Captain Sir Thomas Moore (April 30, 1920 — February 2, 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer and fundraiser who made international headlines in 2020 when he raised money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday during the COVID-19 pandemic. The English army captain raised a large amount of money for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) by walking in his garden. He also raised a lot of excitement and good feelings.
Captain Tom had been very impressed by the efforts of the health care workers of the NHS. They risked their lives to help patients with COVID-19. So he decided to raise money to support them by walking around his garden. At first, his plan was just to complete 100 laps. He hoped to raise $1,000. In less than 24 hours, he had reached his goal. Shocked by his success, the captain set a new goal of raising $100,000 by his 100th birthday.
Interest in his efforts grew quickly as people learned about the project. By the time the captain finished his 100th lap, $14 million had been raised. Things didn’t stop there. Captain Tom promised to keep walking as long as people would keep giving money, and people kept giving money.
Though his age was a part of what made Captain Tom successful, his positive messages really brought hope to many people. “Remember, tomorrow is a good day,” he said.
Captain Tom had the Guinness World Record — the most money raised by an individual (个人) through a charity walk. He raised $29 million. Captain Tom became so popular in the UK that he got over 125,000 birthday cards. The Royal Mail was even humoring Captain Tom by putting a special postmark on all letters in the UK.
【小题1】Why did Thomas Moore make international headlines in 2020?【小题2】How did Captain Tom raise money?
【小题3】What brought hope to many people besides Captain Tom’s age?
【小题4】What Guinness World Record did Captain Tom have?
【小题5】What can you learn from Thomas Moore? (List two points.)
