Over the years, when a book has spoken to me with particular power, I have put pen to paper and send word off to the author, communicating what their work meant to me.
It all started in my 18th year, when I was entertaining my own imagination of success as a writer. I was full of high expectations, believing that becoming an author was simply a matter of putting my thoughts onto paper, sending the works to a publisher and waiting for fame to come. Then came the great disappointment. I wrote to famous children’s author Lloyd Alexander, describing my fruitless yearlong effort at publication and asking him for direction. To my joy, he answered:
“Advice is always very easy to give — but very hard to make it specific and meaningful, since we all have to work in our own ways. When you mention that you’ve been writing for a year without being published, I hasten to tell you that I wrote seven times that long without being published! So, perhaps one piece of advice is: Patience.”
I was encouraged by the idea that a well-regarded writer would take the time to offer a bit of advice to an overconfident teen. But Mr. Alexander was not a singular case. But when I did get one, the content was often filled with consideration and even, at times, affection.
I think of the American poet William Stafford, who replied tome from Lake Oswego, Oregon. We actually had an ongoing correspondence (通信) for a while. I wrote to him asking if he would be so kind as to autograph one of his books for me. His reply brought an immediate smile to my face: “I am eagerly ready to autograph and return a book — it makes me feel like an author.”
1. What happened to the author when he was 18?| A．He won fame as a young writer. | B．He was forced to give up writing. |
| C．He failed to get his works published. | D．He met a well-known children’s author. |
| A．Being independent of others. | B．Keeping on trying and being patient. |
| C．Making decisions without hesitation. | D．Regarding every piece of writing as meaningful. |
| A．He hated to reply to a letter. | B．He was friendly and approachable. |
| C．He longed to be a successful writer. | D．He was always ready to lend his books. |
| A．My Rise as a writer | B．My Idea About Writing |
| C．Growing up with writing | D．Writing to the Writers in My Life |
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【推荐1】The extremely cold winter greets me as I start going to the Smithsonian subway and take a moment to look at how empty the capital Washington is. Ten minutes later, I arrive at Union Station, which is almost empty. The public-address system tells me the time table of the train, but I fear it is being played for an audience of one. I silently begin to weep, and then my tears start to break down my emotional dam.
For me, everything changed on March 8, 2020. I was in my office at 2:00 P. M. when one of my leaders announced that we were to immediately leave the building and wait for further instructions. For two hours, I sat on a bench on Constitution Avenue, my heart racing.
I didn’t have any real experience working from home. Then one day I did. I held out hope that this would last a few weeks. This, of course, is when everything changed. I started to get really frightened. I watched the news trying to learn every detail. The number of infections kept increasing: 25,000 dead. We soon passed 100,000. It was like watching a disaster movie.
It has been almost one year since the pandemic(大流行病)began. It has a great influence on me because my life is all about routines, sometimes to the extreme. I have always been a social person, even though I stutter(口吃). Now, I wasn`t allowed to socialize. I had no problem wearing a mask every time I went out. But I couldn’t stand being unable to shake hands and hug. My depression started to throw me into a world of darkness.
However, I know something is wrong and I need to reach out for help. The late singer Bob Marley said, “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” How true that is, and it was especially meant for times like these.
In many ways, the pandemic has forced me to count my gratitude. To begin with, I have a job. I work in a city that means a great deal to me personally, where I feel safe and no one judges me because of my disabilities. My friends in the stuttering community have continually helped me get through rough time I have had.
Perhaps the most important thing of all is that I’ve reconnected with my family. We haven’t always had an easy relationship, and at times we have been distant. However, sometimes it takes sufferings to rebuild new bonds.
Toughness and gratitude…Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that a virus would make me thankful, but it has made me see life in a new way.
1. How do you understand the underlined sentence in paragraph 1?| A．A play is on at Union Station and there is only one audience. |
| B．The author fears other passengers can’t hear the announcement. |
| C．The author fears the public-address system is being played for one person. |
| D．The Union station is empty and maybe only the author himself is there. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Pleasant. | C．Puzzled. | D．Concerned. |
| A．No one comments on me due to my disabilities. |
| B．The pandemic has caused mass deaths. |
| C．The pandemic has forced the author to work from home. |
| D．The pandemic helps the author build connections with his family. |
| A．Tough and grateful. | B．Brave and warm-hearted. |
| C．Optimistic and brave. | D．Friendly and thankful. |
【推荐2】Ed Jackson："I want to be the first quadriplegic（四肢瘫痪者）to climb Everest，"
Former Wasps player was told he would never walk again after an accident in 2017.
"It was a lovely day like this and we had a barbecue." Ed Jackson says as he remembers the accident which broke his neck，ended his rugby career and left him paralyzed（瘫痪）with a medical prediction that he would never walk again. "I walked to the edge of a feature pool with a waterfall at one end. I couldn't tell which was the deep end so I dived in，fell straight to the bottom，and hit the top of my head. When I tried to stand up I couldn't. Luckily my dad was in the pool. He's a retired doctor and he knew it was a spinal cord（脊柱）issue."
Jackson survived surgery but was told that his paralysis was almost certainly permanent. "After five days of trying to move my toes with nothing happening，I thought there's a good chance they're right."
"Every night on my own，I imagined what it would be like for my wife to look after me for the rest of my life. If this was going to continue all my life，I would never have forgiven myself." In the dark，his mind was at war with itself. "That fear of the unknown is terrifying. Every day I would stare at my toe and try to move it."
On day six his toe twitched（抽动）！The next few months became a series of his exciting moments. Jackson kept chasing those wins.
Once Jackson could walk he decided to climb Snowdon to coincide with the first anniversary of the accident. On 1 April 2018，with a heavy brace on his leg，Jackson reached the summit of Snowdon.
Climbing is exhausting and dangerous for a quadriplegic but，with his face lit by sunshine，Jackson uncovers a previously secret dream. "I want to be the first quadriplegic to climb Everest. I would love that to be where the story of my recovery ends. And then I just want to go on laughing and living.
1. What was Jackson doing when the accident happened？| A．Barbecuing. | B．Swimming. |
| C．Playing rugby. | D．Diving. |
| A．He was able to walk six days later. |
| B．Doctors' prediction had no effect on him. |
| C．The accident left him deadly injured. |
| D．He climbed Snowdon to repay his family's concern. |
| A．His father's first aid. | B．The successful surgery. |
| C．His affection for his wife. | D．His desire to climb. |
| A．An Accident to Change a Man | B．A Quadriplegic to Climb Everest |
| C．A Secret Dream to Success | D．A Man Crazy About Climbing |
【推荐3】Hannah Burrows isn’t able to put into words how much she loves water, but when you see the 6-year-old in a pool there’s no doubt about it. “As soon as you put her in a swimsuit, she’s flapping (摆动) her arms and getting excited,” said Hannah’s mom, Kristy Burrows.
Hannah is in kindergarten at Longview School, a school for children with severe intellectual and physical disabilities. Last year, the family was referred to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an on-profit (非盈利的) organization that brightens the lives of kids who face health challenges. They considered what that wish might be. “We wanted to do something that would last a long time and that she would get a lot of use out of,” Kristy said. Weekly swimming is part of Hannah’s physical therapy at Longview, so they decided on a pool.
But building a pool in your back yard means getting a permit. But the Burrowses didn’t have one. If they wanted to get one, they should spend hundreds of dollars, which could be too much for the family.
AS it turned out, a local company volunteered to do a site plan free. Followed were discounted products or services. Kristy said, “The permit was issued on the 5th of June and the pool was built in the next five days...We went from, ‘Oh, it will be next summer’ to 15 days later there was a pool in my backyard.”
It’s an aboveground pool, 3.5 feet deep, perfect for Hannah.
“She loves it,” said Kristy. She’s been swimming almost every day for an hour. “Hannah is delighted to be in water, of course, but her family has noticed that the pool has improved her life out of it, too. She struggled with sleeping through the night,” Kristy said. “But now, she’s had a couple of great nights of sleep just from the activity.”
| A．She can’t express her excitement to be in water. |
| B．She is good at swimming though she is young. |
| C．Her health condition has greatly improved with the pool. |
| D．She has severe intellectual and physical disabilities. |
| A．More than satisfied. | B．Very disappointed. | C．A little annoyed. | D．Very discouraged. |
| A．Swimming Helps Improve Little Girl’s Health | B．Six-year-old Girl Enjoyed Swimming |
| C．A Special Girl’s Wish Came True | D．Building a Swimming Pool Needs a Permit |
【推荐1】For the first twenty years of my life, I had avoided public speaking wherever possible. I’d seen chances pass me by at school, just because public speaking was my biggest possible fear. And then I was offered the chance to stand for elections(选举) to my dream job—a position on the National Team of AIESEC UK. The problem was, to get the job I had to give several short speeches to 200 people.
I had planned not to go. But something happened. I realized I wanted the dream job more than I feared public speaking. So, I put my name forward. And before I knew it, I was standing outside a room of 200 people, waiting to give the talk of my life. You can imagine my shaky knees ...
And all I could think about was the year before, when a friend of mine had been through the same process(过程). I was watching him as he walked to the front of the room. He looked smart and confident.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “I’m really excited to be here and ...” Silence. Nothing. He choked(说不出话来). His speech stopped there. And of course, he didn’t get the job.
So, there I was outside the room, thinking, “Don’t choke.” Soon it was my turn. And I started speaking. The words came out! It was not perfect, but the important thing was that I did it. And you know what that feels like? Exhilarating! I couldn’t believe I got through my biggest possible fear! My heart was still beating after I finished my speaking.
If I could overcome(克服) my biggest possible fear, so could anyone. We just have to find the thing in life that we want more than the fear of public speaking. That’s what encourages us to step beyond our fears. And by the way, yes, I got the job.
1. What should the author do to get a position on the National Team of AIESEC UK?| A．Attend several lectures. | B．Do some public speaking. |
| C．Get the support of 200 people. | D．Win first place among 200 competitors. |
| A．He did badly in a job. | B．He competed with the author. |
| C．He failed in the election process. | D．He finished his speech with difficulty. |
| A．Puzzling. | B．Exciting. | C．Moving. | D．Boring. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Failure is a way to grow up. |
| C．Hard work is the secret of success. | D．Dream can push us to go beyond fear. |
【推荐2】At 12, my father decided to take me a trip to France. I had never been out of the country before, so I was very excited. My aunt, my father and I went around with my father showing us all the unbelievable attractions in Paris. None of us spoke much French but we loved the city.
We had taken the subway all over the city and were congratulating ourselves on our understanding of what is honestly a good subway design that is pretty easy to follow. We decided to visit Versailles by train. We chatted happily along the way until my father realized we were far into the French countryside and no one around spoke English.
We reached the end of the line and felt frightened when everyone finally left the train. An old man and his grandchild noticed us and came up to help. He spoke no English, so in broken French we tried to explain. When he finally understood, this great man settled his grandson and showed us to the correct train and then got on it with us.
Later we knew the truth that there was a train transfer(换乘) and he didn’t want us to miss it. This kind man rode a train an hour and a half out of his way to make sure that three Americans got where they wanted to be. He refused to let us pay for his ticket. He did it all with a gentle smile and shook our hands gently at the stop. Then with his quiet way, he got on the train to return the way he had come.
What impressed me most was the man and his kindness during the amazing trip. Some Americans think the French are rude for some reason, but I always try to make them change their minds with this story.
1. What happened to the author and his family on the train?| A．They failed to get off the train at the right time. |
| B．They couldn’t understand the signs of the train. |
| C．They had a quarrel about where to go first. |
| D．They found it hard to live in the countryside. |
| A．By paying for their train tickets. |
| B．By leading them to where they wanted to be. |
| C．By inviting them to travel together. |
| D．By showing them the return way. |
| A．His honesty | B．His kindness | C．His gentleness | D．His happiness |
| A．To explain an unexpected problem. |
| B．To list the unbelievable attractions in Paris. |
| C．To show the importance of learning a foreign language. |
| D．To share an unforgettable foreign experience. |
【推荐3】My first experience living abroad was in Scotland for a year with my family. My father, a teacher, applied for and was accepted into a teacher exchange program. I was thirteen and at the peak of puberty (青春). I was not particularly overjoyed to be leaving the comforts of home.
Living just outside of Glasgow, an area where the people have extremely thick accents, communication wasn’t always easy. Luckily, the girl who showed me around the school had an accent that was slightly easier to understand. I followed her around like a puppy for most of the school year.
The changes were great and scary at first. Not only could I not understand the accent of my peers (同龄人), but my Canadian accent made me a subject of extreme attention. I have never really wanted to become the focus, and this was especially true when I was thirteen. I had to wear a school uniform for the first time, and live in a different home. And if my mom packed carrots in my lunch, a common lunch choice in Canada, I was met with comments like, “Wow, you’re eating pure healthy food today!”
Another barrier was the cultural and language differences. Pants are called trousers, underwears are called pants, and erasers are called rubbers. And, while wearing jeans and Converse at home was normal for thirteen-year-old girls, in Glasgow, skirts and heels were the norm outside of school. As a result, I was always at a loss when joining a chat or invited to a party.
Luckily, I finally made friends with lovely, welcoming people. I can proudly say I have seen just about every castle and tourist attraction in Scotland, while also having been a part of experiences only had by locals. My year abroad taught me you must allow yourself to be uncomfortable, before you can have real experiences. It wasn’t until I let go of my fears that I began to enjoy myself.
1. How did the author react when hearing about going abroad?| A．She couldn’t believe it. |
| B．She felt very excited about it. |
| C．She didn’t look forward to it that much. |
| D．She considered it good for her puberty |
| A．She wished to be famous. |
| B．She wasn’t scared to change her habits. |
| C．She was satisfied with her accent. |
| D．She didn’t like others’ attention. |
| A．Painful. |
| B．Confused. |
| C．Touched. |
| D．Relieved. |
| A．They should not fear to experience. |
| B．They should find a comfort zone. |
| C．They should learn to be independent. |
| D．They should be less proud of themselves. |
