Around three forty-five on a rainy Saturday morning, I was woken up by the sound of my pager(呼机) beeping. As a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician, I can never count on a full night of sleep. I pulled myself out of bed and went toward the desk to grab my radio. Our crew was being sent to a nearby home where a man was in cardiac arrest (心脏骤停). We found the man lying on the kitchen floor with his wife beside him. We rushed the patient to the hospital, but despite our efforts, we were unable to save his life.
In my line of life, I rarely get any recognition from the patients we treat, or from their loved ones. But that night, a man’s wife approached us, and through her tears, whispered, “Thank you.” Then she hugged each of us. She knew we answered her late-night call for help, even though the ending was not positive.
There is something deeply rewarding about helping people in these circumstances. Sometimes, I’m able to make their worst day a bit better: like seeing the tears of an injured child turn into a smile when I gave him an interesting toy; or watching a terrified mother’s screams turn into tears of joy when she realized her baby was going to be fine.
Experiences like these allow me to see the impact my work has on others. At the same time, I also know the effect it has had on my own life. As a teenager, I felt awkward when my dad hugged me and said, “ I love you, my dear son.” I was equally uncomfortable and responded, “I love you.” But then I imagined him lying on the kitchen floor that rainy night and realized that my opportunity to say those three words could—at any moment—be taken away forever. Now, I extremely treasure the moment when my father says those three words to me. I’ve learned to appreciate every relationship I have, to tell people I care about them, and to never take anything in life for granted.
1.On that rainy Saturday morning, the author was woken to ____________.
A. meet his father for the last time B. put out a really big fire
C. save a man’s life D. do a scientific experiment
2.The author mentioned the injured child and the terrified mother to show that________.
A. Life was not always pleasant
B. His help could bring people happiness
C. He saved a lot of people
D. They were very grateful to him
3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refers to ___________.
A. a rainy Saturday morning B. special love
C. others’ recognition D. the author’s work
4.According to this passage, we know that ___________.
A. The author’s work greatly influenced him
B. The author’s father died several years ago
C. The author regretted treating his patients badly
D. The author never treasured every relation with others
It was the belief ________ he could find his “root” in Africa _________ made Alex Haley decide to go to Gambia.
A. that; where B. where; that
C. that; that D. how; which
It is illegal for a public official to ask people for gifts or money _______ favors to them.
A. in preference to B. in place of
C. in agreement with D. in exchange for
The way the guests ___ in the hotel influenced their evaluation of the service.
A. treated
B. were treated
C. would treat
D. would be treated
Nowadays, there is a increase in children’s creativity, for they are greatly encouraged to develop their talents.
A. sharp B. slight
C. natural D. modest
He didn’t selfishly keep for himself the money inherited from his uncle. Instead, he made a ______ contribution to help the community.
A. commercial B. generous C. comparable D. profitable