Question

    In 2012, Mary Davis, who works at an enrichment center .for young children, and her husband, Ari Kadin, who is in property management, were expecting their first child when Davis miscarried （流产）. They were desperately heartbroken. But the couple, who were volunteering with adults in a Skid Row homeless shelter, refused to let their heartbreak break them.

"In 2013, our child would have been one year old,” says Davis, 38, "and we kept seeing these kids at the shelter, and I said to my husband, 'We couldn't throw a birthday party for our child, so let's do it for these kids. '"

They took over a room in the Union Rescue Mission and filled it with streamers （飘带）， gifts, a cake — all the makings of a great party. Since then, the couple has thrown a party every month. They routinely attract 250 kids and their parents. An hour before each party, volunteers arrive to set up the decorations and activities: face painting, balloon artists, a DJ, cake, and pizza. There are small presents for the kids celebrating their birthdays that month, but Davis makes sure there are more than enough to go around.

"I remember a mom came with her two kids," Davis says, “and her child had a birthday. We had an extra gift for her—pink headphones. The little girl was so excited that she was jumping up and down. And her mom …she's crying, 'Yesterday was her birthday. I had nothing to give her. I really didn't expect a birthday party for my child.'"

Doing her best to normalize（使正常化）these kids' lives is both heartwarming and bittersweet. Davis says, "If you look down, you see so many homeless people on the street, which reminds you that these kids don't get to leave this area after the party. "It may be why, after throwing 88 parties, she still cries after each one.

1.Why did the couple volunteer in a Skid Row homeless shelter in 2013?

A.Because they love children.

B.Because they are warm-hearted.

C.Because they enjoy the procedure of helping others.

D.Because they didn't want to be stuck in the pain of loss.

2.What do we learn from the passage?

A.Davis' child is 8 years old now.

B.The kids' parents are volunteers in the shelter.

C.Davis always prepares to get more presents for the kids.

D.The mother was very grateful to the couple for what they did for her kid.

3.How long have the couple volunteered to hold parties for the kids according to the passage?

A.Less than 6 years.

B.Less than 7 years.

C.Nearly 7 and a half years.

D.Nearly 8 years.

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A.The kids won't leave the shelter after the party.

B.Davis doesn't want the kids to be homeless again.

C.Davis always sees many homeless people on the street.

D.Davis cries after each party because she suffers a lot in the volunteer activities.

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.C

4.B

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了一对夫妇失去孩子后，把失去孩子的痛苦转化为力量，去帮助别的无家可归的孩子的故事。

1.

细节理解题。根据第一段They were desperately heartbroken. But the couple, who were volunteering with adults in a Skid Row homeless shelter, refused to let their heartbreak break them. 可知2013年，这对夫妇去贫民窟的无家可归者收容所做志愿者是因为这对夫妇不想一直沉浸在这种失去孩子的痛苦之中。故选D。

2.

推理判断题。根据倒数第二段And her mom …she's crying, 'Yesterday was her birthday. I had nothing to give her. I really didn't expect a birthday party for my child.'（她妈妈……她在哭，“昨天是她的生日。我没有东西可以给她。我真的没想到会为我的孩子举办生日派对。”）可知这位妈妈因为没有为孩子准备生日礼物而遗憾，而Davis为孩子举行生日聚会，并送了生日礼物，她应该非常感激Davis为她弥补了遗憾而哭泣。由此推断出，这位母亲非常感激这对夫妇为她孩子所做的一切。故选D。

3.

推理判断题。根据第三段Since then, the couple has thrown a party every month.（从那以后，这对夫妇每月都举办一次聚会。）和最后一段最后一句It may be why, after throwing 88 parties, she still cries after each one.（也许这就是为什么在举办了88场派对之后，她每次都要哭的原因。）可知这对夫妇为孩子们举办聚会已经88个月，也就是七年四个月，将近七年半。故选C。

4.

推理判断题。根据最后一段Doing her best to normalize（使正常化）these kids' lives is both heartwarming and bittersweet. Davis says, "If you look down, you see so many homeless people on the street, which reminds you that these kids don't get to leave this area after the party.（尽自己最大的努力让这些孩子的生活正常化，这既让人感到温暖，也让人感到苦乐参半。Davis说:“如果你往下看，你会看到很多无家可归的人在街上，这提醒你，这些孩子在派对后不能离开这个地区。”）由此推知，Davis不想让孩子们再次无家可归。故选B。