(2021年广东省广州八区调研考试)
When Rachel Ratelle saw a news video of a burned koala trying to climb a tree to safety in fire-ravaged(火灾肆虐的)Australia, she decided to do something about it.
She looked up wildlife rescue and relief agencies in Australia to find out what they needed most.Besides donations, many organizations asked for hand-sewn and knitted pouches(袋子)and wraps for koalas and other animals that were burned or had lost their homes and parents in the fires.
This idea attracted Ratelle, but there was just one problem.
“I’d never sewn in my life，” said Ratelle, 17, a senior at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, US.“Giving money seemed like something too simple.But I wanted to directly help these animals by doing something myself, so I decided to learn how to sew.”
Over the next few months, Ratelle bought her own sewing machine and taught herself how to sew via videos online.Then she bought 18 yards of fabric and sewed 25 pouches of different sizes and shipped them off to Fir Australian Wildlife Needing Aid (FAWNA), one of several relief organizations that have rushed to rescue koalas, kangaroos and other species suffering from bums.A week later, she received a photo from FAWNA with a baby kangaroo in one of her larger pouches.“It made me feel like I contributed to the world and it showed how a simple act of kindness can go a long way，” said Ratelle, who hopes to study biology for a future career as a nurse practitioner.
“I plan to use my new sewing skills to help animals and people devastated by natural disaster，” she said.
Several craft union websites around the world have called for Australian relief by making the animal pouches.Karen Newberry and her two daughters Madison, 12 and Rochelle, 8, from San Diego also offered their help in such a way.For Newberry, “It was a big push that made us crafters, sewers realize there’s something more we can do than just make things for ourselves，” she said.
( )1.What do the first two paragraphs mainly talk about?
A．What inspired Ratelle to learn to sew.
B．What is needed to save koalas and other species.
C．The poor living conditions of wild animals in Australia.
D．Different ways to help koalas and other animals in Australia.
( )2.How did Ratelle feel when she received a photo from FAWNA?
A．Surprised. B．Calm.
C．Proud. D．Moved.
( )3.What does the underlined word “devastated” mean?
A．Ruined. B．Challenged.
C．Reduced. D．Abandoned.
( )4.What do Newberry’s words in the last paragraph suggest?
A．People should stay united through difficult times.
B．Life is not easy for crafters and sewers in Australia.
C．It is challenging for crafters and sewers to do relief work.
D．Crafters and sewers can do more to help animals.
