quickly, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they get all the questions right. Just stick to your own pace, and learn to budget your time sensibly. It’s quite normal to be nervous but you should calm down! It’s helpful to have a regular routine—try to study at the same time every day. And you’d better tell your friends and family not to interrupt you! Sit down to work at a desk or table, and take a break every half hour to get up and do something different for five minutes. Good luck! Your friends ought to know that they shouldn’t copy your work. It’s cheating. The next time they ask, say no nicely but firmly. Tell them that they have to do the work themselves or they won’t learn anything. If they don’t understand, they aren’t real friends. |
| A．Do exams quickly. | B．Work at your own pace. |
| C．Have a regular routine. | D．Avoid cheating in the exam. |
| A．Because they want to copy her homework. |
| B．Because they often have fun without her. |
| C．Because they take her homework back home. |
| D．Because they distract her during the exam. |
| A．Every five minutes. | B．Every twenty minutes. |
| C．Every thirty minutes. | D．Every two hours. |
| A．An English dictionary. | B．A science magazine. |
| C．A business newspaper. | D．A student magazine. |
【推荐2】Last year, my Singapore-based sister insisted my mother and I join her for the Christmas. My mum, a fearless woman, would get strangely nervous on flights. Perhaps the only thing that convinced her to overcome her fears was the chance to piece together our declining bond.
Growing up, moments with Mum were painfully short-lived because I spent most time at the boarding school, reuniting only during the holidays. Every year, she would eagerly await my return, which would always lead to constant loving scenes. Those cherished moments were gradually vanishing as I moved away for university. Soon, our relationship became tense. She seemed unable to comprehend me and her stubborn and old-fashioned advice forced me to shut myself. But the more I pulled away, the more I felt a longing for the bond that had grown so dim. Perhaps Singapore would give us a chance to breathe it back to life.
I assumed the immersive exhibits at Art Science Museum would refresh my mother, who was an art student. However, I was surprised when she just turned her nose up at the Bruges Whale, a sculpture using plastic waste to raise awareness about ocean pollution. “It’s art, Mum! Be more appreciative.” I defended.
Disheartened by the distance between us, I led her to the kid’s zone. We signed up for a joint sketching activity, hoping that would help us connect. As our creative juices flowed, our faded relationship began to take on the hues and shades of something sincere and beautiful.
“Look!” she excitedly pointed towards a digital screen that displayed our creations. “That one’s ours.” Mum went up and reached out, touching the fish as it moved its tail back and forth in the virtual tank.
Looking around, I saw children sharing moments with their parents, and my own childhood flashed back. That rare instance where she let slip an inner innocence and delight at a new experience revealed the little girl in her, who was like me, had lost a vital connection to responsibilities of motherhood.
“Our time together was like that of friends. You were my mother, and I’m a child following you around.” My mum said to me with a smile.
1. What made Mum accept the visit to Singapore?| A．The resolve to overcome the nervousness on flight. |
| B．The desire to restore relationship with her children. |
| C．The sincere invitation of my Singapore-based sister. |
| D．The expectation for Art Science Museum as an artist. |
| A．She felt it a huge waste to make it from plastic. |
| B．She showed a great interest in this work of art. |
| C．She didn’t think it good enough to be exhibited. |
| D．She considered it beneficial to ocean protection. |
| A．It revealed Mum’s inner ignorance like a girl. |
| B．It explored causes for faded bond between families. |
| C．It let Mum totally lose responsibilities of motherhood. |
| D．It provided an opportunity to share moments with families. |
| A．A good medicine tastes bitter. | B．Life has indeed come full circle. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. | D．Nothing is impossible to a willing mind. |
【推荐3】Tom Brady, a Californian, was an excellent quarterback (四分卫) at Junipero Serra High School. But when he arrived at the University of Michigan, he didn’t see much playing time during his first three years on campus. He considered going back to a college in California, but he decided to stick it out. He didn’t become a starter until the second half of his senior year. After becoming a National Football League (NFL) player, he was not allowed to play as a starter. However, he kept improving his skills and preparing each week like he was the starter.
In 2001, his second season, he only got in on the act because the starter was injured. Fans thought Tom would be just a fill-in. But Tom led his team New England Patriots to a victory in his first start, then they won four of five, and then finished the year with six victories. Each week he seemed to get a little better, and people began to recognize him as a dark horse. New England Patriots got into the Super Bowl, fighting against the defending (卫冕的) champions St. Louis Rams. Tom led a final-minute game-winning drive. He was no longer a nobody.
Today, Brady is considered perhaps the greatest quarterback ever. He’d become a superstar. Yet he had never lost that fire, that drive, and that sense that the world didn’t believe in him. At 37, he said that he would play until fifty if his body allowed him to do so. And he even told his teammates that he wanted to play forever if possible.
His teammates had dreamed of being him. Hogan was thirteen in February of 2002 when Brady and New England Patriots beat St. Louis Rams. Lengel was eleven at the time, watching with his grandfather in Kentucky. White was ten in Florida. Mitchell was nine in Georgia. These teammates were Tom’s big fans who since childhood had viewed from TV how he did the impossible. “He gave us the encouragement,” Hogan said.
He kept telling his teammates to keep going when the game wasn’t over. He isn’t the biggest, the fastest, and the strongest football player in the world. But he may be the most strong-minded.
1. When did Brady start to become known?| A．After he took the place of an NFL player as a starter. |
| B．When he entered a team of a college in California. |
| C．After he played for the University of Michigan. |
| D．When he became an NFL player. |
| A．He cares less about winning or losing. |
| B．He has kept his strong liking for football. |
| C．He spends more time improving his team. |
| D．He has changed his style of playing football. |
| A．To show his friendliness to others. |
| B．To show he has a very strong will. |
| C．To show he has the best teammates. |
| D．To show his big influence on others. |
| A．Never judge a book by its cover. |
| B．The secret of success is to stick it out. |
| C．Every bean has its black. |
| D．In time of danger, one’s mind works fast. |
【推荐1】Two years ago, something happened that changed the way I look at the world. On my birthday, my grandfather, walking home with his hands full of groceries, fell and hit his head on the sidewalk. Just as we were leaving to meet him for dinner, we got the call that he was in the hospital. At first, I thought nothing of it, but when I heard the whole story, I couldn’t believe it. He hit his head so hard that he had a blood clot in his brain and it had to be operated on immediately, Everyone thought he would die.
Although my grandfather survived emergency brain surgery, he had complications (后遗症). He could hardly talk and he couldn’t walk. Shortly after, he was admitted to a nursing home. Today, he lives at home with my grandmother and is doing much better, but this isn’t about him. It’s about what I saw at that nursing home.
I saw something that many people haven’t seen, and some do often choose to ignore it, I saw more sadness in those days visiting the nursing home than I thought. In that one place were hundreds of old people who were alone and forgotten.
So what as to be done with the situation of the old? This is not an easy question, but something must be done. Perhaps groups in the community could assign each member to one nursing home patient with whom they could keep in regular contact. Maybe a school could focus on a nursing home and send cards, pictures and letters to residents. If periodic visits were arranged, I’m sure that for some, if not many, those students would be the only visitors they had all month. These are just a few ideas; we all need to work together.
I hope everyone to tour a local nursing home I further expect you to do something about it. You’ll brighten someone’s day, or maybe even his or her life.
1. Why was the author’s grandfather sent to a nursing home?| A．Because of the nursing home’s good atmosphere. |
| B．Because of the grandfather’s bad physical condition. |
| C．Because family members wanted him to live outside. |
| D．Because there were many old people at the nursing home. |
| A．They deserved sympathy. |
| B．They were poor but kind. |
| C．They always forgot something |
| D．They needed to care for students. |
| A．The author’s ways to look after old people in the community. |
| B．The author’s ideas of helping old people at the nursing home. |
| C．The author’s opinions about how to visit old people regularly. |
| D．The author’s reasons for sending old people to the nursing home. |
| A．Old people can live longer and have a happy family. |
| B．People can help old people when they fall down on the street. |
| C．People can pay attention to the old people at nursing homes. |
| D．Government should ask students to visit old people at the nursing home. |
【推荐2】The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. "When can I go to bed?" I asked myself. I didn’t answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve."Oh, dear!" I cried, "ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy ."
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate now. I forgot all I had learnd. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, Please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
1. The underlined word “wretched” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.| A．happy | B．disappointed |
| C．unhappy | D．hopeful |
| A．it was too late at night |
| B．he was very tired |
| C．his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open |
| D．he hadn’t studied hard before the examination |
| A．He went to a church to pray again |
| B．He passed the exam all by luck |
| C．He failed in the exam |
| D．He was punished by his teacher |
| A．The Night Before the Examination |
| B．Working far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．Going Over My Lessons |
“I have brought you the basket of apples you asked for,” he said.
“But why have you brought a half-empty basket?” the rich man asked.
“I met your children outside, and they stole some of the apples.”
1. Why did the farmer bring apples to the rich man? Because .
| A．he was poor |
| B．he liked the rich man |
| C．his farm belonged to the rich man |
| D．the rich man’s children liked apples |
| A．They jumped and jumped. |
| B．They played. |
| C．They ran away. |
| D．They ate some of the apples. |
| A．they had thrown apples on the ground |
| B．the farmer had politely asked them to get off |
| C．they were afraid of the hat |
| D．the farmer was angry wit h them |
| A．pleased | B．moved | C．excited | D．unhappy |
