Sammie Vance, 14, knows there’s nothing worse than feeling left out. For years, she’s been helping kids who feel lonely make friends. What she was doing was running the Buddy Bench program. The idea was that anyone at school who was feeling lonely could sit on the “buddy bench.” That let other kids know someone needed a friend. “It’s really helpful to have other people be able to notice you,” Sammie says.
The idea quickly caught on. The bench brought kids together. Since then, Sammie has helped communities all over the country set up buddy benches. “It means a lot to me,” she says, “that this is making a difference in people’s lives.”
Sammie got the idea for the Buddy Bench program at summer camp in 2017. She thought it would be cool to have a buddy bench in her school, so when she got home, she presented the idea to her principal, her teachers, and her parents.
Getting approval for the project was just the first step. “There have been a lot of small challenges, like money,” Sammie says.
To reduce costs and be eco-friendly, Sammie decided to make the bench out of recycled material. So she called on her community to gather bottle caps.
Word of the project got out, and soon Sammie was getting caps from people in all 50 states. She even got them from people in Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries. In the end, she collected more than 1,200 pounds of bottle caps. A company called GreenTree Plastics was able to upcycle these into three benches.
In addition to all the kids her project has helped, Sammie is grateful for how it has changed her. “It just helped me grow in so many different aspects of my life,” she says.
Before long, Sammie was helping other schools acquire benches. She has donated more than 200 benches to schools and parks all around the country, and in Mexico and Australia. Her work continues to spread kindness far and wide.
Even small acts of kindness can be powerful. “It can make someone’s day and lead to a chain reaction,” she says. “You never know. Just be kind, in general.”
1. What do we know about the Buddy Bench program?| A．It helps lonely kids to make friends. | B．Only lonely kids can sit on the bench. |
| C．The program brought all the kids together. | D．It made Sammie Vance popular among the kids. |
| A．lacking money | B．collecting materials for the bench |
| C．gaining support from her classmates | D．getting approval of her school and her parents |
| A．She collected the bottle caps from all over the country. |
| B．The benches were made to be eco-friendly and low-cost. |
| C．A company upcycled the caps into three benches for free. |
| D．She donated benches to schools and parks all around the country. |
| A．It helped her grow in many respects. |
| B．She became popular among the students. |
| C．It can brighten her day and lead to a chain reaction. |
| D．Her work continues to spread kindness far and wide. |
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【推荐1】In the summer of 1967, Walker was about to enter the sixth grade after having recently moved to the new town. Her mother signed Walker up for Girl Scouts（童子军)to help her get used to the place. She was paired with a girl named Laurie Luna in a four-person tent. At the camp, Walker and Lima's lives were tightly tied. As a Girl Scout, you have someone to rely on, to know where you're going, to talk over things with, and to develop a friendship. It was a wonderful time for these girls to look back on.
After boating with Luna one afternoon, lightning hit a tree outside the girls' tent. "It happens in the mountains in summertime. Then a storm blew in and sent us all to our tents," Walker remembers. "Lightning struck and its path led through me. I was lying on the floor seriously burned and unconscious(昏迷的)."As bad luck would have it. Walker had been standing on her bed at the time. Instantly, two-thirds of Walker's body was burned.
The other three girls in the tent screamed and ran away, but Luna quickly realized her friend was not among them. She thought Walker must be missing and went back to look for her — only to find Walker on the floor of the tent. Seeing Walker, she sped to the counselors, brought help and, in doing so, saved Walker. The counselor raced to give Walker first aid treatment, who then was rushed to the hospital by a nurse.
"The timing of getting artificial respiration(人工呼吸)and being taken to the hospital allowed me to recover with few health problems and to continue on with my life——to be a teacher, a wife, a mother, and a part of the world," Walker says.
1. What can we say about Walker from the first paragraph?| A．She was a newcomer to the town. | B．She and Luna became classmates. |
| C．Her mother disliked staying with her. | D．She was the fourth girl in Girl Scouts. |
| A．She got lost in the mountain. | B．She was hit by a big lightning. |
| C．She was late for the boating. | D．She was ill because of the storm. |
| A．By relying on her strong will. |
| B．By calling someone for help. |
| C．By using her skills learned at school. |
| D．By receiving instant treatment in time. |
| A．Walker had a few health problems after the treatment. |
| B．All girls in Walker's tent did something helpful for her. |
| C．Walker might be grateful for what Luna had done for her. |
| D．Luna sent Walker to the hospital with a nurse at once. |
【推荐2】Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer.” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out.” Mark said, “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
“It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model, ” his father had explained, “so don’t touch it under any circumstances. ” But his warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colors, shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the center of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER. ”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead. ” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1: …
VOYAGER 2: …”
Mark’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED.”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark, ” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow, until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed.
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2035. ”
1. Why did Mark touch the computer against his father’s warning?| A．He wanted to take a voyage. | B．He wanted to practice his skill |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. | D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
| A．In an electronic factory. | B．In a computer company. |
| C．In a scientific research center. | D．In an information processing center. |
| A．a computer game | B．a company website |
| C．a software producer | D．an astronomy program |
| A．They were blown into the air. | B．They were sent to another planet. |
| C．They were hidden in the strong light. | D．They were carried away to another country |
【推荐3】Ten years ago I used to be very fit (健康的). I rode a bike to work and I got a lot of exercise at weekends. I used to play tennis a lot and go for long walks. In those days I didn’t earn very much. I had a job in an office. It wasn’t a very good job but I had a lot of time to do the things I enjoyed doing.
Then, about eight years ago, I got a much better job. The pay was better, but the hours were a lot longer. I bought a car and drove to work every day. I began to take people out to lunch. And I began to put on weight, too. I stopped playing tennis and going for long walks at weekends because I just didn’t have any time for things like that any more.
There’s a lot of stress (压力) in my job. Perhaps that’s why I started drinking more than I used to. For example, I used to have only half a glass of whisky when I got home, but then I started filling my glass to the top, and instead of having one glass, I would have several. I started smoking a lot, too. I never used to smoke at all.
Two months ago I had a heart attack. At first I just couldn’t believe it. Luckily it wasn’t very serious. The doctor advised me to stop smoking and to eat less. He also advised me to work less and get more exercise. But I just haven’t any time! My job takes everything out of me!
Sometimes I wonder if I should get another job. Perhaps I could do something like I used to do. But if I do that, I won’t earn as much. I have a family to support. I have to think of them, too. I just don’t know what I should do. What do you think?
1. Compared with ten years ago, what is worse for the author now?| A．His job. | B．His pay. |
| C．His means of transport. | D．His health. |
| A．He got higher pay. |
| B．His working hours weren’t long. |
| C．He found it very stressful. |
| D．He had little free time at weekends. |
| A．not to work any longer |
| B．to take a long vacation abroad |
| C．to stop smoking and take exercise |
| D．not to eat out any more |
| A．The author is not sure what he should do now. |
| B．The author has taken the doctor’s advice. |
| C．The author has got another new job. |
| D．The author feels much better now. |
【推荐1】It’s 1:30 am in Kenya’s populated north, and 50 people are lying on their backs on the shore of a dried-up river, staring up at the night sky. These stargazers have travelled 250 miles to Samburu to witness the Perseid meteor shower(英仙座流星雨). They are not disappointed: Every few minutes, arrows of light shoot across the sky like silent fireworks.
The Star Safari is organised by a Kenyan astronomer, Susan Murabana, who has brought a 50 kg,170 cm-long telescope to allow the group to view Mars and deep-sky objects. But here in Samburu, where light pollution is minimal, the Perseid meteors—visible with the naked eye (裸眼)—steal the show.
Every two months, Murabana and her husband load their telescope on to the roof of their 4×4 and set off to rural communities, where they give up to 300 children a chance to view the planets and learn about constellations (星座) and the basics of astrophysics. They primarily targets schools in remote areas because of her mission to give girls an opportunity that she wishes had been available to her.
“When I started this work, I didn’t see people who looked like me. I was a lone ranger and I wanted to change that.” says Murabana.
“There is a common misconception in Kenya that astronomy in general is hard, boring, and only for boys,” she adds. “I’d like to teach young girls that astronomy is neither of these things and that they, too, can become astronomers,” says Murabana.
Murabana’s passion for astronomy began in her early 20s when her uncle invited her to join a similar outreach session organized by the Cosmos Education. “That was a gamechanger. If an outreach group had come to me when I was a young teenager, my attitude towards a career in astronomy would have been positive. I ended up studying sociology and economics, but maybe I would have desired to be an astronomer,” she says.
Inspired by the Cosmos Education, Murabana completed an online master’s degree in astronomy with the James Cook University in 201l and set up her own outreach programme. She looked to Dr Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space, as a role model. “I hope that one day, through this work, I will spark a chain reaction that leads to the first African woman in space.”
1. What do the underlined words “steal the show” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Ruin the effort. | B．Face the challenge. |
| C．Attract more attention. | D．Keep the promise. |
| A．To help them out of poverty. | B．To inspire their love of astronomy. |
| C．To look for assistants for her work. | D．To give them an edge over boys in studies. |
| A．She enjoyed playing games. |
| B．She longed to be an astronomer. |
| C．She is an initiator of Cosmos Education. |
| D．She regretted not taking astronomy earlier. |
| A．The birth of a Kenyan woman astronomer. |
| B．The prejudice against girls in rural Kenyan. |
| C．The Kenyan astronomer bringing astronomy to the people. |
| D．The Kenyan stargazers watching the Perseid meteors shower. |
【推荐2】Jo Land was surprised when she realized how much her youngest son’s school uniform cost. “A jumper was £25. A polo shirt was £15,” she says. “If it was this expensive for us, how on earth must families with three or four children manage?”
In December 2021, Land decided to start her project and she put a box outside her house, with a sign reading, “School uniform drop-off”. She set up a Facebook group and asked people to drop good-quality used uniforms into the box. The operation started to grow almost immediately. “Some weeks I give out up to 48 uniforms,” she says. People drive up and drop the clothing. She sorts through it, keeps it in her “stock room” and posts details about donations on the Facebook group. The first parent to message her gets the items for nothing. Land puts the items in a named bag and then returns it to the box. Recipients(接受者)can come and collect at their leisure.
“Being able to access good-quality preloved school uniforms has been a lifeline,” says Kristina, a mother of two. “It’s just amazing.”
“Every child going to school deserves to feel smart and proud,” Land says. “We don’t want children to go to school feeling negative, because that affects their learning. Land has noticed that people rarely take without also giving. Sometimes people leave flowers on the box, or they drop off some outgrown clothes too.
Right now, Land is thinking about all the people in her community who will struggle this winter and she gets so many messages from people who are absolutely desperate, because they cannot afford uniforms for their children. Her determination to ensure children to access the uniforms grows ever stronger.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To present the argument | B．To describe a touching story |
| C．To arouse sympathy for the poor | D．To introduce the theme |
| A．How the school uniforms are selected. | B．The importance of the Facebook group. |
| C．The popularity of the exchange project. | D．How the school uniform project works. |
| A．School learning is associated with fashion. |
| B．Recipients are required to give by the project. |
| C．Many people in Land’s community need uniforms. |
| D．Land is motivated to design new uniforms for children. |
| A．Brave and grateful. | B．Honest and energetic. |
| C．Kind-hearted and creative. | D．Ambitious and humorous. |
【推荐3】While walking home from school, Jenny saw a small kitten on the street. It was only a few weeks old, and it was crying. Jenny bent (弯腰) down and looked at the kitten. It was weak, and it had trouble walking. Its mother wasn’t anywhere around. Seeing the poor kitten made Jenny sad.
“I can’t just leave it here,” she thought. “But I can’t take it home, either. Mother doesn’t like cats.” Then, Jenny got an idea. She could take the kitten to a vet (an animal doctor). Jenny placed the kitten inside a small box.
She brought it to an animal clinic (诊所) near her house.
“Can you take care of this kitten?” she asked the doctor.
“Sure, we can,” he said.
“But I don’t have any money.”
“That’s OK. We’ll help the kitten feel better. Then, we’ll give it to somebody.”
Jenny was happy when she left the clinic. She knew the kitten would be all right.
1. Jenny saw a small ________.| A．cat | B．dog | C．pig | D．chicken |
| A．strong | B．dying | C．hard to walk | D．interesting |
| A．her home | B．a hospital | C．a vet | D．school |
| A．Jenny | B．Jenny’s mother | C．a vet | D．a nurse |
