Question

    On a flight from Dallas, Texas, to Cincinnati, Ohio, to visit a friend in 2008, event planner Paige Chenault daydreamed about the grand birthday parties she’d throw for her daughter one day. (Paige was five months pregnant at the time.) Then, flipping through a magazine, she saw a photo of an impoverished Haitian boy, skinny. “I thought, this kid has nothing,” Paige says.

The image stayed with her, andshe resolved to do something to help. “I decided I would use my talents to throw birthday parties for homeless kids,” Paige says. For the next four years, Paige and her husband, Colin, took time out from parenthood to visit shelters to determine how best to pull off the parties.

Finally, in January 2012, Paige launched the Birthday Party Project, a nonprofit organization, and recruited friends and family to help decorate Dallas’s 75-occupant Family Gateway Shelter with balloons and streamers, celebrating the birthdays of 11 boys and girls, with 60 more homeless kids in attendance. “That first party was better than I could have ever imagined,” says Paige.

Now Paige and her staff of three paid employees work with regional volunteers to plan monthly themed parties at 15 shelters across the country, some of which house abused or abandoned kids. Each child celebrating a birthday that month gets a$30 gift, a decorative place mat, and an individual cake or cupcake.

One of Paige’s favorite parts of each party is when the kids make a wish and blow out the candles. “They rarely get a chance to dream big,” says Paige.

Her daughter, Lizzie, now seven, often helps out at the parties. Paige says, “The one thing I’ve always wanted is for my kid to be generous.”

1.What was it that made Paige want to help the homeless children?

A. A flight from Dallas to Ohio. B. Her daughter’s birthday.

C. The photo of a Haitian boy. D. Her talent for throwing parties.

2.What does the underlined word “impoverished” mean?

A. adorable B. poor

C. talented D. dead

3.What can be learnt from the passage?

A. A total of 75 full-time workers are employed by Paige at present.

B. After unsuccessful attempts, Paige finally threw a wonderful party for the homeless kids.

C. Kids can spend $30 to celebrate their birthday.

D. Paige commits herself to the cause of helping the homeless kids.

4.What kind of person do you think Paige is?

A. Caring and sensitive. B. Competent and loyal.

C. Kind and perseverant. D. Responsible and disciplined.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文为记叙文。2008年，在从得克萨斯州达拉斯飞往俄亥俄州辛辛那提看望朋友的航班上，活动策划人佩吉·切诺特梦想着有一天能为女儿举办盛大的生日派对（佩吉当时怀孕五个月）。然后，她翻阅一本杂志，看到了一张照片，照片上是一个贫穷的海地男孩，瘦骨嶙峋。于是就开始了帮助那些孩子们的行动。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中的The image stayed with her, and she resolved to do something to help.（那张照片一直伴随着她，她决定做点什么来帮忙）可知，杂志上那个瘦骨嶙峋的海地男孩让佩吉决定帮助那些无家可归的孩子们。故C选项正确。

2.词义猜测题。根据划线词句中的skinny（瘦骨嶙峋）及下文I thought, this kid has nothing（我想，这个男孩一无所有）可知，此处意为“一个贫穷的海地男孩”。A. adorable可爱的，可敬重的；B. poor贫穷的，可怜的；C. talented有才能的；D. dead无生命的。故B选项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据第二段中的I decided I would use my talents to throw birthday parties for homeless kids（我决定利用我的才能为无家可归的孩子举办生日派对）以及接下来四个月她和丈夫所做的努力，后期所组织的生日派对可知，佩吉一直致力于帮助无家可归的孩子们。故D选项正确。

4.推理判断题。佩吉一直致力于帮助无家可归的孩子们，由此可知，她是一个善良而又锲而不舍的人。故C选项正确。