1 . Police officer Jody Thompson first met his son John in 2015. He was pulling into the car park at the Poteau Police Department in Oklahoma when he overheard a call about a case of physical child abuse. Despite being off duty, Thompson responded to the call.
He arrived at the scene to find a severely underweight boy, who was covered in bruises (淤青) with his wrists tied. The eight-year-old, who weighed just over 25 kilograms at the time, had been left in a dustbin full of cold water.
“He didn’t have a spot on his body that didn’t have a bruise. It was the worst thing I’d ever seen,” Thompson said. Thompson drove John to hospital and sat by his side all night as the child recovered in the intensive care unit.
The following day, he contacted the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) to request he become the child’s foster parent. Within just a few days, Thompson had brought John into the safety of his own home.
“When I’d seen him in that house shivering and his hands tied — just wet to the skin and confused — I knew at that moment, the only time I would be satisfied and sure that he was safe was if he was with me,” he said.
Thompson already had two sons, aged 15 and 18. He didn’t tell his family about his plan at first, but said they had faith he was doing the right thing. In an extraordinary twist, just two days after bringing John into the family home, he found out his wife was pregnant with their third biological son.
And seven months later, DHS called the Thompsons to ask if they wanted to foster John’s newborn sister, Paizly, who was born in prison. They picked her up the next day — when she was just a day old — and brought her straight home. Both John and Paizly were later adopted by Thompson and his wife.
‘The example of love that Thompson has shown to this young man and his sister is an example everyone should follow,” Poteau Police Chief Stephen Fruen said in a statement. “It’s men like Thompson that make me proud of our police force brothers and sisters. I am proud to serve with him.”
1. When Thompson found him, John was________.| A．seriously ill | B．badly injured | C．unconscious | D．overweight |
| A．he wanted to give John a safe home | B．he thought that John was smart |
| C．he was requested to do so by DHS | D．he wanted to find a companion for his sons |
| A．a bend in a river or road |
| B．a completely crazy situation |
| C．something that is bent into a particular shape |
| D．an unexpected change in the situation |
| A．It wasn’t the first time for Thompson to adopt a child. |
| B．John was born in prison like his sister. |
| C．Fruen showed great respect to Thompson. |
| D．Thompson regretted bringing John home. |
2 . The Champion Snorer(打鼾者)
It was the Cedar Rapids sleeper. Outside,it was as dark as the inside of an ink-bottle. In the sleeping car people slept.Or tried it.
Some of them slept like Christian men and women, peacefully, sweetly and quietly. Others slept like demons(恶魔)，ill intentionally,disgustingly,cruelly, as though it was their mission to keep everybody else awake.
We never heard anything snore like him. It was the most systematic snoring that was ever done, even on one of these tournaments of snoring, a sleeping car.
He started out with terrific“Gu-r-r-rt!"that opened every eye in the car.We all hoped it was an accident, however, and trusting that he wouldn't do it again,we all forgave him.Then he ruined our hopes and spoiled the sweet sincerity of our forgiveness by a long-drawn“Gw-a-h-h-hah!". That sounded too much like business to be accidental.
Evidently it was going to last all night: and the exhausted heads drooped back on the sleepless pillows, and the scolding began.
| A．Pretty soon "lower three"gave us a little variation |
| B．Then there was a pause, and we all began to hope he had awakened from sleep. |
| C．He didn't begin as soon as the lamps were turned down and everybody was in bed. |
| D．Of these the man in lower number three was the worst. |
| E．Just as the other passengers had consulted together how they might stop him, morning dawned. |
| F．Then every head in that sleepless sleeper was held off the pillow for a minute, waiting in breathless suspense to hear the worst. |
3 . It seems to me that all writers, including those brilliant ones, need encouragement particularly in their early years. I always knew I could write,but that just meant I wrote a little better than my peers. I hope that I might one day write well enough to derive income from my efforts. Oddly enough,this never occurred to me until I met a special teacher in life.
There was a kind teacher at Hyde Park High School in Chicago,who simply by concentrating her attention on me, made me believe that I might be able to master the knack of writing well enough to consider the craft as a profession. Miss Marguerite Byme taught English,which of course, involved writing skills.Whatever instruction she shared with me was exactly the same as all her other students enjoyed, but the only difference was that she encouraged me to begin the process of submitting things I was writing, in those days, chiefly poems.
To my surprise, the Chicago Tribune not only thought enough of several of my verses to publish them, but also paid me, inadvertently, the highest compliment a fledgling author can receive. The editor wrote a confidential letter to Miss Byme, asking her to see, if by any chance, one of her students, a certain Stephen Allen, might be guilty of copying. The editor's suspicions had been aroused, because he was kind enough to say, he found it hard to believe that a seventeen-year-old student could create material on such a professional level.When Miss Byme shared the letter with me, I was overjoyed! It was wonderfully heartening.
Miss Byme made me realize that I should not hide my light. This made me collect my courage to enter a writing contest. The assignment was to write an essay titled "Rediscovering America". I was literally astonished when I received a letter saying that I was the winner of the contest.The prize was a thousand dollars. My mother, at the time, was not even aware that I was interested in writing, or if she had somehow found out about it, she took little notice.When I arrived home that evening with the letter, she was indifferent and did not ask how the evening had gone.
Without encouragement, even talented students will continue to perform below expectations. For example, at the same high school, there was a teacher whose Spanish language classes I attended but from whom I unfortunately learned very little simply because of the woman's cold sarcastically critical attitude. She seemed to know nothing about nurturing students. Soon, I withdrew from her classroom literacy instruction.
Years later, I was able to repay my debt to Marguerite Byme by dedicating one of my books, Wry on the Rocks------A collection of Poems.to her. I have enjoyed a lifetime writing books and television scripts because of her urge.
1. Miss Byme treated me differently from other students in that ________.| A．she encouraged the author to try to earn money from writing |
| B．she gave the author private instructions on writing skills |
| C．she advised the author to contribute his writing works |
| D．she taught the author the knack of writing as a profession |
| A．he regretted overpaying the author |
| B．he had doubts about the author's writing abilities |
| C．he wanted to inform her of the author's talent |
| D．he wanted to befriend a future star writer |
| A．The author had set the goal of writing professionally since childhood. |
| B．The share of the editor's letter made the author ashamed of his behavior. |
| C．The author won the writing contest which made his mother proud of him. |
| D．The author quitted Spanish course because of the teacher's negative attitude. |
| A．writing skills should be cultivated since high school years |
| B．it's easy for a writer like him to make a living by writing |
| C．parents should take kid's interests and talents seriously |
| D．development of skills and abilities require adequate encouragement |
Life on a Ship
We three children were very excited when we walked up the gangway (舷梯) of the British flagship China Star and saw officers, crew and staff rushing around. A Chinese housekeeper led the way and helped Uncle Jean and Aunt Reine with our luggage. Victor, Claudine and I lagged behind. The housekeeper was tall and thin and towered over everyone.
Though I was still feeling nervous and tongue-tied because it had only been three days since Aunt Reine took me out of St. Joseph’s, I laughed out loud. That was the effect Victor had on people.
Victor stood there, wearing a bright-red and orange life-jacket. “Why are you wearing that?” Claudine protested. “Our ship hasn’t even sailed yet!” “In case the China Star starts going down. Then you’ll really be sorry you’re not wearing one yourself. Here! Let me show you something!”
Claudine became alarmed. “Mama, how often does a ship sink?” she asked. Before Aunt Reine had time to reply, Victor quipped with a straight face, “Only once!” Aunt Reine and I could not help laughing in spite of ourselves. But then Victor did something my brothers would never have done. He took off his life-jacket, slipped it on his sister and showed her how to adjust the straps.
| A．Once Victor hid in a lifeboat for half an hour while we searched everywhere. |
| B．His head was completely hairless, and he was obviously unsteady. |
| C．He and Claudine made me feel at ease as soon as I met them. |
| D．There were only two narrow twin beds in our cabin, each covered with dark blue sheets. |
| E．He parted the curtain and looked out of the round window of the ship. |
| F．He jumped out as we passed below him, scaring and delighting us at the same time. |
5 . My father was left fatherless at the age of 12, and pretty much on his own then.
Because of that, he was never the loving type. He didn’t have time to offer a pat on the back or a loving hug（拥抱）. He was built for work, and work he did—7 days a week—expecting my brothers and me to do the same.
Growing up, I spent much of my free time laboring with him on jobs around the house. To him, working alongside someone was the best way to show you cared. The way you felt about a person was clear from the fact you spent time with the person; you didn’t need to express your feelings. As far as I know, he never did. Except once.
I was 22, graduated from college, and leaving home for the last time. He and I had loaded my things into the car and were talking in the garage. Without warning, he wrapped me in his huge arms and hugged me tight.“You were always my favorite,”he said.“I love you, and I’m going to miss you.”
With that, he shooed（用“嘘”声驱赶）me into the car and then left for the house, tears in his eyes.
I was floored by his response—and then felt proud, pleased and grateful. Yet some small part of me also wondered why it had taken him so long to express his love.
I can accept now that it wasn’t possible for him to be warm—his feelings were buried too deeply under the layers of a tough life. Thanks to my father’s once-in-a-lifetime hug, I’ve come to realize something he never could. A hug is more than simple physical touch. It is a lightning-like connection between two people. A link that expresses love, encouragement, comfort-all the emotions that can strengthen a relationship, even turn a life around.
1. According to the author, his father didn’t show his feelings easily because of all the following reasons EXCEPT _____.| A．he didn’t think it important to show his love |
| B．he always worked around the house and paid no attention to his kids |
| C．he himself grew up without love from his own father |
| D．he thought the best way to show feelings was to spend time together |
| A．frightened | B．flooded |
| C．hit | D．confused |
| A．hide his feelings for his kids as deeply as his father did |
| B．offer physical touch like hugs to his own kids quite often |
| C．not spend time working around the house with his own kids |
| D．not understand his father’s love for him for the rest of his life |
| A．mention the importance of a hug in our life |
| B．tell us an unhappy childhood without father’s care |
| C．share a touching story of the author and his father |
| D．show the difficult relationship between child and parents |
6 . Your True Stories
On the Wing
My husband had passed tragically and unexpectedly the night before. I returned home the next morning with my sister-in-law, my emotional support. We sat in the upstairs loft, sharing stories about a man who’d left us too young. I glanced out the window and noticed a woodpecker on the roof. It appeared to be watching us. A member of a species rarely seen here, the bird sat for almost 20 minutes as we reminisced（追忆）. I affectionately named it after my late husband. It has been five years he passed, and a woodpecker continues to appear at my weakest moments.
Shannon Rozewicz
Like Son, Like Father
Caught in a sudden downpour on the last day of a bike-packing trip, I ducked（躲避）into the lobby of a nearby supermarket for cover. As I waited out the storm with my bike and gear, a teenage boy invited me to spend the night with his family, I gladly accepted, and he went to find his parents. While I waited, an older man made me the same offer. I thanked him and said I already had a place to stay. Shortly after, the boy returned with his parents. The man who had approached me was his father.
Philip Wood
Color Me Proud
When my granddaughter Bethany was four years old, she visited my home for a few days. I gave her some crays and pictures for coloring. When I looked down, I saw she had used a crayon to draw purple marks all over her legs. “Bethany, what are you doing?”I asked.“Why, Grandma,”she said,“you have such pretty purple lines up and down your legs, and I wanted mine to look just like yours.”Since them, I have worn my varicose vein（静脉曲张）with pride, and they got prettier each year.
1. From the stories, we can learn that _____.| A．The woodpecker is Shannon’s emotional support |
| B．Shannon has been crazy for the death of her husband |
| C．Purple is Granddaughter’s favorite color |
| D．Grandma used to be proud of her varicose vein |
| A．resemble each other in many ways | B．are both helpful and considerate |
| C．like to socialize with strangers | D．are fond of accommodating strangers |
| A．Warm and optimistic | B．Sad but positive |
| C．Humorous and ironic | D．Hopeful and idealistic |
“Any apples today?” Effie asked cheerfully at my window. I followed her to her truck and bought a kilo. On credit, of course. Cash was the one thing in the world I lacked just then.
All pretense （借口） of payment was dropped when our funds, food and funds decreased to alarming lows. Effie came often, always bringing some gift: a jar of peaches or some firewood. There were other generosities.
Effie was not a rich woman. Her income, derived from investments she had made while running an interior decorating shop. had never exceeded $200 a month, which she supplemented by selling her apples. But she always managed to help someone poorer.
Years passed before I was able to return the money Effie had given me from time to time. She was ill now and had aged rapidly in the last year. “Here, darling,” I said, “is what l owe you.”
“Give it back as I gave it to you--a little at a time.” I think she believed there was magic in the slow discharge of a love debt.
The simple fact is that I never repaid the whole amount to Effie, for she died a few weeks later. By now, the few dollars Effie gave me have been multiplied many times. But a curious thing began to happen.
Whenever I saw a fellow human in financial trouble, I was moved to help him. I can't afford to do this always, but in the ten years since Effie's death, I have indirectly repaid my debt to her.
| A．Our baby was not doing well, so Effie financed my wife's trip to New York for consultation with a specialist. |
| B．Give your help to those in greater need. |
| C．The oddest part of the whole affair is that people whom I help often help others later on. |
| D．Effie work diligently all her life. |
| E．“Pay me whenever you like,” said Effie, climbing back into her truck. |
| F．“Don't give it to me all at once,” she said. |
