A
Sally Dawly is a woman from Auburn, California. Over the last three and a half years, the anti-littering woman has spent most of her free time picking up cigarette butts (烟头) from the streets of her home city.
Called the “Butt Lady” by her local community, Dawly began her mission to rid the streets of her city of cigarette butts in October, 2014. The woman looked for cigarette butts, picked them up and threw them in the trash. To keep a count of how many butts she picks up, the Butt Lady has been using a tablet, and earlier this month, she hit a historic milestone—one million cigarette butts.
“I got tired of going on my walks and seeing cigarette butts everywhere, ” Sally Dawly said. “I’m just shocked that I had to pick up so many. I’ve ever picked up 3, 000 butts in one day, ” she said. “Don’t throw away your butts; better yet, stop smoking. ”
With so many cigarette butts littering the streets, can one person’s efforts really make a difference? Surprisingly, the answer seems to be yes. Soon after the Butt Lady of Auburn started her mission and word of her efforts spread, cigarette cans started appearing around bars and restaurants in the city. Members of the local community even came out to cheer her on as she approached her one-million-butt milestone.
Sally knows her city’s cigarette butt littering problem won’t be solved anytime soon, but she hopes her work will inspire people to at least think twice before dropping cigarette butts in the streets. She has decided to continue cleaning up after irresponsible smokers, and already has a new milestone in her sights—two million cigarette butts.
Word of the Butt Lady’s efforts to keep the streets cigarette butt-free has reached neighboring communities as well, and CBS Sacramento reports that other cities have started seeking her help as well.
【文章大意】本文是一篇记叙文。在美国加利福尼亚州有这样一位“烟头女士”, 她利用业余时间捡拾烟头, 并在最近捡到了第100万个烟头!
1. Why does Sally Dawly carry a tablet with her while picking up the butts?
A. To entertain the crowds.
B. To monitor the smokers.
C. To attract people’s attention.
D. To record the number of butts.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。由第二段中To keep a count of how many butts she picks up, the Butt Lady has been using a tablet一句可知为了记录自己捡到的烟头数量, the Butt Lady带了平板电脑。故选D。
2. How did Sally Dawly feel when picking up cigarette butts?
A. Excited but upset.
B. Shocked and sorry.
C. Frightened but content.
D. Astonished and desperate.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据第三段内容可知Sally很厌烦看到这么多烟头, 她对捡起来这么多数量的烟头感到震惊, 并且劝告大家最好不要吸烟。因此她的感受应该是“震惊和难过的”。故选B项。
3. From the text, what can be inferred about Sally Dawly?
A. She picks up nearly 3, 000 cigarette butts every day.
B. She will work in other cities in California in the future.
C. She has set a new goal of picking up two million cigarette butts.
D. She picked up one million cigarette butts with members of her community.
【解析】选C。细节理解题。根据倒数第二段and already has a new milestone in her sights—two million cigarette butts可知C项正确。
【知识拓展】易错警示
根据第三段. . . I’ve ever picked up 3, 000 butts in one day. . . 可知A项错误; 根据最后一段可知Sally的行动影响了邻近的城市, 但并不是她要去邻近的城市工作, 故B项错误; 根据倒数第三段Members of the local community even came out to cheer her on. . . 可知D项错误。故选C。
4. What is the text mainly about?
A. California’s “Butt Lady”.
B. Fighting against smoking.
C. California’s health problems.
D. Smoking problems in California.
【解析】选A。主旨大意题。本文讲了来自加利福尼亚州的一位女士在业余时间捡起了一百万个烟头, 并且获得了“烟头女士”的称号的故事, 故A项最恰当。
【知识拓展】佳词积累
1. mission n. 任务
2. milestone n. 里程碑
长难句分析
Sally knows her city’s cigarette butt littering problem won’t be solved anytime soon, but she hopes her work will inspire people to at least think twice before dropping cigarette butts in the streets.
分析: 本句是一个复合句。but是并列连词, 前后是分句。分句中都含有宾语从句。
翻译: 萨莉知道城市乱扔烟头的问题不会很快解决。但是她希望她的工作至少能激励人们在往街道上扔烟头之前要三思。
