拇指英语说， 分享英语学习心得，技巧和方法。让英语学习变得更有趣，更简单。
在英语学习中，阅读是学生获得英语知识，提高英语能力与素养的重要途径。通过阅读，学生们可以增强语感、积淀文化知识，提高学生跨文化交际能力，从而整体提高他们的英语综合能力。
为增加阅读素材的多元化，拇指英语说特推出“报刊时文阅读素材积累系列”。众所周知，报刊阅读的材料内容丰富，真实感和时效性强，语言地道，话题轻松活泼，贴近学生生活。因此，报刊阅读是对校内英语教材的有益补充，有利于培养学生的阅读兴趣，提高阅读技能。本系列适合小学高年级至初中年级学生。按阅读难度，分为一星（小学高年级），二星（初中低年级）和三星（初中高年级）。
[来源】Teens
[主题语境】家庭亲子
[难度系数】 **
【Sharing seconds】分享时刻
比起给予物质财富，父母对孩子的关爱更加重要，因为只有父母的呵护才能够涵养孩子的精神世界。
Reading
As a young man, Al was a skilled potter (陶工). He had a wife and two sons. But one night, his oldest son died of a sudden illness. To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his 6-year-old son. The pain was more than Al could stand, and he turned to alcohol (酒). In time, Al became an alcoholic.
Day by day, AI began to lose everything he had – his home, his job, his art, everything. In the end, Al died alone in a motel (汽车旅馆) room.
When I heard of Al’s death, I thought, “What a complete failure!”
As time went by, Al’s son Ernie grew up. He is one of the kindest and most caring men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free flow of love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.
I hadn’t heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to defend an alcoholic. One day I asked him, “I’m really puzzled by something,” I said. “I know your father was basically the only one to raise you. What on earth did he do that you became such a good person?”
Ernie sat quietly for a while. Then he said, “From my earliest memories as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‘I love you, son.’”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to judge Al as a failure. He had not left any material possessions (物质财富) behind. But he had been a kind and loving father, and he left behind one of the finest men I have ever known.
【Treasure box】
- defend v. 辩护
- puzzled adj. 迷惑不解的
- basically adv. 基本上
- judge v. 评判，判断
Difficult sentences:
- When I heard of Al’s death, I thought, “What a complete failure!”
释义：当我听说AI去世的消息时，我想“他可真是一个彻头彻尾的失败者！”
点拨：What a complete failure! 是一个感叹句，即：What + (a/an) + adj. + n. + 主语 + 谓语，用来表达喜悦、惊讶等情感。failure 作名词，指“失败”或“失败的人或事”。
例句： What a sunny day it is!
2.What on earth did he do that you became such a good person?
释义：他究竟是做了什么让你成为这么好的人的？
点拨：on earth 固定用法，意为“究竟，到底”，常置于 what，when 等疑问词之后，以加强语气。
例句： What on earth is going on here?
【 Comprehension test 】
1. Why did Al become an alcoholic?
A. Because his son died as a result of his carelessness.
B. Because he was too sad to deal with his broken family.
C. Because he couldn’t support his younger son by himself.
D. Because he failed to become a successful artist.
2. What does the underlined sentence mean?
A. Kindness and caring did not just appear on their own.
B. It is difficult to find out how kindness and caring form.
C. Most people were born with kindness and caring.
D. Nothing can stop feelings of kindness and caring.
3. Which of the following would the author agree with?
A. It was Al’s fault that his wife decided to leave him.
B. He hadn’t expected the younger son to be so kind.
C. He realized that Al was a complete failure.
D. He still doubts how AI could raise such a good son.
4. What does the story tell us?
A. A failed father can have a successful son.
B. Don’t judge others by their material possessions.
C. A loving father will give his child the gift of kindness.
D. It’s important to leave something useful behind after death.
Vocabulary in use
Fill in the blanks:
5. My mother was an amazing woman. She r________ three of us kids on her own.
6. His family is struggling to make ends meet. __________ __________ __________ __________ (让事情更加糟糕的是), his mother is very ill.
7. How ________ ________ (到底) did he pass the exam?
8. People are worried about getting ________ ________ (被落下) right now.
Keys:
1-4 B A B B 5. raised, 6. to make matters worse, 7. on earth, 8. left behind
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