1 . In a heart-pounding display of courage and quick thinking, a 65-year-old crane operator became an unexpected hero as he rescued a man trapped on top of a towering building engulfed in flames.
Glen Edwards, a crane operator from Egham, was expressing his gratitude after a tense rescue operation in Reading last Thursday. Edwards found himself in a challenging situation as he navigated circling winds to save a man trapped by smoke and flames on a building. The dramatic rescue unfolded amid thick black smoke, making visibility nearly impossible
When the alarm sounded, Edwards, who had a concrete skip on his crane, wasted no time the moment he spotted the distressed man waving his coat. Employing his experience and knowledge of the area, Edwards attached a metal cage to the crane, carefully considering his options for the rescue. However, the challenging conditions, with smoke sheltering his view, added an extra layer of difficulty to the operation.
With a colleague providing guidance and a concerned crowd watching from below, Edwards skillfully operated the crane to rescue the man. The onlookers erupted in cheers and applause as the man was safely lifted to the ground.
Reflecting on the intense experience, Edwards remarked, “It seemed to pass a long time until the man got inside. The adrenaline (肾上腺素) was pumping.” He admitted to experiencing shaking after the rescue, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
Despite the successful operation, Edwards is yet to meet the man he saved, humorously noting, “He’s got to take me across the road for a drink!”
The heartwarming part of this story is the overwhelming support Edwards has received from well-wishers. A fund-raising page was set up to “buy Edwards a beer as a sign of gratitude,” initially aiming for £5,000 but now standing at an impressive ₤9,100. The community’s response has left Edwards deeply moved. He stated, “It means a lot; some of the comments have been absolutely fantastic.”
1. What does the underlined word “distressed” in paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Brave. |
| B．Painful. |
| C．Enthusiastic. |
| D．Disappointed. |
| A．Warm and Curious. | B．Caring and ambitious. |
| C．Professional and humorous. | D．Gifted and generous. |
| A．Sharp tools make good work. |
| B．One good turn descries another. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. |
| D．Hope for the best,but prepare for the worst. |
| A．A diary entry. |
| B．A medical magazine. |
| C．A news report. |
| D．A first-aid essay. |
2 . Life can change in the blink of an eye. For Bridgette Ponson, one of those
Soon, Chris Crowder, CEO of the school, became
“It was a split second,” Chris recalls. “I immediately just ran into the classroom building because I knew I had to get a lot of people to lift this car. We have about 220
A whole group of kids could be seen working together to lift the car enough for Mom and her kids to get
| A．discoveries | B．observations | C．explorations | D．moments |
| A．approached | B．hit | C．delighted | D．confused |
| A．searching | B．waiting | C．trapped | D．tied |
| A．Thankfully | B．Honestly | C．Absolutely | D．Obviously |
| A．witness | B．cause | C．victim | D．damage |
| A．learned | B．realized | C．recalled | D．explained |
| A．accompany | B．treat | C．save | D．welcome |
| A．aware | B．afraid | C．ashamed | D．approving |
| A．doubt | B．wonder | C．exception | D．delay |
| A．domestic | B．energetic | C．innocent | D．ordinary |
| A．made | B．helped | C．watched | D．heard |
| A．calling | B．looking | C．running | D．climbing |
| A．ahead | B．close | C．free | D．lost |
| A．stress | B．injuries | C．hunger | D．diseases |
| A．expected | B．determined | C．advised | D．reminded |
3 . When I set out to drop my dad at the airport, it was dark and dull. It started to rain on the way. When I left the airport, the visibility wasn’t clear because of the drops of rain. It was before 6 am.
Even though the road conditions were poor, I drove at my normal speed. I was angry with the more cautious drivers ahead of me that were delaying my drive. The exit ramp (坡道) to the highway was a tight spiral (急盘旋). It is a dangerous spot in good weather and totally scary when the weather is miserable or it is dark. But I didn’t want to slow down and arrive home any later than necessary. I drove down the ramp too fast. The road was wet and my car slid, landing face down on the ramp.
I didn’t like to drive by myself at the time and had insisted on taking my husband and son with me on the trip. Thankfully, I was alone in the car. My accident was slight. In fact, I was lucky enough not to have a single scratch. I started to shake when thinking the injuries my son would have suffered had he been in the backseat of that car with no seatbelt when it rolled. After the car rolled three times, I found my mobile phone was lost in a pile of small things that were all lying in the bottom of the car. A lady was kind enough to let me borrow her mobile phone, but without the numbers pre-programmed (预编的), who could I call? I was lucky enough to remember my father’s mobile phone number, and fortunate that he hadn’t yet got on his plane.
You never know when an accident will happen. As a driver, I will keep safety in mind by obeying all traffic laws and have safe-driving habits, especially in bad weather. Insist your children always wear their seatbelts. Life is a journey and everyone should value it and enjoy the ride.
1. What happened to the author’s car?| A．It crashed into another one. |
| B．It lay upside down after the slide |
| C．It slid and stopped in the middle or the highway. |
| D．It was out of control and struck a tree by the side of the ramp. |
| A．The author. | B．The author’s son. |
| C．The author’s husband. | D．The author’s father. |
| A．She knew her father hadn’t got on the plane. |
| B．Her husband was too busy to answer her phone. |
| C．Her husband’s mobile phone was out of service at that time. |
| D．She only brought her father’s phone number back to her mind. |
| A．To summarize her bad driving habits. |
| B．To analyze the cause of the accident. |
| C．To put forward some advice for others. |
| D．To make some comments on traffic laws. |
1. Where does the convcrsation take place?
| A．On the phone | B．In the bank | C．At the hospital |
| A．A police officer | B．A nurse. | C．A cheat |
| A．There was a car accident in the morning. |
| B．The man didn’t have cash with him. |
| C．The woman called a wrong number. |
