Zachariah Fike has an unusual hobby. He finds old military(军队的) medals for sale in antique stores and on the Internet. But unlike most collectors, Zac tracks down the medals’ rightful owners, and returns them.
His effort to reunite families with lost medals began with a Christmas gift from his mother, a Purple Heart with the name Corrado A. G. Piccoli, found in an antique shop. Zac knows the meaning of a Purple Heart—he earned one himself in a war as a soldier. So when his mother gave him the medal, he knew right away what he had to do.
Through the Internet, Zac tracked down Corrado’s sister Adeline Rockko. But when he finally reached her, the woman flooded him with questions: “Who are you? What antique shop?” However, when she hung up, she regretted the way she had handled the call. So she called Zac back and apologized. Soon she drove to meet Zac in Watertown, N.Y. “At that point, I knew she meant business,” Zac says. “To drive eight hours to come to see me.”
The Piccolis grew up the children of Italian immigrants in Watertown. Corrado, a translator for the Army during WWII, was killed in action in Europe.
Before hearing from Zac, Adeline hadn’t realized the medal was missing. Like many military medals, the one Zac’s mother had found was a family treasure. “This medal was very precious to my parents. Only on special occasions(场合) would they take it out and let us hold it in our hands,” Adeline says.
As a child, Adeline couldn’t understand why the medal was so significant. “But as I grew older,” Adeline says, “and missed my brother more and more, I realized that was the only thing we had left.” Corrado Piccoli’s Purple Heart medal now hangs at the Italian American Civic Association in Watertown.
Zac recently returned another lost medal to a family in Alabama. Since he first reunited Corrado’s medal, Zac says his record is now 5 for 5.
【小题1】Where did Zac get a Purple Heart medal for himself？| A．In the army. |
| B．In an antique shop. |
| C．From his mother. |
| D．From Adeline Rockko. |
| A．She was very impolite. |
| B．She was serious about the medal. |
| C．She suspected his honesty. |
| D．She came from a wealthy family. |
| A．Her parents’ advice. |
| B．Her knowledge of antiques. |
| C．Her childhood dream. |
| D．Her memory of her brother. |
Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs, but he doesn’t let this stop him.
The brave 26-year-old man plays football and golf, and swims, in spite of the fact that he has no arms or legs.
Nick has a small foot on his left side, which helps him balance and makes him able to kick. He uses his one foot to type, write with a pen and pick things up.
“I call it my chicken drumstick,” joked Nick, who was born in Melbourne, Australia, but now lives in Los Angeles. “I’d be lost without it. When I get in the water I float because 80 percent of my body is lungs and my drumstick acts as a propeller.”
“He’s very modest, but he gets marriage proposals from women all the time,” said Nick’s friend Steve Appel. “He would love to get married and start a family, but he’s waiting for the right girl to come along.”
When Nick was born, his father was so shocked that he left the hospital room. His distraught mother couldn’t bring herself to hold him until he was four months old.
His disability came without any medical explanation, which was a rare case. Nick and his parents spent many years asking why this cruel trick would happen to them.
“My mother was a nurse and she did everything right during pregnancy but she still blamed herself,” he said.
“It was so hard for them, but right from the start they did their best to make me independent. My dad put me in the water at 18 months and gave me the courage to learn how to swim.”
【小题1】We can learn from the text that Nick ________.| A．has a poor sense of balance | B．understands his mother very well |
| C．considers his small foot ugly | D．is disappointed with his health condition |
| A．Nick Vujicic is serious about his marriage. | B．Nick Vujicic is not popular with women. |
| C．Nick Vujicic is afraid of starting a family. | D．Nick Vujicic is not willing to get married. |
| A．cold-blooded | B．bad-tempered | C．really shy | D．extremely upset |
| A．Nick’s parents couldn’t afford the hospital bill. |
| B．Nick is living in Melbourne, Australia now. |
| C．Nick’s father was to blame for his disability. |
| D．Nick learned to be independent at a young age. |
“No, Dad. You've done so much already. Thank you！” I was overwhelmed once again by his kind acts of providing everything I needed, although I turned 40. Yet I realize that in my father's eyes, I will always be his little girl. He takes deep pleasure in knowing his children are all right. Now that he has enough money, he loves to give whenever he sees a need.
But this was not always the case. Divorced from my mother when I was 11, my dad couldn't be around his kids as often as he would have liked. Money was also tight; even weekend visits were rare. However, my dad stayed in constant communication with us and made sure he was involved in our lives. Though he couldn't always be there in person, I knew he was only a phone call away. I could always make sure of that.
Even now, almost 30 years later, I treasure knowing that I can pick up the phone and call Dad, and he'll be there for me. I have a wonderful husband, but that hasn't changed how Dad sees me. I'm still his child and he loves to see that my needs are met.
I remember a time when I was shopping in a hardware store (五金店) with Dad. I mentioned my plans to paint one wall in my house. Well, that's all it took for Dad to take action. By the time I got to the checkout(结账) line, all the supplies I picked out were put out of my hands and placed with things he bought.
Then there was the time when I took him with me to do some grocery shopping for just a few “ items”. By the time we were finished, my shopping cart was full of groceries from every shelf in the store! My sister and I joke that if you don't want Dad to buy it for you, avoid even mentioning you want something.
【小题1】What's the best title for the passage?
| A．Father's generosity | B．Father's considerate love |
| C．The love for children | D．Love's power |
| A．suggestion | B．reasoning |
| C．examples | D．argument |
| A．After the author got married, her father no longer get himself involved in her life. |
| B．Now the father's economic condition is satisfying. |
| C．The author's father was divorced when she was 11. |
| D．The father has a great sense of responsibility. |
| A．father paid little attention to money |
| B．father was quick in action |
| C．father loved going shopping very much |
| D．father paid great attention to his children's needs |
The most valuable thing I ever lost was a pair of diamond earrings I won many years ago at a charity auction (拍卖会). I wrote about the lost earrings in my new children’s book, The Christmas Pig. When they reach the Land of the Lost, where the hero must go to rescue his most beloved toy, my earrings are angry that they aren’t treated with the respect they think they deserve. They soon find out that being made of diamonds counts for(有用) very little in the strange world where human-made objects go when lost, because a thing’s importance there depends on how much it’s truly loved.
The Christmas Pig explores a deep attachment to an old object. It’s about the journey of a boy, Jack, who is a little lost himself, but who discovers his bravery and ability to love in a strange new world. Of all the books I’ve written, this is the one that made me cry the most, because I was dealing with emotions that run deep in all of us. Loss and change are hard for children, but acceptance of these unavoidable parts of life isn’t much easier for adults. The Christmas Pig shows how human beings — even small, lost ones — are capable of wonderful, heroic acts.
A very strange thing happened on the day I finished editing The Christmas Pig. After emailing the final version to my editor, I set about clearing out a cupboard. One of the last objects I picked up was a small box. I opened it. There were my long-lost diamond earrings. I’ve decided to sell them and give the money to a charity. I think it was a nice ending for my earrings’ story to have them do some good for children in the Land of the Living.
How many times have I been asked whether I believe in magic? On the day I finished The Christmas Pig, for a few shining moments I really did.
【小题1】What’s the author’s purpose of writing this passage?| A．To tell a story happening in a magical world. |
| B．To advertise her first children’s book. |
| C．To introduce her new book and stories behind it. |
| D．To reveal our deep attachment to old objects. |
| A．A boy saved his lost toy in the magical world. | B．A boy helped earrings find their own value. |
| C．A boy discovered bravery in the real world. | D．A boy was looked down upon by some earrings. |
| A．She was unable to forgive herself. |
| B．It was based on her own past experiences. |
| C．The hero dealt successfully with loss and change. |
| D．Many adults could hardly understand the main characters. |
| A．Lost things will turn up sooner or later. | B．Sometimes warm magical things can happen in life. |
| C．We should donate to help those in need. | D．Sometimes magic in books can happen in real life. |
组卷网是一个信息分享及获取的平台，不能确保所有知识产权权属清晰，如您发现相关试题侵犯您的合法权益，请联系组卷网
