A tribute that travelled the world 环游世界的纪念石

张艳玲

2017年，苏珊·哈佩尔·博恩施泰特失去儿子时，她孤单、悲痛，后通过画岩石的方式悼念儿子并治愈自己。

主题语境：亲情篇幅：284词建议用时：5分钟

When Susan Happel Bohmstedt lost her son in 2017， she didn't expect the rocks she painted in tribute（悼念）to him to travel the world.

In March 2017， Susan Happel Bohrnstedt tragically lost her 19-year-old son Benjamin Parker. As his 20th birthday on the 9th of September approached， she found herself increasingly withdrawn and anxious about how she and her family would honour his life.

Then， the month before his birthday， she came across a Facebook post for “Evansville Rocks！”， which was a group of people in her town of Evansville， Indiana， who paint and then hide rocks to bring happiness to others. She joined and after a few weeks of seeing all the joy being shared， Susan decided this was the way she would honour her son.

“On Ben's birthday， my family and I got together， shared stories， laughed， cried and painted 20 rocks. Most had special meanings， and all were painted with love，”she said.

Susan did not expect “Rocks4Ben”，as she calls the painted rocks， to have had such a wide impact. People from Evansville have taken the rocks on their travels around theworld. “I can't even explain how awesome it is to see a photo of a rock I painted in Evansville， Indiana sitting on the steps of the Sydney Opera House， in front of the Great Pyramid in Egypt or mortared into the doorway of a family home in the Dominican Republic，”she said.

She added， “In painting rocks I've found healing， inspiration and some days a purpose—a reason to keep moving forward. There is peace because Ben is with me as I paint. Each rock is a tribute to him， and his name is on the back of every one.”

Reading Check

1. When did Susan find a Facebook post for “Evansville Rocks！”？

A. In February 2017.

B. In March 2017.

C. In August 2017.

D. In September 2017.

2. What can we know about people in Evansville？

A. They are born artists.

B. They travel all year round.

C. Their work is to honour the dead.

D. They are willing to help others.

3. How did Susan feel about Rocks4Ben's influence？

A. Unexpected.B. Relaxed.

C. Proud.D. Calm.

4. What do Susan's words in the last paragraph mainly focus on？

A. Her advice on painting rocks.

B. Her process of painting rocks.

C. Her difficulty in painting rocks.

D. Her motivation for painting rocks.

Language Study

I. Difficult sentence in the text

As his 20th birthday on the 9th of September approached， she found herself increasingly withdrawn and anxious about how she and her family would honour his life.隨着9月9日他20岁生日的临近，她发现自己越来越孤僻，为她和她的家人将如何纪念他而感到忧虑。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，As引导时间状语从句，withdrawn and anxious 作宾语补足语，how引导宾语从句，作介词about的宾语。

II. Text-centered chunks

in tribute to 纪念

be anxious about 为……而忧虑

come across 偶遇

a group of 一群

around the world 全世界

move forward 前进