1 . A few years ago, I visited my daughter Sandra and my granddaughters, Jocelyn and Hailey.
One evening I noticed Hailey was a bit unhappy. I asked her what the
I asked her, “Do you know what Grandpa does when he is feeling sad? I go to my
“Where is your happy place, Grandpa?” Jocelyn
“My happy place is on the inside of your hugs (拥抱),” I replied. “It’s the best place in the world. Don’t ever
Extra big hugs were
The next morning, Sandra was under a bit of pressure to complete an assignment (任务). She lost her
Jocelyn said, “Mom, are you having a
Jocelyn said, “Would you like to go to Grandpa’s happy place?” With that
After some
I cherish (珍爱) my time with
A.purpose | B.problem | C.plan | D.choice |
A.slowly | B.late | C.early | D.suddenly |
A.shy | B.tired | C.nervous | D.sad |
A.happy | B.secret | C.new | D.proper |
A.wondered | B.warned | C.answered | D.repeated |
A.put up with | B.go back to | C.look down on | D.get out of |
A.changed | B.expected | C.offered | D.refused |
A.power | B.patience | C.balance | D.trust |
A.bad | B.long | C.special | D.lonely |
A.helped | B.found | C.thanked | D.held |
A.safe | B.favorite | C.famous | D.personal |
A.closed | B.wide | C.bright | D.watery |
A.play | B.service | C.work | D.life |
A.friends | B.family | C.strangers | D.audience |
A.pride | B.humor | C.truth | D.love |
2 . Jamil Jan Kochai, the author of 99 Nights in Logar, searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung — the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier. On Saturday night, the two were finally reunited at one of his book-reading events.
The writer was born in a refugee camp (难民营) for Afghans in Peshawar, Pakistan, and his family moved to California when he was just a year old. At home, they spoke mostly Pashto and some Farsi, so by the time he reached first grade, he was at a total loss because he could hardly speak English. Then came Mrs. Lung, who quickly realized that Kochai was deeply struggling at Alyce Norman Elementary School.
The two got to work, meeting for one-on-one lessons nearly every day after school. At the end of the school year, Kochai won reading-comprehension competitions.
Lung and Kochai lost touch when Kochai’s father got a job in another city and the boy moved on, with a new love of reading and writing. When he grew older, Kochai’s parents encouraged him to find his former teacher to thank her. But despite his efforts, he failed to track her down.
“I didn’t know her first name. She was always just Mrs. Lung to me, so when I called places to ask about her, they couldn’t find any records of her,” Kochai said.
Then, while promoting his first novel, he wrote an essay for Literary Hub magazine touching on the transformative impact that Lung had on his life. Lung’s doctor happened to read it, and told the now-retired educator about that.
Lung’s husband saw a Facebook post about Kochai’s reading event on Saturday in Davis, California and suggested he drive his wife there.
“I had no idea they were going to be there,” Kochai said. “It was just like a sweet dream. Mrs. Lung was sitting in the front row. She was just the same Mrs. Lung. Just as sweet, kind and warm as ever.”
Kochai and Lung hugged, and Kochai finally got the chance to express to her how much he still thought of her and how much she meant to him.
1. How did Mrs. Lung help Kochai?A.By dropping by his house regularly. | B.By asking him to read more in class. |
C.By spending extra time tutoring him. | D.By saving him out of a refugee camp. |
A.There were few records about her. | B.His parents provided little support. |
C.He was too young to remember her. | D.He had limited information about her. |
A.Surprised and delighted. | B.Shocked and angry. |
C.Ashamed and regretful. | D.Proud and grateful. |
A.A Distinguished Guest Showed Up at a Reading Event |
B.A Writer Was Finally Reunited With His Former Teacher |
C.A Famous Teacher Saved a Poor Student’s Whole Life |
D.A Book Changed a Celebrity and a Retired Teacher |
3 . Olly Neal grew up in Arkansas. He didn’t care much for high school. One day during his senior year, he cut class and walked into the school library. He discovered a book written by Frank Yerby. The book was The Treasure of Pleasant Valley and it attracted Neal’s attention. But there was one problem — if Neal took the book to the check out counter (收银台), his friends would know he was reading books.
“Then my fame (名誉) would be down,” Neal said. “I wanted them to know that all I could do was fight and cuss (咒骂).” Finally, Neal decided to steal the book.
A week later, Neal had finished the book. He brought it back to the library. But when he put it back, there was another book by Yerby. He took it as well. The same thing happened again. He read four of Yerby’s books that term — checking out none of them.
But Neal’s sneaky action turned out not to have been so sneaky after all. Attending his 13-year high school get-together, Neal met the school’s librarian, Mildred Grady. She saw Neal take that book. She said, “My first thought was to call him out, and then I realized what his situation was. So I decided that if Neal was showing an interest in books, I would find another one for him and put it in the same place where the one he had taken was.”
This was not an easy matter, because Frank Yerby’s books were not especially available. But the woman’s efforts paid off: Neal went on to attend law school and later became a great judge. When Grady died, Neal told the story and he said, “I thank Mrs. Grady for helping me get into the habit of enjoying reading, so that I was able to go to law school and survive.”
1. Why did Neal steal the book instead of checking it out?A.To prove he was a skillful thief. |
B.To show the book to his friends. |
C.To keep being known as a troublemaker. |
D.To avoid communicating with the librarian. |
A.Secret. | B.Dangerous. | C.Brave. | D.Illegal. |
A.She taught Neal how to survive. |
B.She persuaded Neal to be honest. |
C.She encouraged Neal to study law. |
D.She helped Neal develop reading habits. |
A.Reading changes people’s life |
B.A librarian changed a boy’s life |
C.A senior student became a judge |
D.Frank Yerby’s books attracted a boy |