如果注定失明

江丽

在失明前的日子里，他们还可以留存更多的美景在脑海中。

主题语境：日常生活 篇幅：366词 建议用时：7分钟

1 Laurent Pelletier experienced a year long trip through Africa， Asia and the MiddleEast with his parents and three older siblings， Mia， Léo and Colin. The childrens experiences，filled with colour， shape， touch and smell， are especially important to them. Theyhave been diagnosed with a disease that has no effective treatment as it gradually robs themof their sight. And so the idea of a year long trip was born， one that would show the kids theworld， not through picture books and lectures in a classroom， but in person and close upwhile the kids could still see it.

2 In early 2022， they were ready. Edith and Sébastianquit their jobs， rented out their home for the next year andgathered textbooks so the kids could study French andmathematics a few times a week. The rest of the time， they‘dbe learning from the world around them—the best teacherof all. Travelling with four children wouldnt be cheap， butthey would save money by camping， staying in hostels， guest houses and even a Mongolianyurt made from goatskin.

3 Over the months， that world constantly unveiled itself. They played patty （小餡饼）cake with uniformed schoolchildren in Botswana， and while in Tanzania， they danced withMaasai tribesmen and stayed on a banana farm. In Thailand， Mia touched an elephant， callingout in surprise at how rough it felt. Each day， Edith and Sébastian watched their kidschange， physically and emotionally. Mia grew taller and needed more independence. BothLéo and Colin became more confident and outgoing， unafraid to engage with strangers， kickaround a football with locals and try new food. The family itself grew more tight knit andprotective of each other.

4 By the time the trip began to wind down early this year， the family had travelled83，700 kilometres and visited 13 countries. The kids reflected on what they had learnedabout the world and themselves.“ There‘s a lot of suffering and poverty， but there are lots ofgood and interesting things， too，” says Colin.“ Kids are kids everywhere， just like us， butwith their own customs and traditions.” Mia nods her head“. This has been a magic year wellremember for the rest of our lives.”

ReadingCheck

1. What motivated Laurent Pelletier‘s family to embark on a year long trip？

A. Their love for camping and adventure.

B. The opportunity to study French and mathematics abroad.

C. The desire to experience the world before losing the childrens sight.

D. The need to escape their jobs and everyday routine.

2. How did the family save money during their trip？

A. They rented out their home and stayed in hostels.

B. They worked part time jobs in the countries they visited.

C. They received sponsorship from local organizations.

D. They relied on donations from friends and family.

3. What did the family do during their trip？

A. They attended cultural classes in each country they visited.

B. They explored ancient ruins and museums in various countries.

C. They volunteered for humanitarian projects in local communities.

D. They played patty cake with schoolchildren in Botswana.

4. How did the children change and grow during the trip？

A. They became more lonely.

B. They developed a deeper appreciation for their own traditions.

C. They became physically stronger and more independent.

D. They lost interest in learning and studying.

LanguageStudy

Ⅰ. 日积月累

siblings n. 兄弟姐妹

effective adj. 有效的

treatment n. 治療

sight n. 视力

hostel n. 廉价招待所

unveil v. 揭示

Thailand n. 泰国

physically adv. 身体上

emotionally adv. 情感上

independence n. 独立

the Middle East 中东

in person 亲自

guest house 客栈

Mongolian yurt 蒙古包

Ⅱ. 语法填空

Laurent Pelletier‘s family had a life‘changing trip through Africa， Asia and the MiddleEast. 1. ______ （motivate） by the fact that the children were gradually losing their sightdue 2. ______an incurable disease， the family wanted to show them the world first handbefore it became 3. ______ （difficulty） for them to see. They prepared for the trip by4. ______ （quit） their jobs， renting out their home 5.  gathering textbooks forthe childrens studies. Throughout their journey， they experienced a multitude of adventures，6. ______playing with schoolchildren in Botswana to dancing with Maasai tribesmenin Tanzania. The children‘s physical and 7.______（emotion） growth was evident as8. ______ （them） became more independent， confident， and open to new experiences.The trip covered 83，700 kilometers and spanned 13 countries， 9. ______ （offer） the familya profound understanding of both the challenges and wonders of the world. It became amagical experience 10. ______they would cherish forever， strengthening the bondswithin their tightknit family.