PEOPLE

NOBLE SMUGGLER

     This Thursday, Irena Sendler will be honoured for her work as a smuggler（偷運者）. During World WarⅡ, the Polish social worker smuggled nearly2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto（聚居區(qū)）. She gave them new identities, found them safe places with good-hearted Christians, and kept the children’s real names buried in jars in her neighbours’ gardens.（The play, Life in a Jar, based on her story, is being performed.）At 93, Sendler lives in a Warsaw nursing home and is too weak to travel to Washington D.C., to receive the 2003 Jan Karski Award for Valorand Compassion from the American Center of Polish Culture. One of the children she saved will accept the award for her.

You risked your life to save the children.

I was taught by my father that when someone is drowning, you don’t ask if they can swim，you just jump in and help. During the war, everyone was drowning, but mostly the Jewish children.

How did you persuade parents to give up their children？

I had to answer honestly that I didn’t even know if we would get past the guards.

What was the most frightening moment？

When I saw a priest（牧師）in charge of an orphan age for Jewish children in the ghetto walk with them out to be killed. The children were in then best Sunday suits. The priest was killed with them.

How did you get the children to be have as you smuggled them out？

I told the older children to act as if they were sick and sometimes gave the younger ones a sleeping pill. They were told to remember their new names. I also told the children to tell guards they had only been visiting a servant in the ghetto and were going back to their real homes outside.

Did you tell your own two children what you did？

I never told them. Only when my daughter went to Israel did she learn all about me. I thought it was only normal to do so. And it was a very painful subject. It was always on my mind that I couldn’t do more.

——Samantha Levine

1. We can learn from the passage that Irena Sendler____.

A. will go to Washington to accept the award with her daughter

B. was caught a few times while she was rescuing the Jewish children

C. told those parents that their children’s lives would be guaranteed

D. saved thousands of Jewish children at the risk of her ownlife

2. The expression “everyone was drowning” can best be replaced by“______”.

A. everyone was involved in the war

B. all the people were drowned

C. people were facing danger and death

D. Jewish children were being killed

3. Which of the following could NOT be expected when Sendler was smuggling the Jewish children？

A. Some children were told to pretend to be sick in front of the guards.

B. Some children pretended to be returning home after visiting servants in the ghetto.

C. The children were asked to remember and use new names instead of real ones.

D. The children pretended to be brothers and sisters from one big family.

4. Sendler didn’t tell her own children what she did in the war because ______.

A. she thought it was the most frightening experience

B. the topic was too painful and heart-breaking to mention

C. it was already recorded and made known to the public

D. she planned to bury the secret in her heart until her death

二、句型轉(zhuǎn)換 ( 10分)

1. They pretended that they were barbers.

They pretended ____________ ______________ barber.

2. Honestly speaking, I don’t want to stay here any longer.

________ ________, I don’t want to stay here any longer .

3. In fact, I landed in Britain by accident．

In fact, I _________ ____________ land in Britain.

4. Because of the bad weather, a few students were absent from school.

The bad weather _________ __________ a few students’absence of school.

5. It would be wrong that I don’t trust a gentlman.

It would be wrong ________ me ________ _________ trust a gentlman.

This Christmas, maybe different from previous years, a strong desire drives me to make my own Christmas gifts. Honestly speaking, I’ve promised myself this more than once. As a crafter (工匠), I’ve frequently thought I am supposed to turn it into action. However, this year I really plan to stick to it. It’s partly because I run short of money. More importantly, I’ve recently returned from an inspiring trip around Britain, collecting some information about crafting for BBC’s Newsnight.

    Actually I planned the trip couples of months ago. The idea of traveling the country — making things as I went, meeting artists and craftspeople — sounded perfect to spend the summer. I’d pack a tent and a sewing machine and I’d set off. But by the time I determined my plans and hit the road, leaves made a sighing sound under foot. It seemed crazy to camp with winter on the way; Luckily, Newsnight viewers offered me accommodations in return for help with a craft task.

My tasks ranged from sewing worn-out clothes to making trousers. Textile students in Harpenden offered to pay for my petrol in return for a talk about hats. In Derby, Amy needed help to change an old pair of curtains.

I was really struck by people’s increasing enthusiasm for making things. When I asked some people if they could sew, only a few raised their hands. But when I asked who wanted to learn, nearly everyone responded positively, hoping to learn something practical.

Craft is definitely popular at the moment. But besides fashion, we’re learning to appreciate effort and quality again. Perhaps once people rediscover the pleasure to be gained from making something unique, it may stick.

Sue is director of quilts at the V&A, where next spring she’ll be putting on the museum’s first major quilting exhibition. Sue believes the return to crafting is related to how we rethink ourselves. “People, especially women, are beginning to think about the way they live their lives. It’s 40 years since the first women’s liberation(解放) conference was held in Oxford. Since then we’ve been in the workplace, and we’ve had the opportunity of choice. Now we’re carefully choosing to go back into the home.”

Whether you agree with that or not, there’s something about Christmas that brings out the artistic flavor(氣息) in everyone. Whether it’s baking bread or pies or decorating the halls or rooms, we’re all prepared to have a try at any time. So if you fancy having a different and joyful party or holiday and making a few presents, try these really simple ideas, each inspired by my recent journey there. They make small and interesting gifts, and take no longer than 30 minutes each. Enjoy Christmas songs and settle down with a cup of hot cocoa, and the cold is gone. You’ll save yourself a small quantity of money and spread a little bit of love, too!

1.Why did the author promise to make herself a Christmas gift this year?

A. She wanted to enjoy a different Christmas.

B. She wanted to make more money.

C. She was inspired by her trip for a BBC TV program.

D. She hoped to present herself with a surprise.

2.The author had her plans carried out and set out for Britain in ______.

A. spring                      B. summer                            C. fall                            D. winter

3.What happened during the author’s trip to Britain?

A. She met many artists and craftspeople on her way to Britain.

B. She spent a whole summer in Britain making crafts.

C. She was asked to sew clothes, and curtains and made much money.

D. Many people showed great interest in making things themselves.

4.According to the passage, people learn to ______ through crafting.

A. be grateful to what they have gained

B. keep up with fashion

C. stick to something interesting

D. know more information about craft

5.What is the author’s opinion on homemade Christmas presents?

A. Making Christmas presents can only convey a bit of your love.

B. People can find their artistic talent in making Christmas presents.

C. A cup of hot cocoa can inspire you to make a creative present.

D. It would take a long time to prepare a homemade Christmas present.

Four years ago, I felt lucky after escaping one of those terrible 2-mile runs. I hated running; it was just something that   1  came easily to me. At that time, if you had told me that I would one day run a marathon, I’ d have told you honestly that I had a better   2  of winning the lottery（彩票）.
The turning   3  came when I met Mrs. Green. She was fifty years old, going through chemotherapy（化學療法）for her cancer, and still managed to run 30 miles a week. I thought that if Mrs. Green could run 6 miles at a time, I could run at least two. In February, in cold weather, I started a 2-mile   4  around my neighborhood. Two months later, I   5  the running for the first time. I felt very tired, but I felt happy.
Over the next several years, I continued to push each run for a few   6  minutes, slowly building my endurance（耐力）. I didn’t need to  7  against other runners, for my most important competitor was myself.
After continuing to   8  myself, I knew it was time to step my training up. I   9  I would train for the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon.
The race day   10  came, and I was filled with excitement and worry. It was final time to see what I was made of. The   11  ended up surprisingly. I did   12  through the last few miles, but after my running, there was no doubt in my mind that I’d finished. As I   13  the finish line, I experienced the strongest sense of   14  and happiness I had ever had in my life. I am now a marathoner.
As John Bingham once said, “The miracle（奇跡）isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the   15  to start.”

Honestly speaking, I would agree with Shirley, though not ______.