Two decades ago, Tropical Storm Allison hit Houston. More than 70,000 houses were flooded, including the home of Sarah Feldman and her family.
At the time, they were in Connecticut on vacation, so they didn’t know what kind of damage they were going to face when they got home to Texas. But then Feldman’s grandparents called with bad news: all of her books had been destroyed in the flooding. Feldman was 14 at the time and loved reading.
To cheer her up, Feldman’s father took her to the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. When they arrived, she started a conversation with Bill Carver, a man who worked at the library.
“I asked him a bunch of questions like, ‘How do you keep all these rare books? What’s the oldest book you have?’” Feldman remembered. Carver answered all of Feldman’s questions. When she told him about her books being destroyed, he told her that he would send her a book in the mail, so she could restart her collection.
After returning to Houston, she received his gift, titled The Medieval Book by Barbara Shailor. Carver included a note that read:
Dear Sarah,
I have often thought of you and your family, and that terrible flood… As promised, with the letter is a rather scholarly book, which may be slightly mature(成熟) for your age, but I thought it might help you shape your new library collection. And as the years progress, this book may grow in value to you. Have a happy holiday season. Wish you and your loved ones all the best.
Yours,
Bill Carver
A lot has changed since Feldman received that book. Feldman is in her 30s now. She’s married and has a dog. But Carver’s gift has made a lifelong impact. “I’m interested in medieval art,” Feldman said. Feldman has tried to find Carver, but with no success. If she could speak to him today, she would like to tell him how much that small gesture meant to her.
1. What happened to Feldman?| A．She was stuck in a flood. |
| B．She lost her books in a flood. |
| C．She suffered the pain of losing her family. |
| D．She had to cancel her vacation because of a flood. |
| A．He ignored her need. |
| B．He mailed her a book. |
| C．He lent her a collection of books. |
| D．He asked her about her flood experience. |
| A．It is a cartoon book. |
| B．It was suitable for Feldman. |
| C．It has had a long-lasting effect on Feldman. |
| D．It was gifted by Barbara Shailor to Feldman. |
| A．Elderly and intelligent. | B．Creative and easy-going. |
| C．Kind-hearted and helpful. | D．Humorous and hard-working. |
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【推荐1】Four books that will change your life
If you're already working 9-5, you might not have much time to read. With the Blinkist app, you can get the key information from the best nonfiction books in minutes, not hours or days. Start with the four most-read titles on self-improvement.
Thirteen Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin
You can't escape misfortune in life. But you can change how you respond to it.Do you struggle to get over your failures? Or live with things out of your control? Getting over these troubles can have a great influence on your everyday life, Morin shares how her most successful therapy（治疗）patients overcame these difficulties.
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
Ever wondered why you can't stop worrying about something? No matter how hard you try, do you focus on the same issue? By defining the source of your stress, you can get over it once and for all. Camegie came up with an effective way that helps you deal with any over-thinking situation.
Finding Your Element by Ken Rotoinson
Society often encourages us to follow a certain linear plan. Everyone has a passion. If you don't know what yours is, it just means you haven't discovered it yet. Or perhaps you have, buth disappeared early in life. Find out how you can break free of society's strict rules and find your calling in life.
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Did you know if your pulse rate rises above 100 bpm, you're considered too emotional to think rationally（理智地）? You probably let feelings cloud your judgment more often than you know. Goleman explains how you can avoid letting your emotions rule you and make better decisions in life.
1. What is Amy Morin's book mainly about?| A．Unavoidable failures in life. |
| B．Life stories of successful people. |
| C．Methods of treating mental diseases. |
| D．Approaches to handling challenges in life. |
| A．Draw up our own plans. | B．Discover what we truly love. |
| C．Follow a certain linear plan. | D．Obey society's strict rules. |
| A．Amy Morin's. | B．Dale Carnegie's. |
| C．Ken Robinson's. | D．Daniel Goleman's. |
【推荐2】One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem—inability to read.
In the library, I found my way into the “Children's Room”. I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle. There on the book's cover was a beagle which looked identical to my dog. I ran my fingers over the picture of the dog on the cover. My eyes ran across the title, Amos, the Beagle with a Plan. Unknowingly, I had read the title. Without opening the book, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.
Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. The dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book.
At the end of the story, my mind continued the final scene of reunion, on and on, until my own lost dog and I were, in my mind, running together.
My mother's call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book. and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.
I never told my mother about my “miraculous(奇迹般的)” experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.
1. The author's mother told him to borrow a book in order to ________.| A．encourage him to do more walking | B．help cure him of his reading problem |
| C．let him spend a meaningful summer | D．make him learn more about weapons |
| A．it contained pretty pictures of animals | B．he found its title easy to understand |
| C．he was reminded of his own dog | D．he liked children's stories very much |
| A．The author's mother rewarded him with books. | B．The author's mother read the same book. |
| C．The author has become a successful writer. | D．The author has had happy summers ever since. |
| A．My Passion for Reading | B．Mum's Strict Order |
| C．Reunion with My Beagle | D．The Charm of a Book |
【推荐3】Matthew Kneale is the award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction, including English passengers, which won the Whitbread Book Award. He shares the books that have changed his life.
The adventures of Tintin by Hergé
As a child I loved the Tintin books — for their adventures, their characters and their stylish illustrations. Though Hergé visited almost none of the faraway places he drew, he captured (捕捉) them perfectly. His images, whether of Peru, Arabia, India or China, stayed with me and later, when I became a keen traveler, Tintin’s destinations were the places that I most wanted to reach. I never saw them all, needless to say, but I got to quite a few.
Stig of the Dump by Clive King
This was another book I loved as a child — the story of a boy who is bored staying with his grandparents, when he runs into Stig, a friendly Stone Age man. When my father read it to my sister and me, I was already fascinated by history and I loved the way the book captured the mystery of our distant, unrecorded past. Its charm stayed with me and much later I spent many a weekend driving around Britain, getting lost on small country roads, looking for prehistoric tombs and stone circles. There’s something breathtaking about these places, which are often in extraordinary locations.
I Claudius / Claudius the God by Robert Graves
When I first saw Rome, aged eight, I was amazed by the city’s layers of history and this same magic led me to come and live here, 20 years ago. I first read I Claudius as a teenager and was attracted by the story of friendly, stammering, ridiculed Claudius, who grows up in the vipers’ nest of Rome’s imperial family and who, against all the odds, as his relatives destroy one another, survives and rises. Graves, a fine scholar, has a talent for making the past spring to life, in all its nastiness and wonder. In my own writing, fiction and non-fiction, I’ve tried to follow his example — to make history shocked, as it should do.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．Rich travel experience shaped Herge. |
| B．Stig of the Dump is adapted from a true story. |
| C．Matthew showed great interest in history as a child. |
| D．The close family relationship helped Claudius’ growth. |
| A．Because they manage to bring the past back to life. |
| B．Because they are great representatives of non-fictions. |
| C．Because they are known for their stylish illustrations. |
| D．Because they make a great difference to Matthew’s life. |
| A．In a magazine. | B．In a history book. |
| C．In a travel brochure. | D．In an advertisement. |
【推荐1】His talent and charm have made him the No.1 Chinese classical artist in the world.He played in the grand Beijing Olympic opening ceremony in 2008, watched by a TV audience of 5 billion.
Lang Lang is the first Chinese pianist to play with the world’s top orchestras, making his debut at the Carnegie Hall in New York at 18, while still a student.
Lang Lang’s charm and fondness for sharp clothes make him a natural fit to represent China’s new international image.According to the British newspaper the Times, “The Lang Lang’s effect” is responsible for driving 36 million Chinese children to learn the piano.
Now in China children are learning Chopin and Western orchestras are playing soldout tours across Chinese cities.But can China introduce its own music to the west? Lang is trying. His cooperation with the London Symphony Orchestras this month includes a performance of Dragon Songs, an album of traditional Chinese classics.
Behind the international recognition, however, is a fascinating story of a gifted child.Lang grew up with his father’s own musical ambition and high expectations.It is not hard to imagine how boring it must be to practice the piano every day.Lang said that he once hated his hands and the piano.He injured his right hand six years ago and had to rest.“That was the best month，” he says, without hesitation.“I had a date.I saw a Broadway show and saw Britney Spears in concert.”
1. Which of the following is NOT the reason why Lang Lang is the No.1 Chinese classical artist in the world?| A．He has as many as 5 billions fans in China. |
| B．He played in the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony. |
| C．He is the first Chinese pianist to play with the world’s top orchestras. |
| D．He plays the piano so well and has a good international image. |
| A．first class | B．first performance |
| C．first plan | D．first choice |
| A．Lang is making efforts to promote Chinese music to the world |
| B．Lang didn’t play the piano well when he was little |
| C．he was happy to practice the piano every day |
| D．he injured his right hand carelessly six years ago |
| A．The sad story of Lang’s father. |
| B．Lang’s gift from his father. |
| C．Lang’s special childhood life. |
| D．Lang’s date with his girlfriend. |
【推荐2】Jean was a teacher who taught first grade. She drove an old Jetta with dull blue paint and worn seats. It wasn’t the speediest tool, but Jean was never late to work. In fact, each school day she was the first teacher to arrive and the last teacher to leave.
She took great care to plan instruction, create assessments, and decorate her classroom. Parents in the neighborhood would beat down the principal’s door to have their children arranged to her class. Jean could teach a mouse to read, and all her students passed into second grade with advanced vocabularies and language skills.
One August, two sisters in high school did not want to enter foster care. They contacted their first grade teacher, Jean. Jean lived in quite an ordinary home with her son. Yet, she took the sisters in.Packed with children, the little blue Jetta sputtered, but they had a good laugh.
One day, Jean spoke about her car, which she had driven for many years and had been old enough to retire. It was kind of dangerous for students to ride in such a car. She wanted a van. However, a new van was not within her ability. As a good friend, I listened to her concern. Then, an idea came to me. I wrote a letter to The Oprah Winfrey Show, sharing Jean’s story and her wish.
A month passed. Jean was invited to attend The Oprah W infrey Show.Oprah hugged Jean and told the details of Jean’s story. Oprah announced that Jean deserved a new van. Six hundred miles away, I watched the joy from the television. Jean’s big heart taught me many lessons that year. One of them is that the simplest acts can require a strong faith, with which nothing is impossible.
1. What can we know about Jean?| A．She was popular as a responsible and skilled teacher. |
| B．She was famous for being strict with students. |
| C．She got along well with many parents. |
| D．She led a very difficult early life. |
| A．the old blue car brought happiness to them |
| B．foster care led the two sisters to an unhappy life |
| C．the two sisters caused inconvenience to Jean’s life |
| D．Jean valued her students and her students trusted her |
| A．She hoped to get Jean a pay rise. | B．She expected to help Jean get a van. |
| C．She wanted to support more strangers. | D．She meant to make Jean a famous teacher. |
| A．One should stay positive in life. | B．It is never too old to learn. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | D．A powerful belief can help people succeed easily. |
【推荐3】Last semester in my final year of high school, I had a kind teacher whom I can never forget. I was not the best student when it came to writing tests. I had to work extra hard to get good marks, although I enjoyed learning. Anyway, this class that I truly enjoyed still had me struggling to do well on my tests. My teacher willingly helped me and was always willing to answer my questions, and I greatly appreciated it. He was a remarkable teacher, always reaching out to students and helping them achieve their greatest potential.
I remember the day of writing my final exam, I was the last one still writing in the exam room as always, reviewing my exam paper, while everyone else had already finished and left the room. After turning in my exam-paper, I started to leave the classroom, but decided to turn around and say what I had meant to say.
What I did right then was that I sincerely thanked my teacher for everything. What I said to him lastly meant a lot more to him than I thought it would —“I really enjoyed this class.” I did not think much about it. I was just being honest with him, but the look on his face was remarkable. He seemed really touched and appreciated my simple comment, just knowing that one of his students had truly enjoyed his class. That is what I call a simple, yet very meaningful act of kindness to brighten a teacher’s day, because they work so hard for us and truly inspire us to learn.
It is what we say and do to show concern to others that can make somebody else’s day extra special. I believe that a simple praise can mean a lot more than one can think.
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?| A．The author was good at learning. |
| B．The author didn’t do well in writing. |
| C．The classes had me struggling. |
| D．The teacher answered all my questions. |
| A．He taught him how to learn. |
| B．He let him pass the tests. |
| C．He helped arouse his potential. |
| D．He listened to him patiently. |
| A．Honest and kind. | B．Kind and outstanding. |
| C．Special and patient. | D．Skillful and clever. |
| A．A teacher is always helping his students. |
| B．We should be honest with others. |
| C．We should appreciate others’ help. |
| D．A simple comment matters a lot to others. |
【推荐1】Modern medicine and the latest technology can save many lives. If you live in a country where healthcare is readily available and accessible, then your chances of recovering from illnesses or accidents are very good. But for many people in the US who are uninsured (无保险的), they can't afford these new medical treatments. That's why Doctor Demetrio Aguila in Norfolk lets poor patients pay for surgery (外科手术) through volunteer work.
“For years I had been doing surgery for patients and taking care of their health problems. Then I would find out months later, sometimes years later, that I had caused their financial ruin，” Aguila said. Serious illnesses can completely deplete a family's savings, leaving them no choice but to go bankrupt (破产).
Then he formed Healing Hands M25 as a way to give poor patients the medical fees they need by donating their time to community service. The process is pretty simple. They practice partners with local charitable organizations. The patient picks the charity and donates his time and sweat; Aguila determines the amount of volunteer hours the patient has to complete. “We've lowered the cost of healthcare. We've made it fair for everybody involved，” Aguila said.
The first patient to participate in the program was Jeffrey Jenson who worked for 560 hours to pay for surgery on his leg. Jenson asked his friends and family to help him complete the hours. Jenson said that his volunteer work greatly affected his life as much as the surgery. “The M25 program is not about money — it's about if people come together to help other people, then the community becomes better，” said Jenson.
This program is a big win for the patients, the local community, and Dr Aguila who knows he has done everything he could to help his patients.
1. How does Aguila make poor patients pay for surgery?| A．In cash. |
| B．Through an insurance company. |
| C．By doing volunteer work. |
| D．By serving the doctor. |
| A．Set aside. | B．Use up. |
| C．Cut down. | D．Add to. |
| A．What Healing Hands M25 does. |
| B．How Healing Hands M25 works. |
| C．Why Aguila runs Healing Hands M25. |
| D．Why patients choose Healing Hands M25. |
【推荐2】Twelve-year-old Mathew Flores is different from other kids. He loves junk mail, and these ads were the only reading materials he could find. Once he asked his mailman if he could offer him some.
The question surprised the mailman. He asked the boy the reason, and then shared the story on Facebook. “Today while delivering mail, I saw a boy reading ads, and he asked me for more mail. In fact, he wants to go to the library, but his family is very poor and he doesn’t have money to take the bus.”
The mailman then asked his Facebook friends if they could give some books to the boy. He wrote, “Most kids want computers or mobile phones! But what he wants is books. It’s great to see his unusual wish, and you may have seen him smile when I said I could help him!” “He is counting on me,” he said. “So I am counting on you!”
The mailman thought the Facebook post might bring in 50 to 60 books. But it was passed on quickly. People from around the world, including the UK, Australia and India, have sent books. Hundreds of books have been delivered to the boy’s door, with hundreds more still on their way.
When books first started arriving, Flores was surprised at what happened. “I thought they were mistaken, but they indeed were for me.” He says that he can’t wait to share the books with other kids, and has promised to read every one.
1. To help Flores, the mailman ________ .| A．took him to the library | B．paid for his bus tickets |
| C．offered him some junk mail | D．posted his story on Facebook |
| A．He is honest. | B．He is hardworking. |
| C．He is warmhearted. | D．He is confident. |
| A．An unexpected gift | B．A junk mail |
| C．An excellent job | D．An interesting book |
【推荐3】When a woman struck up a conversation with an Ontario homeless man, she didn’t imagine it would change his life forever.
After it became clear that Brian Bannister was a kind soul who had simply fallen on hard times, Danielle MacDuff offered him a job on her farm.
Bannister was living in a shelter after a terribly challenging life that involved child abuse, overcoming addiction, and the death of his first wife, followed by the death of his second. He said he had given up, but MacDuff’s offer cheered up the man and brought the farm a pair of hands that are diligent at work and gentle with MacDuff’s children and her animals. “It astonished me. It just came from the heart with her and I’ve got to thank her every day,” Bannister told CTV News Toronto with tears in his eyes, who added he used to do farm work about 40 years ago.
Every day he gets a ride to the farm where he helps MacDuf’s family care for 200 animals including goats, cows, and horses. The friendship that grew over time between the two led MacDuff to set up a GoFundMe to help Brian get back on his feet, which raised nearly CAD $10, 000 and was able to help him get his first shave and a haircut in two years as well as a new phone. MacDuff also helped organize some provincial financial support for Bannister.
MacDuff said, “If we could get everyone off the street ideally that would be my one wish, but it takes a lot of people to come together and that is what has happened for Brian. I think that’s why we’ve come so far in such a short time.”
1. What suffering did Bannister go through before he met MacDuff?| A．Broken marriage. | B．Painful childhood. |
| C．life-threatening illness. | D．Unpaid farmwork. |
| A．She offered him accommodation. | B．She donated money to him. |
| C．She gave him a job on her farm. | D．She helped him start a family. |
| A．To provide Bannister financial support. | B．To collect for his medical treatments. |
| C．To make the best of the provincial policy. | D．To raise money for a cell phone. |
| A．A man can be defeated but can’t be destroyed. | B．Where there’s a will, there’s a way. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. | D．Many hands make light work. |
