Warm parties

四川双流中学 蒋建平

在洛杉矶的贫民区，随时都有成百上千的孩子流落街头或入住收容所。 而这对夫妇决定用他们自己的善行来点燃这些孩子心中的希望……

题材 体裁 文章词数 建议用时生活 记叙文 约460 9分钟

难词探意

1. foster /'fɒstə(r)/ v. 培养；抚育；促进

2. miscarry /,mɪs'kæri/ v. 流产

3. streamer /'striːmə(r)/ n. 装饰彩纸条

In Los Angeles's skid row, there are hundreds of children living on the streets or in shelters at any given time. It's a place where dreams go to die. However, Mary Davis and her husband Ari Kadin are determined to use their own experience with loss tofostera sense of hope.

In 2012, the couple were expecting their first child when Davismiscarried. But the couple, who were volunteering with adults in a skid row homeless shelter, refused to let their heartbreak break them. “We couldn't throw a birthday party for our child, so let's do it for the kids in the shelter,”Davis said to her husband. They took over a room in the Union Rescue Mission and filled it withstreamers, gifts, a cake—all the makings of a great party. The 15 kids who showed up had never had a single birthday party before, and they were so excited to have one now that they made their own music—singing and clapping and, of course, laughing.

Since then, the couple have thrown a party every month.They routinely attract 250 kids and their parents. They have to take over more rooms in the shelter and the rooftop. An hour before each party, volunteers arrive to set up the decorations and activities: face painting, balloons, music, cake,and pizza. There are small presents for the kids celebrating their birthdays that month, but Davis makes sure there are more than enough to go around. “I remember a mom came with her two kids,”Davis said. “It was their first night at the shelter, and her child had a birthday. We had an extra gift for her—pink headphones. The child was quite excited while the mom was crying. She said that they went through so much and didn't know what to expect. She really didn't expect a birthday party for her child.”

Doing her best to normalize these kids' lives is both heartwarming and bitter-sweet. Davis said， “We're on this rooftop. It's a beautiful view. The sky is gorgeous. You're above everything. But if you look down, you see homeless person after homeless person on the street, and it reminds you that these kids don't get to leave this area after the party.”

It may be why, after throwing 88 parties, she still cries after each one. “I want to bring all these kids home, but we have a very small apartment,” she joked. Davis and Kadin have two kids now,but she credits the kids in the shelter with helping her hold on to hope. “We didn't realize how much joy they were going to bring us, and that was so healing for us,” Davis said.

Reading Check

1. What does the underlined word “one” refer to in paragraph 2?

A. A cake. B. A streamer.

C. A gift. D. A birthday party.

2. What can we know about the party according to the text?

A. It was held every week.

B. It was held in the couple's apartment.

C. It was held to help the children in need.

D. It was held to make the kids leave the area.

3. Which of the following can best describe the couple?

A. Demanding. B. Warm-hearted.

C. Clever. D. Narrow-minded.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

Since then, the couple have thrown a party every month.

【信息提取】since then意为“自那时起”,常接现在完成时态。

【句式仿写】自那时起，我再也没见过她。