She almost did not run. Christine Williams admits that now. She could barely put one foot after another following the wake(守灵) for her sister, who had died in an automobile accident. But she did run. With the cheers of friends and strangers reaching her heart, Williams set a C.W. Post record in Boston. Now she will run again, in the national Division II cross-country championships in Evansville, Ind. She wanted to be sure she was doing the right thing by running. She was the middle of three sisters, between Kerry, who is 25, and Jennifer, who was 18.
Just going through any motions was hard enough, but Christine Williams wanted to know if she should put on her uniform and her shoes and run through the woods on an autumn afternoon, in the awful gaping time between her sister’s wake and her funeral. “I kind of got upset beforehand.”Williams admitted. Not a chatterbox under normal conditions, she now holds herself the best way she can, the fewer words the better. She almost walked away from the start line. But her friend Angela Toscano, who had flown up to Boston with her, directly from the wake, was standing near the line and talked her through it. “She said my sister would have wanted me to run.” Christine said. And that was enough to get her started.
The accident happened just after midnight on Nov, 4. Four young women were driving in an unfamiliar area of Long Island in Eastport, N.Y., when one of them apparently ran a yield sign, and the car was hit by another vehicle. Heather Brownrigg and Jennifer Williams died, and their friends April Brown and Kaci Moran were treated at a hospital and released.
The crash made the papers. April Brown was charged with drunken driving and driving without a license.
The wake began on Nov. 6. The next day Christine was to run with the Post cross-country team at the regional meet. Rich Degnan, the Post coach, and Post officials offered a car service and tickets on the last flight to Boston for Christine and Toscano. When they arrived at the hotel, the entire team was waiting up for her.
Everybody knew about it at the regional meet. Degnan had to arrange for the flexibility of an alternate, just in case Christine could not go. Several times during the race, Christine felt she could not continue. But then she heard her friends and all those other people, those strangers from other colleges, calling her name. She thought about Jennifer. And she ran. She finished fourth in 22 minutes 58 seconds, breaking the Post record for the 6-kilometer distance by 15 seconds. And although the Post team didn’t qualify for the nationals, Christine did.
1. What does the underlined sentence in paragragh 2 “Not a chatterbox under normal conditions”mean?| A．She is a person of few words normally. |
| B．She likes chatting under normal conditions. |
| C．She isn’t under normal conditions. |
| D．She doesn’t like running while chatting. |
| A．Christine flew to Boston after her sister’s funeral. |
| B．Christine’s two sisters were killed in the accident. |
| C．Christine’s athletic performance stood out in the race. |
| D．Christine broke the Post record in national meet in Boston. |
a. Angela Toscano flew to Boston.
b. Christine ran at the regional meet.
c. Christine broke the record.
d. Four young women were driving in an unfamiliar area of Long Island.
e. The Post team flew to Boston.
| A．d e a b c | B．b a d c e |
| C．e c d a b | D．a b c e d |
相似题推荐
Tom and his cousin took a boat trip. When they got on the boat, every passenger should answer a question raised by the keeper. If the passenger answered “yes", he or she got one gift. If the passenger answered “no", he or she got two gifts. Tom and his cousin saw all about this. Now it was their turn. The keeper came up to them and asked, “Are you a good sailor?" Tom wanted to get two gifts, so he answered “no” loudly, at the same time he said, "I have never been a sailor. How could I be a good sailor?" The keeper gave him two gifts. His cousin gave the same answer, so he got two gifts, too.
The boat started off. The passengers began to open their gifts. Tom and his cousin did the same. They found that one of the two gifs was a small bottle of drinking water, the other was a seasick tablet . Tom had a look at a "yes" passenger's gift. It was a nice chocolate. Tom shouted at the keeper, "We are never seasick. Why do you give us seasick tablets?"
1. Tom and his cousin worked as sailors.2. The keeper would ask the passengers questions after the trip.
3. Tom and his cousin answered "no" because they wanted two gifts.
4. Anyone who answered "yes" got a nice chocolate.
5. Tom and his cousin were cheated by the keeper.
【推荐2】Seventeen-year-old Sariah Estrada didn’t expect to receive anything in return when she saved a drowning man on Marianne Beach in Blanchisseuse earlier this year.
However, for her random (随意的) act of kindness, Estrada was awarded the Hummingbird Medal-Bronze for her bravery, loyalty and devotion to Trinidad and Tobago on Monday, September 24, when the country celebrated its 42nd year as a republic. President Paula-Mae Weekes presented the national award to her.
In July of this year, Estrada along with two friends went to the Marianne Beach to relax. Upon leaving the beach, Estrada and her friends noticed a man struggling in the water. Immediately, she and her friends sprang into action. The teens borrowed a body board from some people on the beach and swam to the man’s rescue.
She said when they reached the man, he was already unconscious and they dragged him out of the water on the body board. Estrada remembered what she learned during a life-saving course the week before and quickly started pumping the man’s chest. After several attempts, she was successful and the young man’s life was saved.
In an interview with LoopTT, the teenager said while she is grateful for the award, she wasn’t expecting anything in return.
“This award was never expected because I thought of helping someone as an act of humanity and never looked for anything in return, but the award is well appreciated. As I reflect on the action I took, I felt as though I could help this person as I have the proper training. The week before the incident I participated in a basic life support-training course offered by the North Central Regional Health Authority.” Estrada explained. She said she intends to continue assisting people.
The national award receiver also had this message for the youths of Trinidad and Tobago.
“I would like to encourage the young people of Trinidad and Tobago to strive for excellence, never sell yourself short by believing that you cannot do what you desire, all things are possible and hard work surely brings success.
1. It can be learned from the passage that Estrada ________.| A．saved the man by simply dragging him out of the water |
| B．shared the award with her friends for their heroic deed |
| C．was motivated to save the drowning man by reputation |
| D．owed the successful rescue to her proper training |
| A．Think too highly of yourself. | B．Accept yourself with pleasure. |
| C．Recognize your strength and weakness. | D．Have a low judgement of your ability. |
| A．Random acts of kindness make all the difference in our life. |
| B．Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident. |
| C．Dreams and desires make the impossible possible. |
| D．Success is based on the team not the individual. |
【推荐3】One steamy July afternoon in central Arkansas, my house caught fire unfortunately. I was lost for words to describe the feeling of seeing my home going up in flames. But the panic that filled my shocked heart in that awful moment was for the nine cats that shared my home after being rescued from situations of abuse and abandonment.
The amazing firefighters arrived in time, but the chemical-laden smoke had already caused deaths. I examined and kissed each cat goodbye, extremely grateful that they had passed away gently, without injuries or burns. After staying with a friend for weeks, I was relocated to a furnished apartment. One evening I was occupied in writing a mystery novel when a “meow” sounded from outside the apartment door. Was it my mind playing tricks again? More than once I had heard, seen or felt the brush of one of my departed furry roommates. The meow grew louder and more insistent. Curious, I opened the door.
Sitting on the doorstep was a kitten (小猫) with a black coat and alert amber eyes. A neighbor walking by picked him up and began petting him. When I remarked how cute her kitten was, she explained that he had been born under a bridge and looked around for food. This kitty-loving neighbor was quick to offer an extra litter box asking if I was interested in giving him a home. My immediate reaction was a seemingly humorous “that’s all I need!” After all, my determination had been well reasoned and remained firm. But without hesitation she put the adorable kitten down. I thanked her and closed the door, determined to just let him stay until a real home could be found.
That night, as I slid between the sheets of the bed in the still unfamiliar apartment, the energetic little fur ball jumped onto the bed yawned dramatically, and nestled by my side. That was the first night since the fire that I actually slept. Needless to say, the cat community knew the precise treatment for healing far better than I.
The name Starlight (Star for short) just occurred to me because that night he brought some light back into my life. He adored wrestling rubber bands, raced up and down the stairs, darted outside anytime the door opened, suddenly appeared everywhere I didn’t want him to be, held onto the broom while I was trying to sweep, and rolled in catnip or whatever else happened to be on the floor.
In the five years since the fire, we have been through a lot, Starlight and I. We returned to the house, managed to keep the business alive, brought the mystery novel to the final edits before it’s submitted in the hope of publication. Star helped me through a massive, yet untraditional, healing of spirit. The memories of the kitties that passed away in the fire now spark only warmth in my heart and win some smiles. Every single day, I appreciate the serendipitous (有意外收获的) nature of the Universe that sent me hope in the form of a little black fur ball.
So take a little advice from my furry friend: no matter how hopeless things may become or how fixed your resolution may be, open the door whenever opportunity knocks. It just might be a star to light your way.
1. What made the author relieved after the fire was put out?| A．The cats being rescued from situations of abandonment. |
| B．The cats being lost in the fire without receiving injuries. |
| C．A description of the belongings going up in flames. |
| D．A new house being designed for him to move in. |
| A．The brush of his departed furry roommates playing tricks on him. |
| B．The impact of the fire that burnt down his house on his soul. |
| C．The curiosity about the novel written in memory of his cats. |
| D．The thought of making sure that it was a kitten outside. |
| A．The author desired to make friends with a cat-loving neighbor. |
| B．The author made a decision not to take in any animals. |
| C．The author didn’t consider a cat-loving neighbor as a friend |
| D．The author made a decision to adopt other animals. |
| A．It was given a unsuitable name “Starlight”. |
| B．It was very naughty and made him annoyed. |
| C．It made him regain hope and make progress. |
| D．It knew how to give right treatment for healing. |
| A．The Dream for Kittens | B．Ways to Remove Sadness |
| C．The Power of Resolutions | D．Starlight to Give Hope |
