Ida Nelson and her sister were relaxing and enjoying themselves in the sauna ( 桑拿室 ) when she heard a series of long low sounds from a small airplane circling the nearby airport.
It was 11:30 at night in the Alaskan village of Igiugig, population 70, and, as she told the reporter, “Any time a plane flies over that late, you know something is wrong.”
Nelson and her sister leaped out of the sauna, ran to the window, and saw the problem: The airport’s runway lights were out.
Nelson threw on some clothes, jumped into her ATV, and floored it to the airport, where she found a local pilot trying to turn on the lights manually.
“Normally, if you push the button 10 or 15 times, the lights will just light up,” Nelson told KTOO out of Juneau. Not this time. Meanwhile, she and the pilot learned of the plane’s urgent mission: It was a medevac ( 医疗救护直升机 ), there to transport a seriously ill local girl to the nearest hospital, 280 miles away in Anchorage.
Nelson had a plan. Driving her ATV to the end of the runway, she shone her headlights for the plane to follow. Great idea, but it wasn’t enough. More light was needed, so a neighbor called nearly every home in the village—32 of them.
Within 20 minutes, 20 vehicles arrived at the airport, many of the drivers still in pajamas ( 睡衣 ). Following directions from the medevac pilot, the cars lined up on one side of the runway.
The medevac made its final approach and, guided by the headlights, landed safely. The young patient was loaded onto the aircraft, and the plane immediately took off again. Her illness was never publicly revealed, but she has since been released from the hospital.
In a world filled with uncertainty, the little community’s positive activism was a big deal. Not so much for Nelson. As she told the reporter, in Igiugig, coming together “is kind of a normal deal.”
1 . What problem did the medevac have?
A . It arrived late. B . Its lights were broken.
C . It couldn’t land safely. D . It needed a local pilot.
2 . What was Nelson’s plan to help?
A . Helping the pilot to repair the lights.
B . Calling her neighbors to help together.
C . Shining the headlights for the plane to follow.
D . Sending the seriously ill girl to the hospital in her ATV.
3 . What does the story intend to tell us?
A . Knowledge starts with practice.
B . A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C . Nothing is impossible to the man who will try.
D . A small act of kindness can make a big difference.
1 . C
2 . C
3 . D
【分析】
本文为记叙文。文章讲解了艾达 · 纳尔逊和她的妹妹帮助救护直升机安全着陆,使得飞机把重病的女孩送到医院。这个故事想告诉我们一个小小的善举可以带来很大的影响。
1. 推理判断题。根据第三段 “Nelson and her sister leaped out of the sauna, ran to the window, and saw the problem: The airport’s runway lights were out. (尼尔森和她的妹妹跳出桑拿房,跑到窗前,发现了问题所在 : 机场的跑道灯熄灭了) ” 和第四段 “Nelson threw on some clothes, jumped into her ATV, and floored it to the airport, where she found a local pilot trying to turn on the lights manually. (尼尔森穿上衣服,跳上她的沙滩车,踩着油门驶向机场,在那里她发现一名当地飞行员正试图手动开灯) ” 以及倒数第二段 “The medevac made its final approach and, guided by the headlights, landed safely. (救护直升机在前灯的指引下完成了最后的着陆) ” 可推知,因为机场跑道的灯熄灭了,医疗救护直升机无法安全着陆,最后在前灯的指引下完成了最后的着陆。故选 C 项。
2. 细节理解题。根据第六段 “Nelson had a plan. Driving her ATV to the end of the runway, she shone her headlights for the plane to follow. (尼尔森有一个计划。她开着她的沙滩车走到跑道的尽头,她点亮车头灯,让后面的飞机跟着) ” 可知,尼尔森的计划是点亮沙滩车前灯,让飞机跟随着过来。故选 C 项。
3. 推理判断题。根据最后一段 “In a world filled with uncertainty, the little community’s positive activism was a big deal. (在一个充满不确定性的世界里,这个小社区的积极行动是一件大事) ” 可知,这个小社区的积极行动产生很大影响,因此,这个故事想告诉我们一个小小的善举可以带来很大的影响。故选 D 项。
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力;适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
Passage outline | Supporting details |
The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51.. |
52. with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53. old men’s premature death. • When 54. from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55. activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56. to them. • Think about how to57. depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58., to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59.to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60. social life. |