1 . A fat man with a camera around his neck and a bottle of sunscreen cream sticking out of his bag, he really did look like a tourist. He sat on the terrace (平台), sipping lemonade and pretending to look at a tourism brochure. His sunglasses masked his eyes, but I knew he wasn't looking at the brochure: he hadn't turned a page for the last ten minutes. As I brought him his dishes, he coughed up a "thank you" and looked at me briefly I tried not to stare at the tiny scar across his left eyebrow.
I walked back inside with my empty tray, shaking my head. He looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place him. Then it hit me. The car accident. The mysterious stranger who helped me out of my crashed car, just before it exploded. I rushed back to his table. He was gone.
I moved his saucer and found his tip, along with a card: I am deeply grateful to you. The night of your car accident, I was on my way to rob a jewelry store. Saving your life brought things back in a right way. I now live an honest life, thanks to you. God bless you! Mr. D.
I shivered (震颤). The night of my car accident, I was heading for an interview in an illegal dance club. Seeing human kindness through his heroic gesture (英雄姿态) turned my life around and brought faith back into my life. I unfolded the tip he left. Among the singles was a grand (一千块) with a pen mark underlining "In God We Trust. "I said a silent prayer for him and got back to work, smiling.
1. Why did the fat man look like a tourist?| A．Because he doesn't look like a native citizen. |
| B．Because he ordered strange food and drinks |
| C．Because he used money not the same as the locals. |
| D．Because he carried what tourists usually have on. |
| A．The page remained unturned. | B．He was drinking all the time. |
| C．He sat still with his sunglasses. | D．He was staring at the writer. |
| A．The man became a rich man year later. |
| B．The writer didn't go to that interview. |
| C．The writer had been searching for the man. |
| D．They kept in touch with each other since then. |
| A．Cod. | B．Worried. | C．Grateful. | D．Trusty. |
2 . It was the early morning of August 5, 1888, and her husband was still sleeping. She left a note for her husband on the table, saying that she and their two sons had already left to visit Pforzheim, Germany, 90 kilometers away. She purposely didn’t mention her means of transportation. It wasn’t until Carl Benz checked the workshop in his factory that he realized his family hadn’t taken the train. His new invention was gone.
Bertha had just committed the world’s first car theft. Her husband was a brilliant engineer who had designed the world’s first automobile in 1885. However, without sharp business mind, his product wasn’t going anywhere. Bertha understood what every modern business knows: marketing a product requires different skills than designing one. To provide a proof that the vehicle was reliable and could also master long-distance routes, she intended to drive with the motor from Mannheim to Pforzheim to show what it could do.
Once the three hit the road, they had to conquer novel problems. At 2.5 horsepower, they could not climb steep slopes without pushing it from behind. Going downhill, the car burnt out the brake shoes. Bertha stopped off at a cobbler and asked him to equip the brake shoes with a leather lining. In so doing, Bertha Benz became the inventor of brake lining. The fuel amount was also underestimated. Bertha made her first fuel purchase at the Stadtapotheke, where the store still proudly displays a sign of being the first gas station in the world.
Following the “first shock”, as written in his memoirs, Carl felt an inner pride in his wife’s daring “test drive”. And sales soon stepped up with the spread of Bertha’s daring trip. Today, drivers can still experience this part of Mercedes-Benz success story along the Bertha Benz Memorial Route between Mannheim and Pforzheim, just as the first woman driver did.
1. Why did Bertha secretly take the road trip?| A．To save money on long-distance train fares. |
| B．To teach children how to drive automobiles. |
| C．To prove the performance of Carl’s invention. |
| D．To understand the knowledge of modern business. |
| A．Unexpected. | B．Common. | C．Additional. | D．Slight. |
| A．Bertha’s trip ended at the Stadtapotheke. |
| B．Bertha’s trip helped to promote car business. |
| C．The car turned out to be a failure on the road. |
| D．Bertha fixed the brake shoes herself during the trip. |
| A．A Regrettable Crime | B．A Surprising Discovery |
| C．A Creative Invention | D．A Pioneering Undertaking |
3 . When the COVID-19 hit and supermarket shelves were empty, Chris Hall and Stefanny Lowey decided they no longer wanted to rely on others for food. The couple, who live on Pender Island in British Columbia, Canada, decided to start a year-long challenge where they wouldn't buy a single thing to eat. Instead they would grow, raise or catch everything—right down to sugar, salt and flour. Now, five months in, they say the challenge has changed their lives.
Chris, 38, said, “It has always been something that we have wanted to do. We have had a garden and grown vegetables for a long time already. When the COVID-19 hit, it gave us that extra push that we needed to do it. We were both out of work when we started, and with the reality check of grocery stores running out of items, it gave us even more motivation to see if we could look after ourselves.”
The pair spent the months before building a house for chickens, ducks and turkey as well as studying as much as possible to figure out where they would get all the things they needed. Chris adds, “We had to learn so many new things like how to grow mushrooms, process our Stevia plants, and harvest salt from the ocean. We spent a lot of time reading and studying online to figure out all the things we were going to need to do.”
Now after five months, they both feel its been going well but Chris admits the first few weeks were difficult. “The first three weeks were very challenging as our bodies adjusted to cutting out coffee, wine and sugar all on the same day,” he says. “After three weeks our energy levels balanced out and our wishes reduced and now we feel great.” Now February has ended. As they come through winter, they feel positive about continuing with this way of living, with their challenge officially ending in August.
1. Why did the pair decide to produce foods on their own?| A．They were isolated by Pender Island. |
| B．They couldn't afford to buy them because they were out of work. |
| C．They believed it's good for their health. |
| D．They could hardly buy them in shops. |
| A．Rich and generous. | B．Helpful and positive. |
| C．Optimistic and self-dependent. | D．Motivated and brave. |
| A．Their challenge may last about eleven months in total. |
| B．They were discouraged by the difficulty at first. |
| C．They had difficulty because they wanted more. |
| D．They couldn't adjust their bodies to the hard work after three weeks. |
| A．Sports. | B．Agriculture. |
| C．Lifestyle. | D．Business. |
4 . A struggling Waffle House employee who was trying to serve nearly 30 people by himself after midnight got a full serving of kindness when some customers jumped behind the counter to help him.
Ethan Crispo, 24, witnessed the inspiring scene in the early hours of Nov. 3 at a Waffle House in Birmingham, Alabama.
Crispo told TODAY’s Kerry Sanders that he had come to the 24-hour restaurant from a friend’s birthday party and saw the struggling employee, identified only as Ben, trying to cook the food, serve it, bus tables and wash dishes while more than 25 people were waiting to eat.
“The look on his face was just confusion,” Crispo told Sanders.
An unidentified male customer then decided to help him out, grabbing an apron and going behind the counter to wash dishes.
Another customer, Alison Stanley, went behind the counter to make some coffee—still dressed from a night out on the town.
“I don’t think it’s anything special,” Stanley told Sanders. “He needed help, so I got up and helped out.”
Crispo took some photos of the scene as multiple customers worked to bus tables and wash dishes while Ben focused on taking orders and preparing the food.
Waffle House told TODAY that Ben was left to support himself due to a scheduling issue.
“We had two associates scheduled to leave, however, due to a communication mix-up, their relief did not show up on time,” Waffle House director of PR Pat Warner said in a statement. “That left Ben, our cook, alone in the restaurant with hungry customers. He worked the grill (烤架) and got the orders out.”
The company was also thankful for the customers who joined in and helped Ben out.
“We are grateful that many of our customers feel like they are part of our Waffle House family,” Warner said. “There is a sense of community in each and every one of our restaurants, and we appreciate the fact that they consider our associates like family.”
“We are also very thankful for Ben, who kept the restaurant open. He is a representative of our Waffle House culture by always putting the customers first.”
Crispo had his usual order, double plain waffle, as he took in the scene of strangers helping out Ben on his shift.
“Humanity truly isn’t good, it’s great!” he said.
1. Ben was left to work alone during his midnight shift because ________.| A．his associates asked for a leave | B．there was a scheduling mistake |
| C．few customers needed to be served | D．the restaurant was scheduled to close |
| A．washing dishes | B．taking photos |
| C．taking orders | D．cooking food |
| A．They shared the same community spirit. | B．They were family members of Ben. |
| C．They wanted to serve themselves. | D．They were too hungry to wait. |
| A．Lucky and excited. | B．Moved and inspired. |
| C．Relieved and hopeful. | D．Content and unbelievable. |
5 . Adventure-seeker Emma broke her ankle when she fell awkwardly while climbing a rock and spent a week in hospital waiting for an operation on her foot. When she was sent home to recover under strict instructions not to bear any weight, she became so fearful of crutches (拐杖) that she didn't move for three weeks. “I tried crutches but I kept falling over and injuring myself. So I literally just stayed on the sofa all day, ” says Emma.
She was gutted at the thought of missing the Wolf Run — a quarterly event that she hasn't missed since 2014. “If you complete four Wolf Runs in a year, one in each season, you get Alpha Wolf status,” explains Emma. “This year was going to be my fifth in a row as an Alpha Wolf and I was really upset that I'd lose my status.” So she was willing to try anything to get through the course — even with her injured ankle.
“I was telling my friend that I was going to cancel, and he persuaded me to give it a go. Having something to aim for really kept me going." Emma completed the run wearing an iWALK2.0, which is a medically-approved device and it basically functions like a hi-tech artificial leg, allowing users to walk freely. I decided to get one and it completely changed my recovery. I could move around the house and start getting out and about again, which had a real impact on my mental well-being.”
On the day of the race, Emma was nervous but the sound of people cheering her on kept her motivated. Emma made it over the finish line in just under six hours and clocked up her 23rd Wolf Run in five years. “It was an incredible day and my determination to finish combined with the support I received along the way kept me going,” says Emma.
1. Why was Emma frightened to use a crutch?| A．She was afraid of recovering slowly. |
| B．She was warned not to move around. |
| C．She just had an operation on her foot. |
| D．She often got injured when using one. |
| A．Extremely sad. | B．A bit relieved. |
| C．Very surprised. | D．Pretty cheerful. |
| A．Her new hi-tech artificial leg. |
| B．Her fear of letting her friend down. |
| C．Her strong desire to achieve her ambition. |
| D．Her complete recovery from the operation. |
| A．Strong-willed. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Creative. | D．Humorous. |
