A
It wasn’t until Friends took off that I was a part of this extraordinary organization, St. Jude. And that was 25 years ago. I am very honored to be a part of St. Jude and I’ve been in love with it ever since.
Right around this time every fall I get to spend the day with a family of St. Jude. I always say it’s the best day of the year and the hardest day of the year. And a few years back I met a little girl named Sawyer. She was seven at the time and I remember she had this pink little dress on and these big angelic eyeballs. The chemo (化疗) had taken all of her hair and she had these tiny little tumors (肿瘤) on her body that she called her “bumps”.
She was just with me the whole time as we ran through the script again and again and again. And at the end of the day after hearing the word repeated over and over again, she looked up at me with those big blue eyeballs and she asked me, “What is cancer?” I just looked at her. Oh! I’m not equipped to answer this question. Here was this little girl who was fighting this deadly disease every single day and she didn’t even know what was the word for it. It was just part of her reality and she was just making the absolute best of it.
That’s what’s unbelievable about these children. Despite everything that they ate up against and as much pain as they’re often in, they are lively. They are joyful. They are fearless. And that’s part of the magic of St. Jude. I’m so honored to support their work because they’re giving children the best care on the planet so that they can regain their childhood, so that they can find their little inner superhero. They’re doing it at no cost so that the families can focus on their little ones, live without worrying about crippling hospital bills and their cutting edge treatments will soon one day find a cure. And that is what every child deserves to know, that they are seen, that they are powerful and are loved, that they deserve a seat at the table, that anything they have to say or any question they have to ask is of value, even if we don’t have all the answers for it.
So thank you very much for recognizing the work of this remarkable organization and for celebrating the power in each and every one of us. Thank you.
1. Which of the following can best describe the little girl named Sawyer?
A. Reliable. B. Humorous.
C. Considerate. D. Innocent.
2. From the text we can infer that St. Jude is home to ________.
A. teachers who are devoted to teaching
B. artists who have achieved great success
C. children who are struck by misfortune
D. students who are academically outstanding
3. The underlined word “crippling” in paragraph 4 probably means _________.
A. upsetting B. inspiring
C. exciting D. weakening
【答案】1. D 2. C 3. A
【解析】
本文是一篇演讲稿。这是著名演员詹妮弗·安妮斯顿发表的一段幽默又不失力量和温度的致辞，她讲述了在圣犹大组织中经历的一个故事以及自己的一些感受，介绍了圣犹大所做出的积极奉献和影响。
【1题详解】
推理判断题。根据第三段中的And at the end of the day after hearing the word repeated over and over again, she looked up at me with those big blue eyeballs and she asked me, “What is cancer?”可知，一天快结束的时候，在听到这个词被一遍又一遍地重复后，她用那双蓝色的大眼睛看着我，问我：“癌症是什么？”由此推知，身患癌症的小女孩索耶，却不知道癌症是什么，她是一个天真无邪的孩子。故选D。
【2题详解】
推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的And that’s part of the magic of St. Jude. I’m so honored to support their work because they’re giving children the best care on the planet so that they can regain their childhood, so that they can find their little inner superhero.可知，这就是圣犹大的魅力所在。我很荣幸能够支持他们的工作，因为他们给孩子们提供了这个星球上最好的照顾，这样他们就可以重拾童年，找到自己内心的超级英雄。由此推知，圣犹大是那些遭受不幸的孩子们的家。故选C。
【3题详解】
词句猜测题。根据划线词前的They’re doing it at no cost so that the families can focus on their little ones, live without worrying about及常识可知，给这些遭遇不幸的孩子进行治疗，会给家庭带来沉重的治疗费用。然而，他们这样做是免费的，这样家人就可以把精力集中在孩子身上，不用担心严重的医院费用。由此推知，划线词crippling与A项upsetting意思相近。故选A。
