My grandma whom we all called Nanny was a solid, first-generation, Italian immigrant. She came to this country with her family on a tiny ship during World War I when she was only 8 years old. During the trip she survived stormy seas, little food, and an attack by German U-boat. After getting here, her large family worked hard to build a new life in America. They never had much money but were rich in love.
One day, when I was about 5 or 6 years old, my parents and brothers went on a trip. It was just me and Nanny in the house for the weekend. Nanny seemed so happy to be taking care of me all by herself. She made me a special breakfast that first morning. However, all I could do was to complain about how the food was not how Mom always made it, Nanny quietly put down the plate and went into the living room. I followed a minute later and saw that she had tears in her eyes. It was the first time I had ever seen my strong and proud grandmother cry and I was the one who had caused it.
I walked over to Nanny, climbed on her lap, and for the first time in my short life I did something else too. I apologized without being told to and asked Nanny to forgive me. She smiled, rubbed my head, and told me I was a good boy even though I didn’t feel like one then.
That memory just like my Nanny’s love will stay in my heart forever. It is a sign of both strength and wisdom, Asking for forgiveness helps us to learn, to grow, and to love.
1. Nanny’s family immigrated to America mainly because______.A.they suffered starvation in their homeland |
B.they wanted to start a rich life in the new land |
C.they tried to get away from the terrible climate |
D.their country was in war and they needed peace |
A.wasn’t cooked the way his mom did |
B.was served a bit later than usual |
C.was prepared in a special way |
D.was just to his parents taste |
A.surprised | B.ashamed |
C.shocked | D.annoyed |
A.forgiveness can be beneficial to people asking for it |
B.hardships can make children more indifferent |
C.grandparents are more tolerant than their grandchildren |
D.family ties can sometimes be misused |
A.Hardworking and careful. | B.Joyous and jealous. |
C.Strong-willed and generous. | D.Kind and sensitive. |
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【推荐1】After a year at sea, 16-year-old Laura Dekker can finally say, “Mission accomplished!” Last month, she finished a daring trip around the world aboard her 38-foot boat, Guppy. Dekker, who is from the Netherlands, traveled more than 30,000 miles all by herself. She is the youngest person ever to sail around the globe alone.
Dekker had wanted to lake on this challenge when she was even younger. She first tried to set sail at the age of 13, but a court in the Netherlands stopped her. They said that she was too young to make such a risky trip by herself. But Dekker insisted she had the navigation skills and patience of an adult sailor.
She finally took off on January 20, 2011. During her trip, Dekker battled loneliness, storms, and worries about pirates. But she also got to surf, scuba dive, and started a new hobby: playing the flute. Although Dekker didn’t spend all of her time at sea—she stopped at ports along the way—she did spend her 16lh birthday on the open ocean. To celebrate, she ate doughnuts for breakfast.
But Dekker didn’t sail into the record books. Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council no longer recognize records for “youngest” sailors. They dropped the category in 2009 to discourage children from attempting such dangerous feats (壮举). But that didn’t stop Dekker,who was born on a yacht during a seven-year world voyage undertaken by her parents.
Dekker doesn’t mind that she won’t hold an official record. She says it was a personal goal, and she is happy she achieved it.
“I am not disappointed at all that Guinness World Record won’t recognize my attempt.” Dekker wrote on her website. “I did not start on my trip to achieve any record…I did it just for myself.”
1. Dekker wasn’t allowed to sail at the age of 13 because .A.people were concerned about her safety |
B.she didn’t learn any sailing skills well |
C.she had to continue her study at school |
D.she didn’t have enough patience for long trips |
A.Failed. | B.Completed. |
C.Continued. | D.Started. |
A.set a higher sailing standard for teen sailors |
B.stop children entering Guinness World Records |
C.encourage parents to sail with their children |
D.prevent children making dangerous attempts |
A.A New Guinness World Record in Sailing |
B.A New Sailing Standard for Teen Sailors |
C.A Teen Girl Sailing Alone Around the World |
D.The Youngest Sailor in Guinness World Records |
【推荐2】Michael was a farmer in Texas.His parents moved to the USA from Ireland in the 1940’s,and they became very rich.Michael decided to go back to Ireland to meet his old grandfather,who was still living on the same farm.
Michael booked his ticket,flew to Shannon airport,hired a car and drove to the small village where his parents had been born.He asked for directions to the Ohagan farm,and in the end he drove up a bumpy path.He was shocked by what he saw:a small field,and in the middle of it was an old house,which looked as if it was falling down.Animals were wandering in and out of the front door,and on the porch an old man was smoking a pipe.
“Are you Mr. Ohagan?”asked Michael.
“Yes,”replied the old mall.
“I'm your grandson,Michael,”said Michael.
“A--ha,”replied the old man.
“Is this your farm?”asked Michael.
“Yes,all the way to the wall over there,”said the old man.
Michael was astonished.“Grandfather,”he said,“I have a farm in Texas.I can get into my car and drive all day and I still haven’t reached the end of the farm.”
“Yes,”said his grandfather.“I used to have a car like that.”
1. Michael’s parents _______.A.still lived in Ireland alone | B.owned a small farm in Texas |
C.returned to their birthplace | D.were Irish immigrants(移民)in America |
A.The farm was small | B.The old house looked like his own. |
C.Living conditions were poor in the fields. | D.Animals were free in the fields. |
A.owned a small farm, which extended only to the wall not far away |
B.had so large a farm that he couldn’t cover it in a day |
C.hadn’t his modern car any longer |
D.used to have as good a car as his grandson’s |
A.Michael owned a large farm in Ireland. |
B.Michael’s car was in such poor condition that it couldn’t reach the end of the farm within a day. |
C.Michael’s farm was too large for a car to reach its end in a day. |
D.Michael didn’t know what to say to his grandfather |
A.the old man really had a car like that |
B.the old man knew his son’s farm in the US was quite large |
C.the old man misunderstood what Michael said |
D.the old man wanted to buy a car like that |
【推荐3】Jeanne Calment, a French woman, became a record breaker on 17 October of 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.
Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France; her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes her as being more like a 90-year-old in good health than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: A very short one. She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her.
So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercise every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a day, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86.
A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at the time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying:
Sorry, I’m still alive!
1. How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?A.She is miserable and unhappy. | B.She feels she is going to die very soon. |
C.She would like to live much longer. | D.She is cheerful and humorous. |
A.smoking only a little every day |
B.the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercise |
C.drinking two glasses of strong red wine every day |
D.her giving up smoking and drinking |
A.march | B.trick | C.deal | D.sport |
A.Because the lawyer has paid her much more money than the value of the house. |
B.Because she has asked the lawyer to pay her more rent than they first agreed. |
C.Because she had an agreement at 80 with the lawyer which was to her advantage. |
D.Because the house she sold to the lawyer isn’t worth the money he has already paid. |
【推荐1】My youngest son has a severe form of Autism (自闭症). Even though he is in his twenties now he still has the mind of a small child. Things I find silly delight him and little changes that wouldn't bother me at all bother him greatly. Most of the time he is happy but there are also times when he can be terribly upset. He will tear up things and cry for no reason. It always hurts me to see him suffer this way especially when there is little I can do to help.
This morning was particularly trying for him. He broke a new shirt and cried on and off for an hour. Finally he calmed down. I was still feeling stressed, however, and tiredly sat down at my computer to see if I could get a little work done. As I was turning it on, I heard my son laugh for the first time all day. I turned my head and saw him standing directly under the glass angel hanging from our ceiling fan. The light from our house lamps seemed to shine brightly all around him like a halo (光环). His eyes lit up as the little angel swung gently above his head.
At that moment my heart opened. I could see that the miracle was reminding me that my son was more than his Autism. I instead saw the shining soul within. I saw the love and light of his spirit and knew he was here for a purpose. My eyes watered and I appreciated this minor miracle and gentle reminder of his love for all of us.
Miracles are all around us, but we can't always see them with our eyes. We often have to see them with our hearts. Keep your heart open to them then. And let yourself be the miracle you were meant to be!
1. What can we learn about her son from the first paragraph?A.Nothing can bring joy to him. | B.He is always lost in his own world. |
C.Any help from his mother is in vain. | D.His upset arises from obvious reasons. |
A.Terrifying. | B.Embarrassing. | C.Exhausting. | D.Annoying. |
A.His burst of laughter. | B.His changeable emotions. |
C.His soul full of love. | D.His eyes full of curiosity. |
A.Miracles come in moments. | B.A mother's love never changes. |
C.Autism calls for public concern. | D.Communication comes from hearts. |
【推荐2】It was 3:21 a.m. when nine-year-old Glenn Kreamer awoke to the smell of burning. Except for the cracking (爆烈声) of flames somewhere below there was not a sound in the two-storey house at Baldwin Long Island.
With his father away on night duty at a local factory, Glenn was worried about the safety of his mother, his sister Karen, 14 and his 12-year-old brother Todd. He ran downstairs through the smoke-filled house to push and pull at Karen and Todd until they sat up. Then he helped each one through the house to the safety of the garden. There, his sister and brother, taking short and quick breaths and coughing, fell down onto the lawn.
The nine-year-old boy raced back into the house and upstairs to his mother’s room. He found it impossible to wake her up. Mrs. Kreamer, a victim of the smoke, was unconscious, and there was nobody to help Glenn carry her to the garden. But the boy stayed calm and, as a fireman said later, "acted with all the self-control of a trained adult."
On the bedroom telephone, luckily still working, Glenn called his father and, leaving Mr. Kreamer to telephone the fire brigade and ambulance service, got on with the task of saving his mother.
First he filled a bucket with water from the bathroom and threw water over his mother and her bed. Then, with a wet cloth around his head he went back to the garden.
He could hear the fire engine coming up, but how would the firemen find his mother in the smoke-filled house where flames had almost swallowed up the ground floor?
Grasping firmly a ball of string (线) from the garage, Glenn raced back into the house and dashed upstairs to his mother’s room. Tying one end of the string to her hand, he ran back, laying out the string as he went, through the hall and back out into the garden.
Minutes later he was telling fire chief John Coughlan, "The string will lead you to mother." Mrs. Kreamer was carried to safety as the flames were breaking through her bedroom floor.
1. Why did Glenn run downstairs first?A.He wanted to find out what was happening. |
B.He was worried about his mother’s safety. |
C.He wanted to save his sister and brother. |
D.He went to see if his father had come back from work. |
A.Glenn. | B.Glenn’s father. |
C.Glenn’s sister. | D.Glenn’s neighbor. |
A.unfortunate | B.confuse |
C.terrified | D.senseless |
A.his father had taught him to do so on the phone |
B.he had learned something about first aid |
C.he had dealt with the emergency calmly and wisely |
D.he had followed his mother’s instructions |
【推荐3】It was at least two months before Christmas when nine-year-old Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle.
As Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade—or so we thought, as she didn’t mention it again. We bought the latest fashionable Baby Sitter’s Club dolls, a holiday dress and some beautiful story books. Then, much to our surprise, on December 23rd, she proudly announced that she “really wanted a bike more than anything else.”
It was just too late, what with all the details of preparing Christmas dinner and buying last-minute gifts. We could only think of the bicycle and the disappointment of our child. “What if I make a little bicycle out of clay and write a note that she could trade the clay model in for a real bike?” Her dad asked. The theory, of course, being that since that is a high-ticket item and she is “such a big girl”, it would be much better for her to pick it out. So he spent the next five hours painstakingly working with clay to make a tiny bike.
Three hours later, on Christmas morning, we were excited for Rose to open the little heart-shaped package with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. Finally, she opened it and read the note aloud.
She looked at me and then at her dad and said, “so does this mean that I trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?”
Beaming, I said, “Yes.”
Rose had tears in her eyes when she replied, “I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me. I’d rather keep this than get a real bike.”
At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy her every bicycle on the planet!
1. Rose’s parents didn’t buy her the bike she wanted because ________.A.they had bought many other wonderful things for her |
B.they thought she had changed her mind |
C.they didn’t have time to do any shopping |
D.they decided to make one for her |
A.He thought Rose was too young for a real bike. |
B.He didn’t want to disappoint his daughter. |
C.He thought his daughter would like it. |
D.He wanted to give his daughter a surprise. |
A.Rose’s father was an artist with special skills |
B.Rose would trade in the clay bike for a real one |
C.The parents were moved and proud of the girl |
D.Rose was a thoughtful and independent girl |