1 . It was February 24, 2017, and my husband, David, and I were both at work. It was a day like any other. Our 15-year-old son, Justin, his sister and his friend Mike were playing with a ball in our backyard. Completely a common day!
What happened next was exactly a storm. Justin suddenly suffered cardiac arrest (心脏停搏) caused by a hit to the chest, and his heart just stopped. No pulse, no heartbeat. There are only about 10 to 20 cases a year. And it was almost always deadly until recently, when CPR (心肺复苏) has worked in up to one-third of cases.
Thankfully, the other children acted immediately instead of freezing in fear. Mike called 911 while my daughter called my husband. That second call proved vitally important, as my husband was able to get in touch with a neighbor who ran over and started CPR. And later, the doctors arrived and quickly shocked Justin’s heartbeat rhythm (节奏) back to normal.
Since then, I’ve found myself changed as a parent. There is more worry now. This unexpected incident has made me realize that anything can happen to my children. So, we’re doing what we can to be prepared. Earlier this year, Justin took part in a community education event with our fire department teaching Hands-Only CPR to the public. At least 100 participants showed up, and Justin shared his story to show why CPR is so important. At a local university where I work as a nurse lecturer, I’ve volunteered to join the CPR and AED first aid training for incoming freshmen.
David and I feel very fortunate to still have our son with us. If the kids hadn’t known to call 911, he wouldn’t be here. If our neighbor hadn’t known CPR, Justin wouldn’t be here. I think everyone should take the time to learn CPR. You could save a life — maybe the life of someone you love. Cardiac arrest often comes without warning. Everything will be normal right up until the point it isn’t. You have to know what to do.
1. Why does the author say the incident was a storm?| A．Her son played dangerous sports. | B．Her son had a close encounter with death. |
| C．Her children made a real mess when playing. | D．Her neighbor complained of the children's noise. |
| A．Curious. | B．Grateful. | C．Surprised. | D．Puzzled. |
| A．They worked as medical workers. | B．They shared their stories on speaking tours. |
| C．They trained others in first aid skills. | D．They introduced first aid courses to schools. |
| A．The theory behind CPR. | B．The ways of ensuring child safety. |
| C．The causes of cardiac arrest. | D．The importance of learning first aid. |
2 . There I was, after 12 hours of travel, standing on Lexington Avenue and hoping for a New York miracle. I’d only been in Manhattan for an hour. and already 1 was flagging down a taxi late at night and shouting “Follow that cab! ”
Well, more accurately: “Follow that little dot on this tiny map.” Meaning the GPS-enabled dot moving around a screen as part of the Find My iPhone feature. The dot indicating that somewhere out there, in one of New York City’s other 13,000 taxi cabs, sat my daughter’s blue bag that she’d left behind, containing her diary, school laptop, notebooks, iPhone and AirPods she’d bought with her saved-up allowance.
The daughter who at that very moment was curled up on the hotel bed, regretting her thoughtlessness, in tears. I was a small-town dad in a huge, unfamiliar metropolis (大都市), with maybe half an idea of what I was doing, at best. But I couldn’t stand to see her crying. I had to get that bag back.
An explanation is in order: at the airport terminal, we’d had to switch to another taxicab to get a ride into Manhattan. Our first taxi driver quoted us a fare higher than it should cost, and when I asked why, he immediately threw us out of his cab. We piled into the next waiting taxi. It wasn’t until getting to our hotel, an hour later, that we realized the first taxi driver had sped away with the bag inside.
While I called 311(非紧急情况电话), my wife remembered she’d set up tracking on our daughter’s phone in case of emergencies, and pulled up its map, excited to discover a little dot that refreshed every 15 seconds or so, traveling around the streets of midtown. Talking to the woman working 311, I casually remarked, “I’m half-tempted (诱惑) to get another cab and have them chase after this dot on the map.”
“Well,” she said, “that’s probably what a New Yorker would do.” Challenge accepted. The first taxi driver that pulled over laughed at my wild goose chase, but the second said, “Yeah. Get in.” His name was Gani. And so began our three-hour hunt for the missing bag.
1. How did the author discover that his daughter’s bag was lost?| A．They realized it when they got to the hotel. |
| B．The daughter called and told him. |
| C．He saw the taxi driver speeding away with the bag. |
| D．They found the bag was missing when they got into the taxi. |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Cross. | C．Discouraged. | D．Panicky. |
| A．Continuing to call 311. | B．Waiting for the dot to come to him. |
| C．Finding another cab to pursue the dot. | D．Giving up on looking for the lost item. |
| A．People in big cities were more helpful than his hometown. |
| B．Technology could sometimes make a difference. |
| C．New York was a dangerous and scary city. |
| D．He was close to quitting tracking the bag’s location. |
3 . Abraham Lincoln was a typical self-made man. He obtained his license to practice law without ever having stepped foot inside a college or academy building. Books became his academy. Everywhere he went, Lincoln carried a book with him. He thumbed through page after page while his horse rested at the end of a long row of planting. Whenever he could escape work, he would lie with his head against a tree and read.
Though the young Lincoln never left America, he traveled with Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal; accompanied Robert Burns to Edinburgh; and followed the English kings into battle with Shakespeare. As he explored the wonders of literature and the history of the country, the young Lincoln developed ambitions far beyond the expectations of his family and neighbors. It was through literature that he was able to
go beyond his surroundings and reach his destination.The volumes to feed Lincoln’s intellectual hunger did not come cheaply. The story is often recounted of the time he borrowed Parson Weems’s The Life of George Washington from Josiah Crawford, a well-to-do farmer. Thrilled by this account of the first president’s life, he took the book to his loft at night, where he read as long as he could stay awake, placing the book on a makeshift shelf between the cabin logs so he could fetch it at daybreak. During a severe rainstorm one night, the book was badly soiled. Lincoln went to Crawford’s house, explained what had happened, and offered to work off the value of the book. Crawford calculated the value of two full days’ work pulling corn, which Lincoln considered an unfair repayment. Nevertheless, he straightway set to work and kept on until all work was done. Then, having paid his debt, Lincoln wrote poems and songs teasing Josiah’s large nose. Thus Crawford, in return for loaning Lincoln a book and then overly punishing him, won a permanent place in American history.
1. What can we learn about Lincoln from the first paragraph?| A．He wasn’t academically competent. | B．He read on horseback to escape work. |
| C．He failed to obtain a valid law license. | D．He is an excellent autonomous learner. |
| A．By reading extensively. | B．With his family’s support. |
| C．Through self-employment. | D．By traveling around the world. |
| A．Stolen by a farmer. | B．Burned by a candle fire. |
| C．Damaged in a rainstorm. | D．Lost and never recovered. |
| A．Tough and helpful. | B．Diligent and generous. |
| C．Intelligent and humble. | D．Determined and sharp-tongued. |
4 . Our old, artificial Christmas tree was in rough shape by the time we retired it. At least a decade had passed since my wife and I bought the tree, a medium-size fake tree with built-in lights, at a Target in Brooklyn and carried it on the subway to our tiny apartment. Over the years, we dragged that tree from apartment, jammed it onto a moving truck to Los Angeles and later packed the weathered box onto another moving truck, this time to Chicago and our current home. By the end, layers of duct tape (强力胶布) held the box together, the wear and tear of a decade of delivering holiday cheer.
Our little tree looked run down, but it was the only tree our family ever knew. It stands proud and glowing in the background of photos of me and my pregnant wife during our last Christmas in Brooklyn without children. Our oldest was born a month later during a January snowstorm. The tree shows up again in the next year’s photos, this time surrounded by holiday gifts for a boy about to turn 1. Then it appears in photos of our son and his 1-month-old brother, this time with California palm trees just outside the door. And in more recent photos, our tree lights up windows overlooking shining Chicago snow. This year, after much debate, we decided to retire our dear old tree, with its bent branches and the lights that had burned out years ago. Rather than feel depressed, we used the moment to launch a new family tradition: our first real Christmas tree.
So here’s a toast to all your family’s traditions—the old and the new. I hope you enjoy this issue, which we have filled with stories of seasonal joy and holiday cheer. Happy holidays!
1. Where is the author’s present home?| A．In Chicago. | B．In Brooklyn. | C．In California. | D．In Los Angeles. |
| A．His budget was tight. | B．He was attached to it. |
| C．It was in good condition. | D．It was environmentally-friendly. |
| A．An editor. | B．A salesman. | C．A delivery man. | D．A home designer. |
| A．The finest diamond must be cut. |
| B．Out with the old, in with the new. |
| C．Old friends and old wine are best. |
| D．All things in their being are good for something. |
5 . When he flagged me down, I thought he was an elder collecting a “customs fee”, the few dollars it costs to use village roads that lead to many of Samoa’s sights. He’d been sitting lazily in a greying roadside shack (棚子) built for such occasions. Normally I wouldn’t pick up a free rider. But I tried to live out a dream.
I’d wanted to go to Pulemelei Mound since I’d heard it mentioned in an archaeology class years ago. The “mound” is actually a pyramid 40 feet high and roughly 200 feet across at its base. So, I asked, “Do you know how to get to Pulemelei Mound?”
“Mmm,” he said, raising his eyebrows in the classic Polynesian gesture for “yes”. “I need to pick up my car at the mechanic but no hurry, I’ll take you there first if you want.”
You’d think that a giant pyramid would be a major sight, or at least something many people had heard of, but it isn’t. My accidental friend’s raise of the eyebrows was the most promising prospect I’d had in a week.
We drove along the road in silence for a few minutes. Then my new friend broke the silence and, meanwhile, my hopes. “I’ve never been to Pulemelei,” he said. “I’ve lived here but I never thought of going.” My heart sank. But we pressed on, crossing a stream, walking through waist-high grass, and then another mile of hot walk until we found a sign. There, barely visible, were the words: “Pulemelei Mound 150m”. The sign marked a dark tunnel of jungle. Then the path opened to rays of sunshine. We climbed. And then, magic. We were standing on top of a Polynesian pyramid.
Just then, my friend, obviously awed by what he saw, turned toward me, and placed his big Samoan hands on my shoulders. In the most natural way, he bent down and kissed me gently on the cheek.
“Thank you,” he said.
1. What’s the purpose of the Samoan man flagging me down?| A．To thumb a ride. | B．To ask for directions. |
| C．To collect a customs fee. | D．To warn of a road accident. |
| A．Informed but rigid. | B．Hesitant but agreeable. |
| C．Skeptical and reserved. | D．Curious and adventurous. |
| A．He had lived out his dream. | B．He was taken to the mechanic. |
| C．He enjoyed the author’s company. | D．He experienced the thrill of discovery. |
| A．A Polynesian village. | B．A famous Samoan sight. |
| C．A chance encounter. | D．An elder protecting local roads. |
6 . About eight years ago, Li Jinglong and Guan Dian visited the Palace Museum in Beijing. The cloisonne (景泰蓝瓷器) objects on display attracted them in particular. They spent hours looking at those beautiful objects. They just couldn’t take their eyes off them.
Born and raised in Beijing, 35-year-old Li is no stranger to cloisonne, since there were a pair of cloisonne vases in his grandparents’ home. His wife, 34-year-old Guan, who learned to paint as a child and later became a designer after graduating from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, is also familiar with cloisonne, as it appears in her art books. As a result of their visit, the couple made the daring decision to open a workshop.
“We learned cloisonne after seeing the pieces displayed in the Palace Museum. We wanted to turn our hobby into a career, so that people could enjoy and learn to make the craft themselves,” said Li, who worked in a finance company before quitting his job to launch Handcraft Addicted, a DIY workshop where participants can make cloisonne. Since 2018, they have opened three workshops in Beijing. They are happy to give people a glimpse of the traditional techniques of cloisonne as part of a DIY experience.
Instead of focusing on making traditional cloisonne objects , such as plates and vases, the workshop allows participants to create the designs they want on surface of glass, resin (树脂) or wood. Although the process has been simplified, it is still not easy for people trying cloisonne for the first time to succeed. Participants spend months making one piece, which they take home or give friends as presents. It’s a luxury for people to spend time alone and fully focus on one thing nowadays because of the fast pace of life. Participants come to the workshop not only to create art, but also to take a break from their busy lives.
1. What can we learn about the couple?| A．They both grew up in Beijing. | B．They both majored in cloisonne art. |
| C．They both quit their previous jobs. | D．They are both familiar with cloisonne. |
| A．Their grandparents’ cloisonne vases. | B．Their hobby in handcraft techniques. |
| C．Cloisonne objects in Guan’s art books. | D．Cloisonne on exhibition in the Palace Museum. |
| A．the first attempt is often simple |
| B．participants relax themselves while creating art |
| C．the couple make cloisonne objects by themselves |
| D．it is a luxury to make traditional cloisonne objects |
| A．Modest. | B．Generous. | C．Creative. | D．Outgoing. |
7 . I’ve always been the sort of person who hated being asked to answer questions in class, not because I didn’t know the answer (in fact I’m pretty clever, and usually do have the right answers), but because I didn’t like attention drawn to me. Besides, I don’t have a lot of friends. I get joked about a lot since I’ve always been a fat kid.
I’ve found a way to change all that.
It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was an absolutely crazy idea. Being fat, I just knew that I’d only embarrass myself. But because the teacher — a favorite with me — kept insisting I “go for it,” I decided to give it a try.
When I first started attending the practice sessions, I really didn’t have a good handle on the game of basketball. To be honest, I didn’t even know the rules of the game. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one “new” to the game, so I decided to do my best at each practice session. I was learning, and I was getting better — even if it was little by little.
And then it became more fun. And more inspiring. I practiced and practiced. Pretty soon the competitive part of me was winning over my fat-kid challenge. I began to forget that I was fat. I even discovered that my “size” wasn’t such a disadvantage at all; I could make a basket from right under the net and block at the same time! I never had so much fun!
Gaining self-confidence in playing inspired me to try out other things. I have gone from “hiding” myself to raising my hand. With my new and improved self-confidence comes more praise, some from teachers, and some from teammates and classmates. But these days, they also come from the face in the mirror — which is the person whose comments I value most. Best of all, I’m learning to really believe in myself.
1. Why did the author dislike being called on in class?| A．He hated most subjects. | B．He didn't know the answers. |
| C．He was too shy to speak in class. | D．He was not comfortable with being noticed. |
| A．To make sb feel pleased or interested. | B．To make sb feel surprised. |
| C．To make sb feel shy or ashamed. | D．To invite sb to enter a competition. |
| A．He became sure of himself. | B．He lost a lot of weight. |
| C．He learned to cooperate. | D．He developed a funny personality. |
| A．An overweight Kid’s Basketball Journey | B．The Best Way to Gain Confidence |
| C．The Power of Competitive Sports | D．A Teacher’s Impact on a Student’s Life |
8 . Jiang Shumei wasn’t educated as a child, learning her first Chinese character at the age of 60. Now, the 87-year-old grandmother is the proud author of six books. She learned her first character in 1996, after her husband died in a car accident, when her daughter Zhang Ailing suggested that she learn to read to take her mind off the loneliness and sorrow.
Zhang says that her mother had her own way of learning. Whenever she came across characters she didn’t know at bus stops or shop signs, she found someone to ask. Once Jiang had learned enough characters, Zhang started giving her books to read. Enjoying the books, Jiang told her daughter that she wanted to write down her own stories to share.
She first put pen to paper in 2012, at the age of 75. It was not easy. Sometimes,completing a single sentence could take a day. Jiang usually started writing at 3 or 4 am, and revised the pieces several times until she was satisfied.
Zhang began publishing her mother’s stories on social media platforms in 2013. When Zhang and her mother drew the attention of Zhang’s writer friends, the pair made a decision to publish them. The first book, Time of Trouble, Time of Poverty, was published later that year, and proved to be a success. Some critics even praised it as the “live history of a nation plagued by tough times”. The book earned Jiang a lot of fans and sympathy.
So far, the elderly woman has published six books, totaling more than 600, 000characters in length. She lives a healthy life, exercising every day, drinking milk and soy milk, as well as having regular exercise. “If I could live as long as 130, would you still say that it is too late for me to start after 60?” she asks, jokingly.
1. Why did Jiang learn to read in her later years?| A．To become a proud author. |
| B．To make up for not going to school. |
| C．To encourage her friends and families. |
| D．To reduce the impact of her husband’s death. |
| A．A strong inner desire. | B．The attention from other writers. |
| C．Her daughter’s encouragement. | D．The development of social media. |
| A．Aided. | B．Enlarged. | C．Troubled. | D．Defeated. |
| A．One is never too old to learn. |
| B．All roads lead to Rome. |
| C．Where there is life, there is love. |
| D．Gold can’t be pure and man can’t be perfect. |
9 . Emest Owusu was 13 in 1980 when he was given the opportunity to appear in the audience of a BBC show, and ask Thatcher how she felt about being called the Iron Lady. This encounter re-emerged in a BBC’s programme recently.
At the time of their meeting, Owusu was on free school meals, living on a public estate in Brixton, south London, where he and his sister were being raised by their mother Rose, a struggling hairdresser.
Now 57, Owusu looks remarkably similar even with a greying beard. But his life has been transformed. The father of three is a human resources director, and the first black captain of the Addington golf club in its 110-year history. As a black guy, it is about breaking the glass ceiling.
Speaking in its clubhouse, Owusu describes his rise in social status (地位) as a “Thatcherite Journey”. And he says it began by asking the woman herself. “To this day it still has an impact. My confidence changed from that sliding-door moment. Something about her connected with me.”
Thatcher told Owusu she enjoyed being called the Iron Lady. “I think it’s rather a praise, don’t you?” she said, “Because so often people have said to me if you’re in your job you’ve got to be soft and warm and human, but you’ve got to have a touch of steel.” Owusu recalls the moment, “I just remember her eye contact. She was answering me, not the camera. She welcomed the question saying you’ve got to be firm in this world. And that stuck with me.”
After the show was broadcast, Owusu said he became “a little hero in Brixton for a good three months”. Owusu added, “It all gave me extra confidence. Doors might not have opened so quickly. It was one of those key moments to make you do things maybe you wouldn’t otherwise have done.”
1. What do we know about Owusu when he was 13?| A．He met with Thatcher twice. |
| B．He joined a famous golf club. |
| C．He hosted a BBC’s programme. |
| D．He lived at the bottom of society. |
| A．Turning point. | B．Important decision. |
| C．Social status. | D．Remarkable achievement. |
| A．Others’ treating him equally at work. |
| B．Others’ voting him a hero in Brixton. |
| C．Thatcher’s efforts to preserve his dignity. |
| D．Thatcher’s faith in the necessity of toughness. |
| A．The Art of Dialogue | B．The Power of Confidence |
| C．A Life-changing Meeting | D．A Status-improving Tale |
10 . In 1948, Ladies Home Journal selected our family for its “How America Lives” feature. The reporter and photographer arrived at the end of May and followed all of us (Mom, Dad, my brother, sister and me) for a week, recording our every move. Everyone was pretty excited about it, especially in our town of 6,000, where things like this just didn’t happen.
Since the article would be published in early December, we had to pretend it was already autumn. The reporter asked mom to cook and serve a complete Thanksgiving meal. She told Mom to “go all out” and use her best holiday dishes for the feast.
Mom’s face fell. She didn’t want to admit that our best dishes weren’t exactly the best, let alone suitable for a national magazine. While the reporter continued with her interview, the photographer quietly excused himself and slipped away for over an hour. When he came back, he had a large box, which he placed on the floor, telling Mom to open it.
Her mouth wide open, her face lit up as if it was Christmas. Inside was a beautiful set of 12 dishes, each painted with patterns of flowers and golden brims (金边), made by the Homer Laughlin China Co. There was even a soup bowl, something we kids had never seen before. Mom was near tears as she lovingly handled each piece.
When it came time to serve dinner, Mom walked slowly from the kitchen with the lovely new plate, which contained a small “turkey” (in reality, a large chicken).
From that day on, Mom made sure they never saw the light of day unless it was a major event, though they were a must at every Thanksgiving.
I carry on the tradition, using the dishes for our Thanksgiving feast. But I serve a real turkey, and I serve it on the real Thanksgiving Day.
1. Where did the photographer possibly go while mom was interviewed?| A．A bookstore. | B．A china store. | C．A flower shop. | D．A candy shop. |
| A．She was calm as usual. | B．She was moved into tears. |
| C．She had a mix of feelings. | D．She thought little of them. |
| A．Cozy. | B．Leisured. | C．Troubled. | D．Badly-off. |
| A．To persuade readers to buy the same dishes her family cherishes. |
| B．To tell us about the moving story behind the family-cherished dishes. |
| C．To contribute an article concerning her family to a popular magazine. |
| D．To write something down in memory of her mother and good days. |
