1 . Life can change in the blink of an eye. For Bridgette Ponson, one of those moments took place in the parking lot at her workplace, Layton Christian Academy. While she was in the parking lot, her 2-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl in tow, a car hit them. This left the mother and her kids trapped beneath the car. Thankfully, the woman driver wasn’t driving very fast. At that moment, she was blinded by the sun. However, she got out of the car to help as soon as possible. Plus, she wasn’t the only one who stopped what they were doing to save Bridgette and her kids.
Soon, Chris Crowder, CEO of the school, became aware of the accident. Without delay, he united a group of students to help. “It was split second,” Chris recalled. “I immediately just ran into the building because I knew I had to get a lot of people to lift this car. The students just heard me shout. All students from different countries just ran out and lifted it up.”
Still, this wasn’t an easy task. The car was heavy. But the whole group of students worked together to lift the car enough for Bridgette and her kids to get free. Finally, one kid was flown to Primary Children’s Hospital while Bridgette and the other kid were taken by ambulance to the hospital. Although Bridgette took the brunt of the injuries, all three of them were expected to make complete recoveries within a few days. The heroic students who helped out certainly got their well-deserved praise.
“I’m very proud of our kids. They ran out without hesitation, and they just knew what to do without even being told what to do. I’m even surprised by the driver who was behind the wheel. She immediately ran to help,” said Chris.
1. Which of the following caused the accident in the parking lot?| A．The car was speeding. | B．The driver was trapped in the car. |
| C．Bridgette ignored the surroundings. | D．The sunlight blocked the driver’s sight. |
| A．To meet foreign students. | B．To avoid the car accident. |
| C．To provide emergency aid. | D．To lift the kids out of the car. |
| A．Many hands make light work. | B．The hospital is no place to be sick. |
| C．Injuries may be forgiven, but not forgotten. | D．Praise makes good men better and bad men worse. |
| A．Passive. | B．Hesitant. | C．Timely. | D．Expected. |
2 . I was hiking with Sam and Kyle to show them a cliff where they could feel the sea spray on their faces. I knew the area could be dangerous, but I was not worried for I had hiked there many times.
We sat in the sun and watched the waves throw themselves against the rock. Then I crept (爬) up to the edge, Kyle right behind me. I found a seat-shaped place and sat down with much contentment. When Kyle came near, I gave him my place. He settled in and I moved a few feet over where the smooth rock had no holds.
Suddenly, a monstrous wave came. I felt myself starting to slide. The water washed me off the cliff and forced me under. I screamed for help. I swam hard for the shore. I was not a strong swimmer but I tried rimming for shore anyway, battling the warm water the best I could. Soon, I realized the sea had swept me farther out.
“Sam!” I yelled. “Kyle, help me and send a helicopter!” After about thirty minutes, I saw a helicopter. I could see Sam and Kyle looking anxiously from it. My eyes lit up and my heart missed a beat. The helicopter buzzed overhead, and then kept on going. I floated on my back to make myself more visible, my body pale in contrast to the darker ocean. When the helicopter came by again, I moved my arms and legs desperately to attract their attention. Again, the helicopter disappeared. Helpless, I stared in disbelief as they missed seeing me twice in a row. Deciding that I needed to save my energy, I continued floating on my back and closed my eyes.
Gradually, a noise grew louder. I soon realized a helicopter was overhead. The crew had seen me, but it might be too late. Waves of exhaustion overwhelmed me. My leg muscles tightened uncontrollably. “This is it,” I thought, as I gave up to the weight that was pulling me down.
Then, I felt a strong arm wrap across my chest and turned to see a rescue diver. He asked me if I was alright. The next thing I knew was that I was in the air. The waves that had just been big enough to kill me suddenly seemed small.
1. Which of the following can best describe the author in paragraph 2?| A．Curious and careful. | B．Happy and relaxed. |
| C．Proud but disappointed. | D．Anxious but satisfied. |
| A．He met with fast wind. | B．He couldn’t perform his best. |
| C．He was not a strong swimmer. | D．He was not used to the warm water. |
| A．He tried to preserve his energy. | B．He made his arms pale. |
| C．He yelled at the helicopter. | D．He floated on his back. |
| A．The disaster came to an end as expected. | B．He finally got the rescue he needed badly. |
| C．He was convinced he was about to drown. | D．The waves were not big enough to kill him. |
3 . National Drowning Prevention Week
National Drowning Prevention Week is July 17-23, 2022, which promotes the awareness of the drowning prevention problem in Canada and the need for individuals, communities, organizations, and government to take action in an effort to save lives. Drowning is preventable!
Measures to Promote
Members of the public, community groups, and government are encouraged to promote the following measures that have been taken from the World Health Organization’s publication Preventing Drowning.
★Teach basic swimming and water safety skills to school-age children aged 6 years and older. Activity Suggestions:
• Offer Swim To Survive sessions to your community during National Drowning Prevention Week
• Promote people to learn to swim by registering in Swim For Life lessons
• Work with local schools to book swimming lessons in the upcoming year
★Provide community-based childcare for preschool children to reduce the drowning risk.
•Work with local officials to create childcare options that are less than 20 minutes away for all communities
★Train bystanders in safe rescue and CPR (心肺复苏). Activity Suggestions:
•Offer free CPR training opportunities to the public during National Drowning Prevention Week
•Promote learning to rescue others by registering in Bronze Medallion
National Drowning Prevention Week Announcements
Since the United Nations (UN) passed a resolution declaring July 25 of each year as World Drowning Prevention Day last year, we have stopped our request for community announcements for National Drowning Prevention Week. This does not lessen the importance of raising awareness during National Drowning Prevention Week, but allows us to focus more on the other important matters.
1. Who brings forward the activity suggestions mentioned in the text?| A．The government of Canada. | B．The World Health Organization. |
| C．Bronze Medallion. | D．The United Nations. |
| A．looking swimming lessons. | B．Teaching them how to swim. |
| C．Providing convenient childcare. | D．Offering water rescue skills. |
| A．In 2021. | B．In 2020. | C．In 2019. | D．In 2022. |
4 . In 1840, Chicago was a small town of forty-five hundred souls. It ranked 92nd in population in the United States. Yet, only three decades later, by 1870 — just a year before the great fire — Chicago was closing in on a population of 300,000, making it the fifth-biggest city in America and the fastest-growing city in the world.
What led to all this rapid growth? In three words: location, location, location.
“Chicago was near the center of the country, and near where the waterways and railways met,” city historian Tim Samuelson notes. “It was a perfect place for anything and anyone to get anywhere...”
Timing had a lot to do with it, too. America was moving from a rural to an industrial power. Chicago was right in the middle of the action. Ironically, its rapid growth was almost its undoing. “Chicago had to build, and build quickly, and so they built it out of wood,” explained Sarah Marcus of the Chicago History Museum. “It was quick, it was easy, and it was cheap.”
And, as it turned out, very “easy” to catch fire.
By most accounts, the fire started on the city’s West Side, near the De Koven Street barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary. No one is sure of the cause, but it could have been anything, from vandals (故意) to a drunken neighbor to that clumsy cow of urban legend.
Within minutes, the fire got out of control, tearing through Chicago’s business district. The fire was so hot, it created its own tornado of flame. By 3:30 a.m., all hope of saving large parts of the city was gone. Nearly 30 hours later, the fire finally died. The reason? There was nothing left to burn.
The losses were shocking: The fire took away nearly 300 lives, destroyed over 17,000 buildings covering almost 3.5 square miles, and caused damage of over $200 million—about 3.8 billion today. Roughly a third of the city lay in ruins, and one out every three people living in Chicago — nearly 100,000 residents — became homeless overnight.
1. Which paragraph describes the rapid growth of Chicago?| A．paragraph 1. | B．paragraph 2. |
| C．paragraph 4. | D．paragraph 5. |
① Chicago was built out of wood.
② Chicago had good transportation.
③ Timing was perfect.
④ Wood was cheap.
| A．①③ | B．②④ | C．①④ | D．②③ |
| A．happy | B．sad | C．nervous | D．hopeful |
| A．The cause of the fire was clear. |
| B．The fire was put out by firefighters. |
| C．The fire caused great damage to Chicago. |
| D．Lage parts of the city was saved. |
