A great young pilot 了不起的少年飞行员

张世玉

16歲的飞行员TJ Kim驾驶着飞机为有需要的乡村医院带去急需的物资， 帮助那里的医务人员抗击疫情。

主题语境：社会公益篇幅：364词建议用时：7分钟

TJ Kim can't play lacrosse as COVID-19 has taken the sport away. At the age of 16， he can't drive alone.

But Kim can “fly”. And he has turned his flying lessons into missions of mercy， bringing desperately needed supplies to rural hospitals in need. Each week， he carries gloves， masks，gowns and other equipment to small hospitals. When he made his first delivery to a 25- bed hospital in Luray on March 27， he was taken aback by the reception. “Everyone wants to send donations to hospitals in the big city，”he said. “Every hospital is hunting for supplies， but it's rural hospitals that really feel forgotten.”

Like high school students across the country， Kim was disheartened when school and activities were shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In Kim's case， the shutdown ended his lacrosse season before it ever really got started. Kim， 16， a sophomore at Landon School in Bethesda， Maryland， brainstormed with his family in McLean， Virginia， about ways to keep active， and to serve the community while he had the time.

They settled on Operation SOS—Supplies Over Skies. The most recent flight carried 3，000 gloves and 1，000 head covers to Winchester to help supply a hospital in nearby Woodstock. The goal， he said， is to make deliveries to all seven rural hospitals in Virginia defined as critical access hospitals.

Kim's flight instructor， Dave Powell， said he was blown away when his student first proposed the project， especially since he knew how disappointed Kim had been with the cancellation of lacrosse season. “For Kim， to be more concerned about the needs of others in his melancholy state just showed me how amazing this young man is，”Powell said.

Kim's father， Thomas， has helped round up supplies-the hardest part of the operation， according to his son. It was Thomas who bought Kim a flying lesson for his 15th birthday. He fell in love with the sky.

Indeed， his flying is farther along than his driving. His preference for flying over driving is clear. “It，s a lot more free，”Kim said. “When you're driving， you have to be in your lane and watch your blind spot and everything.”

Reading Check

1. What left Kim the deepest impression on March 27？

A. The dilemma of rural hospitals.

B. The quantity of medical supplies.

C. The cancellation of lacrosse season.

D. The way he was received by the hospitals.

2. What's the attitude of Kim's family to his flight project？

A. Doubtful.B. Supportive.

C. Opposed.D. Uninterested.

3. What does the underlined word “melancholy”mean in paragraph 5？

A. Cheerful.B. Satisfied.

C. Unhappy.D. Courageous.

4. Why does Kim like flying better than driving？

A. Flying gives him a broader view.

B. Flying allows him more freedom.

C. Flying is becoming a popular sport.

D. Flying promises him a brighter future.

Language Study

I. Difficult sentence in the text

Kim， 16， a sophomore at Landon School in Bethesda， Maryland， brainstormed with his family in McLean， Virginia， about ways to keep active， and to serve the community while he had the time.16歲的金是马里兰州贝塞斯达兰登学校一名高二的学生。他和居住在弗吉尼亚州麦克莱恩的家人一起讨论如何在空闲的时候保持积极，同时又能为社区服务。

【点石成金】本句是一个复合句，a sophomore at Landon School in Bethesda， Maryland 是同位语，brainstormed是谓语动词，ways后面的两个动词不定式都是后置定语，while引导时间状语从句。

II. Text-centered chunks

take away带走;剥夺

turn...into 把……变成

take...aback 使……震惊

hunt for猎取;寻找

shut down 关闭

keep active保持活跃

blow...away给……留下深刻印象

be concerned about 关心……

round up集合;收集

fall in love with 爱上……