奇速英语官网—英语在线学习平台_让学英语更快乐_更快速

A retired salesman Chris Harmon, 75, was sent the letter by an American pen pal when he was a young boy living in East Sussex, but it took 66 years to finally reach him. The letter was recently discovered at a charity shop in Dorchester, Dorset, after being handed in as part of Weldmar Hospicecare’s stamp collection fundraising activity. A diligent volunteer saw the postcard was addressed to a “Chris Harmon” and searched for him on Facebook. He messaged Mr Harmon, from Pershore, Worcestershire, on the off-chance the document was meant for him and the pair were delighted to realize it was.

The letter with a Grand Central Station marking and old air mail stamp reveals American Fred Kendall had more luck receiving a pair of Dutch shoes from his boyhood friend. Mr Harmon, who spent his childhood in Peacehaven, was excited to at last receive the October 13 reply from Mr Kendall, who signs off as ‘Uncle Fred’ despite not being related and promises a 10th birthday present. The pair remained pen pals across the Atlantic until the 1970s, when they lost contact. Mr Harmon had tried unsuccessfully to track down New Jersey’s Mr Kendall who was a publisher from Short Hills, on a visit to the US in 2007, but has since discovered that his friend had died a number of years ago.

He thanked the hospice, which provides end of life care in Dorset, for finding him and passing on the postcard. The retired salesman explained, “I was absolutely elated when I got the message telling me about the postcard. I could not believe what I was reading. It was just so out of the blue. The card was addressed to Barclays Bank House in Peacehaven, Sussex, which is where I lived as a child. I have no idea how it ended up in a hospice charity in Dorset and I would love to find out more about it. It really is quite bizarre. I am very grateful to the team at Weldmar for tracking me down and sending me the postcard.”

1.What can we learn about Chris Harmon?

A He served as a volunteer in a charity shop.

B He met his childhood pen pal in East Sussex.

C He unexpectedly received a postcard of 1955.

D He fell in love with stamp collection after retirement.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章第一段第一句A retired salesman Chris Harmon, 75, was sent the letter by an American pen pal when he was a young boy living in East Sussex, but it took 66 years to finally reach him. 可知，75岁的退休售货员克里斯•哈蒙（Chris Harmon）收到美国笔友寄来的一封信，当时他还是个小男孩，住在东萨塞克斯郡（East Sussex），但他却花了66年才终于收到来信（即1955年寄出的信件），故选C。

2.How did Chris Harmon know about the long-lost postcard?

A Through a local newspaper.

B Through a news report on TV.

C Through a notice for missing persons.

D Through a stranger’s message on Facebook.

解析：选D。细节理解题。根据文章第一段A diligent volunteer saw the postcard was addressed to a “Chris Harmon” and searched for him on Facebook. He messaged Mr Harmon, from Pershore, Worcestershire, on the off-chance the document was meant for him and the pair were delighted to realize it was. 可知，一名志愿者发现了这张明信片，并注意到收件人“克里斯·哈蒙”的名字，之后在脸书上发信息找到了这名老人，故选D。

3.What can we know from the pair’s communication?

A Mr Kendall treated Mr Harmon as his son.

B Mr Harmon posted a pair of shoes to Mr Kendall.

C Mr Harmon lost touch with Mr Kendall at age 10.

D Mr Kendall tried to contact Mr Harmon before he died.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据文章第二段第一句The letter with a Grand Central Station marking and old air mail stamp reveals American Fred Kendall had more luck receiving a pair of Dutch shoes from his boyhood friend.可知，美国人弗雷德·肯德尔（Fred Kendall）更幸运地收到了他儿时朋友(Mr Harmon)寄来的一双荷兰鞋子，故选B。

4.What does the underlined part “out of the blue” probably mean?

A Excited.

B Disappointed.

C Unexpected.

D Interested.

解析：选C。词义猜测题。根据文章最后一段I was absolutely elated when I got the message telling me about the postcard. I could not believe what I was reading…可知，当哈蒙先生收到关于明信片的信息时，他非常高兴，我简直不敢相信他在读什么，由此推测out of the blue意为“出乎意料的”，unexpected与之同义，故选C。