He arrived at Paddington Station and smartly turned out in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole. “It’s very exciting. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.
Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. “But I’ve been on the seas to that faraway land called Ilfracombe 21 miles from home,” he joked.
Mr Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. “There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings return from Swansea – too much I thought. All my money went to the family then,” he said.
During the next two days Mr Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament organized by his MP, Mr Gareth Wardell.
The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired. “I don’t like the chair – people will think I am getting old,” he said. His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized – no wine, no tobacco and no anger.
Before setting off from Swansea with his 76 – year – old son, Amwell, he said jokingly, “I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket.”
1. The very reason that Mr. Evans didn’t go to see the world is that .
| A．he had already been on the seas to Ilfracombe |
| B．he was too busy to go too far away from home |
| C．he couldn’t afford both the time and the money |
| D．he believed “East or west, home is the best” |
| A．he was not used to traveling in it |
| B．the wheelchair was of poor quality and not easy to operate |
| C．he actually preferred walking to sitting in it at home |
| D．he thought he was still young enough to manage the trip |
| A．Mr Evans had to work hard to raise his family when young. |
| B．The trip to London excited Mr Evans very much. |
| C．Mr Evans could not really enjoy the trip because of his age. |
| D．Humor was one of Mr Evans’ characters. |
| A．his good living habits | B．his hard working for the family |
| C．his sticking to his hometown | D．his living conditions near the Swansea |
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【推荐1】The only thing separating my two worlds is the Rio Grande river— it might not be much, but it’s enough for me to feel a big difference in customs and values. People who are not from El Paso, Texas, United States or a border city might not understand what it's like to grow up between two places at once.
I grew up in a Mexican household. My dad was born in El Paso but lived nearly his entire life in Ciudad Juárez until I was born, and my mom was born and raised in Mexico. She didn’t move to the US until she had me, when she was 28. My first language was Spanish, but my parents did not want me in bilingual classes. So, instead, it was all English for me at school.
English was all I spoke among friends at school, while Spanish was the designated language with family, and I hardly ever mixed them. I also spent a lot of time with my maternal grandparents, who lived in Juárez and you could say helped raise and shape who I am today. It's thanks to them that I perfected my Spanish, learned to read and write in that language — despite never taking classes—and fell in love with my Mexican culture by traveling to Mexico City and around the country.
Along with being bilingual came a sense of having a double identity. I enjoyed watching Spanish TV series with my grandma as much as American series such as The Amanda Show. And the same went for music. I loved listening to Spanish singers, as much as American pop singers.
It wasn’t until high school that I began to meet other people whose backgrounds I could relate to. I was introduced to friends with whom I identified because they were Mexican American and who had also been raised in El Paso but often visited family in Juárez. It was also during these years that I started going out to party in Juárez.
Growing up on the border is pretty special. Thanks to my bicultural upbringing, I learned to enjoy and appreciate both sides of me without ever questioning who I am, because the truth is that I need both of those relationships and cultural identities to feel complete.
1. What do we know about the author’s upbringing background?| A．He was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. |
| B．He attended school in the US from a young age. |
| C．His parents were both born and raised in Mexico. |
| D．He showed his bilingual ability to his classmates at school. |
| A．His grandparents. | B．His parents. | C．His teachers. | D．His friends. |
| A．To contrast the two styles of TV series. |
| B．To illustrate the author's wide interests. |
| C．To prove the author fits into both cultures well. |
| D．To show grandma and the author have the same hobbies. |
| A．Proud. | B．Confused. | C．Worried. | D．Awkward |
【推荐2】Todd wore the same clothes every day for the first three weeks of school. He was laughed at because of this. But there was little Todd could do. His mother simply couldn’t afford to buy him new clothes. Two of the kids laughing at Todd were Garrett and Graham, a pair of football players. But over time, they realized that their disparaging words seemed to be slowly destroying Todd’s spirit.
“I felt like I needed to do something,” Graham told CBS News. So he and Garrett created a plan. They went home and hunted through their own drawers and closets. The next day at school, they met Todd at their third-period class and asked him to come into the hall. Todd was understandably worried about being called out by the larger boys.
“He wasn’t smiling or anything, and I was like, ‘I think this is going to make you smile,’” Graham says. “I told him, ‘We’re in the same third period, and I apologize for laughing at you, and I want to give something to you to make it up’” He then handed Todd a large bag. Inside were clean shirts and shorts, as well as a brand-new pair of sneakers.
Todd was wild with joy. “I was very happy,” he told CBS News. “Shocked, completely.” And Todd got much more than some new clothes. He no longer sits alone at lunch. Now he cats with his new friends, Garrett and Graham.
Garrett and Graham say they just want to inspire others to help those in need.
1. What can we know about Todd?| A．He came from a poor family. | B．He wasn’t used to school life. |
| C．His taste for clothes was single. | D．His behavior brought others laughter. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Encouraging. | C．Unkind. | D．Selfish. |
| A．Garrett beat Graham in a competitive game. |
| B．Garrett and Graham became friendly to him. |
| C．Garrett and Graham apologized to each other. |
| D．Garrett and Graham gave away clothes on TV. |
| A．Many hands make light work. | B．The early bird catches the worm. |
| C．Where there’s a will, there’s a way. | D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
So they quit their jobs, took their sons, then aged six and nine, out of school and went to southern Spain where they bought a 15-meter yacht (游艇) and headed up the coast to Barcelona. Soracah was not even three. And they brought along Poppy, the family dog. Now, two and a half years and 10,000 km later, they don’t intend to stop. Tedd is a yacht engineer and can find work in ports. But, says Phillida, a supply teacher(代课老师), “Any family could do this”.
The children are home-schooled using a correspondence course（函授课程）. My son had a recent project on the weather. The weather is vital to us. My son knows more than most adults about weather systems, compasses, maps and directions. The weather, for him, means life or death.
Other subjects have become equally vivid. “They’re living geography and history all the time. We’ve sailed round Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, and seen tiny islands we didn’t know. The kids learned about ancient Romans by visiting Rome. One summer off the Italian coast we sailed past a volcano at 2am. We woke the kids. There it was, under the moon, with fire coming out the top―you don’t get that in a textbook.”
But what about social development? Again, Phillida is sanguine. “The children have become much more socially confident since we set out. They play with tones of families of all nationalities on other boats we meet.”
Living for the moment, they believe, is a huge life lesson. “Our children never say they’re bored.” The other day they stopped mid-ocean and the kids swam, 110km from land. “That’s the kind of freedom we want for them,” says Phillida. “That’s the kind of freedom they’ve got.”
1. The couple quit their jobs and took their children traveling because .
| A．their children wanted to make friends of all nationalities. |
| B．they wanted to experience more in their lives. |
| C．their children wanted completed freedom. |
| D．they were unhappy with their lives. |
| A．patient | B．curious | C．excited | D．optimistic |
| A．using examples |
| B．making comparisons |
| C．following the order of importance |
| D．describing the changes in space order |
| A．they plan to stop for a rest. |
| B．they have toured for more than 3 years |
| C．they believe any family can do the same thing as they can do |
| D．They have made several geographical and historical discovers |
