A tiny house gives them hope一隅小屋，无限希望

孙启禄

主題语境：公益事业 篇幅：342词 建议用时：7分钟

“1 There was a morning when our son asked for a glass of milk and I knew I didn't haveany to give him，” says Erica Lacerda de Souza. The 32?year?old Brazilian and her husband，Bruce Lee Sousa， 28， sold both of their cars， closed their wine shop and sent their sonHenrique， then 6 years old， to live with his grandmother in the east end of S?o Paulo. Witha few changes of clothes in a backpack and nowhere to go， the two ended up living at S?oPaulos downtown Barra Funda Terminal. That was in July 2020.

2 Three years later， their life has had a remarkable turnaround. For the past six months，Lacerda de Souza and Lee Sousa have lived withtheir son in a tiny home. They're one of 37 familiesin the Anhangabaú neighborhood to benefitfrom a new program in S?o Paulo called VilaReencontro. It's one of the ways this city of 12million is trying to help its rising number of unhousedpeople. The tiny houses of S?o Paulo are part of a global effort to find homes forthose unhoused people around the world.

3 Its shelters constantly overflowing， S?o Paulo wanted a program that would not onlyput a roof over people's heads but also give them a fresh start. With that in mind， the citycreated and funded Vila Reencontro in December 2022. While there， unhoused people not only receive shelter and meals but also the support of other social services provided by thecity.

4 Lee Sousa is now taking part in a work program and hopes to soon start a job with thecity as a public health agent working with the unhoused. He eventually wants to go back tocollege to become a social worker. Lacerda de Souza wants to study again too， to become apsychologist. They hope to be back on their feet in fewer than two years and to earn backeverything they lost. Because of their tiny home， they say they have a sense of security andhope.

Reading

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1. Why did Lacerda de Souza and Lee Sousa live at a terminal？

A. They tried to sell more wine.

B. They wanted to benefit from the Vila Reencontro program.

C. They needed a fresh start and support from social services.

D. They had nowhere else to go and were homeless.

2. What is the purpose of the Vila Reencontro program in S?o Paulo？

A. To provide shelter and meals for unhoused people.

B. To offer job opportunities to individuals.

C. To provide college education for poor families.

D. To create tiny homes for childless people.

3. What does the underlined word“ them” in paragraph 3 refer to？

A. Tiny houses. B. Voluntary programs.

C. Modern cities. D. Homeless people.

4. What is Lacerda de Souza's future goal？

A. To work as public health agents with the city.

B. To earn back everything they lost in less than two years.

C. To become a psychologist.

D. To participate in the Vila Reencontro program.

Language

Study

Ⅰ. 日積月累

unhoused adj. 无家可归的

shelter n. 避难所

remarkable adj. 卓越的；非凡的

turnaround n. 转变；好转

benefit v. 受益；获益

psychologist n. 心理学家

fresh start 新的开始

social service 社会服务

sense of security 安全感

Ⅱ. 语法填空

The article discusses the story of a Brazilian couple， Erica Lacerda de Souza andBruce Lee Sousa， 1. __________went from being homeless to living in a tiny home in S?oPaulo. They had to sell their cars， close their business， 2.__________send their son to livewith his grandmother. After 3.__________（third） years， they became part of a program calledVila Reencontro， which aims 4.__________（provide） housing and support for the unhousedin S?o Paulo. At just under 194 square feet—slightly 5.__________（small） than a one?car garage—the tiny home 6.__________the family now lives gives them enough space for a jointliving. It has a bedroom， a kitchenette with a fridge， a sink and two burners for cooking anda bathroom with a hot shower.

The program 7.________（offer） shelter， meals， and access to social services. LeeSousa is now participating 8.________a work program and aims to work as a publichealth agent for the unhoused. Lacerda de Souza also plans to study and become9.________psychologist. They hope to recover and rebuild their lives within two years.The initiative of providing tiny homes is part of a 10.________（globe） effort to help thosehomeless people.