Dear Reader,

Imagine an 11-year old girl whose days are often spent washing clothes, looking after a baby, working hard in the field.

Imagine a little girl who knows there will not be enough food for dinner, who can’t fill her stomach with water because it’s polluted, and who has watched life slip away from her father, little brother and sister because the family is too poor to see a doctor.

Is it hard to believe? For Maria Pastora, these are the real life.

Maria would gladly walk miles to school, but her mother, now alone, needs her badly at home. If Maria grows up without any schooling, what will be her future?

But for just 52 pennies a day, you can sponsor a child like Maria. Through “Save the Children”, you can help Maria’s mother get the tools and ways she needs to turn their poor food into a good dinner and the money she needs to buy clothes and school things for Maria.

To help Maria most, your money is put together with that of other sponsors, so hard-working people can help themselves. Build a school, a hospital…bring in clean water. This is what “Save the Children” has been about since 1932.

For you there are many rewards. Have the chance to write to or hear from your sponsored child. Receive photos or progress reports. Know you are reaching out to another person. Not with a handout(施舍物), but a “handup”. That’s how “Save the Children” works. But without you, it can’t work. Please take a moment now to fill in and post the form below to help a child like Maria and her village.

It can make such a difference in her life and yours.

1.We can most probably read the letter in __________.

A．somebody’s diary                      B．a newspaper

C．a progress report                       D．a storybook

2.From the passage, we can infer （推断）that _________

A．Maria is an 11-year-old girl.

B．Maria’s family is very poor.

C．Maria has to do a lot of hard work.

D．Maria is hoping to get schooling.

3.What is “Save the Children”?

A．An organization to help poor children go to school.

B．An office of the government to collect money.

C．A program shown at theatres to help the poor.

D．A group who works for children in poor places.

4.The underlined word “sponsor” means “__________” in Chinese.

A．回报             B．资助　　　　　    C．感恩　　　　      D．抢救

5.What does the last sentence in the letter mean?

A．If Maria goes to school, you will be rewarded.

B．What you give is more than what you take.

C．Both Maria’s life and yours will change a lot.

D．Marie and you can help each other at school.

A man got a new car and he was very proud 　26　 it. One day, when he 　27　 back home, he saw his three-year-old son 　28　 hitting the new car with a toy hammer. The man was 　29　 angry that he ran to his son, grabbed the hammer from 　30　, and used the hammer to hit the little boy’s hands too hard. The 　31　 boy cried out but his father didn’t care.
When the father 　32　, he took his son to the 　33　 as fast as he could. Although the doctor tried his best to save the 　34　 bones（骨头）, he had to cut the fingers from both of the boy’s hands in the end.
When the boy 　35　 in the hospital and saw his hands, he innocently(天真) said, “Dady, I’m sorry about your car.” Then he asked, “but 　36　 are my fingers going to grow back?” The father 　37　 very sad.
Think about the story when 　38　 steps on your feet or when you wish to take revenge(报复). Think first before you lose your patience with someone. Cars can 　39　, but broken bones and hurt feelings often can’t.
　　People often make mistakes. But we should remember that forgiveness is greater than revenge. 　40　 before act!