2026年中考英语高频热点话题组合练(三)含答案

2026年中考英语高频热点话题组合练（03）学校:姓名：班级：考号：校园学习生活志愿服务公益（高频）青少年成长励志家庭人际沟通身心健康管理旅游出行见闻中外传统文化（高频）动物自然科普前沿科技科普（高频）运动休闲爱好生态环境保护社会热点现象（高频）人物温情故事应用文信息公告一、语法填空：阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。Passage1China’sDragonBoatFestival,orDuanwu,isjustcoming.AlsocalledtheDoubleFifthFestival,itiscelebrated1thefifthdayofthefifthmonthofthelunarcalendar.Itisoneofthe2(old)festivalsbothinChinaandthroughouttheworld,withahistoryofmorethan2,000years.In2006,thetraditionalfestival3(add)toChina’sNationalIntangibleCulturalHeritageList.In2008,peoplecouldspendapublicholidayonthisday.TheDragonBoatFestivalcomesinmemoryofthe4(die)ofQuYuan,aChustateofficialandpoetduringtheWarringStatesPeriod(475BCE~221BCE).Hehadadeeploveforhiscountry.He5(leave)hishomeafterhewasagainsthisking’sdecisiontomakefriendswiththeneighbouringstateofQin,andwhenChuwas6(final)takenbyQin,hekilledhimselfby7(jump)intotheMiluoRiveronthefifthdayofthefifthlunarmonth.TheChupeopleweresosadthattheythrewricedumplingsintotherivertofeedthefish,sotheywouldnoteatthebodyoftheirgreatpoet.Itissaidthatpeoplethenstarteddragonboatracing8(keep)thefishaway.Sincethen,thefifthdayofthefifthmonthonthelunarcalendarhasbeencelebratedastheDragonBoatFestival.PeopleholddragonboatracesandpreparezongzisothattheycanrememberQu’sspiritand9(he)beautifulpoems.Today,thefestivalisnotjustatimefortraditionalactivities.10achanceforfamiliestogettogetherandsharethetraditionalculture.Passage2Hangingredlanternsinfrontofthedoorisbelievedtodriveawaybadluck.The1(one)ChinesepaperlanternswereinventedduringtheEasternHanDynasty.InancientChina,peopleraisedlanterns2(get)lightandwishforabetterlife.Also,lanternswere3(wide)usedatfestivals.Peoplecanmakebamboo,woodandmetalintoframes（框架）oflanterns.Paper4silkarethemainmaterialsforcovers.PeopleliketopaintbeautifulChinesepictureson5(they).Thetraditionallanterniscoveredbyricepaper6acandleburninginside.Lightshinesthroughthericepaperatnight.ThatisreallyChinesestyle.ThemostcommonChineselanternsarered,roundandwithredorgoldentassels（流苏）.They7(see)asbrightsymbolsofhappinessandgoodwishes.InChineseculture,lanternsindifferentcolorsexpressdifferent8(mean).PeopleusuallylightlanternsfortheChineseNewYear.Lanternshavebeen9importantpartofChineseculture.Also,they10(become)thenationalprideinChina.Passage3TheChinesegovernmentsuggests1(have)springandautumnholidaysforprimaryandsecondaryschoolstudents.Workerscanhaveseveraldays2atdifferenttimes.Zhejiang,JiangsuandSichuan3(try)thispolicysofar.Theseshortholidaysaregoodforstudents,4theycanmakestudentsfeellesstiredafterlongstudytimeandkeepstudentshealthyinbodyandmind.Whentheweatherisnice,studentscanleaveclassroomstotakepartinfunactivities5includefarmingandlearningaboutlocalculture.Asaresult,6(educate)goeshandinhandwithpractice.It’salsoaperfecttimeforfamilies.Someparentsthinkitmaybepossibleforthemtotravelat7lowcost,whichmakesfamilytiesstronger.Theholidaysalsohelplocaltourismandeconomygrowfaster,makingstudentsandsociety8(happy).Butthereareproblemstoo.Manyparentsmustworkwhilechildrencan’tlookafter9(they)duringholidays.Tosolvethis,schoolsofferplentyofactivities,andlocalcommunitiesprovidemoreprogramsforstudentstomastersomelivingskills.Holidayscanalsobeset10(proper)accordingtolocallife.Allinall,theseholidayshelpstudentsgrowbetterwiththehelpoffamilies,schoolsandsociety.Passage4Whilesomepeoplesaytheirschoolyearsarethebesttimeoftheirlives,othersbelievelifeonlygetsbetterastheygetolder.1,RafaelSantandreu,aSpanishpsychologist(心理学家),doesn’tagreewiththem.Hegavehisopinionwhenhe2(interview).“Thebesttimeoflifecomeswhenyoustartexpressinggratitude(感激),”hesaid.“Truehappinessbeginswhenyoustarttovaluewhatyou3(get)uptonow.Andthebestpartdoesn’tdependonageItcanstartrightnow!”Infact,Santandreu’sopinionisalsosupportedbyscience.Researchshowsthatexpressinggratitudeisgoodforus.Peoplewhooftenpracticegratitudeareusuallyhappier.Theyfeelmorejoy,worry4(little),andgetalongbetterwithothers.Besides,bynoticinggoodthingsaroundus,wefeelmorehopefulaboutlife.But5topracticegratitudeinourdailylife?Hereareseveraleasy6(way).First,you’dbetterprepare7thank-younotebook.Everyday,writedowntwoorthreethingsthatmakeyoubecome8(cheer)orpeoplewhomakeadifferencetoyou.Second,saythanksmoreoften.Tellafamilymember,afriendorateacherwhyyouthankthem.Itmakesyouand9(they)feelgood.Third,offerquietthanks.Whenyouseesomethingbeautifulorwhensomeonehelpsyou,say“thankyou”10(gentle)inyourheart.Remember:thebesttimeoflifeisn’tconnectedwithhowoldyouare.Itcanhappenatanytime!Passage5WhenitcomestoYuanLongping,wewillthinkofhimasthe“FatherofHybridRice”.Infact,heisalsogoodatreading,swimmingandplayingtheviolin.Yuanhasareadinghabit—readingaloud.Inthefirstyearofhighschool,therewas1speechcompetition.Yuantookpartinthecompetition.Hechoseatopic,wrotehisspeechandreaditaloudinthemorning.Afterthat,he2(find)readingaloudwasagoodmethod.Itcouldmakehismemorymuchbetterandhecouldhavea3(deep)understandingofarticlesthanbefore.Yuanisagood4(swim).Whenhewas8yearsold,heandhisfamilytookashiptoHunan.Hefellfromtheship.He5(save)byaboatman.Thismadehim6(learn)toswim—hewantedtobeabletosaveothersjustastheboatmanhadsavedhim.InanationalswimmingcompetitioninChengdu,Yuanfinished7(four)intherace,whilethetopthreeenteredChina’snationalswimmingteam8(successful).Yuanisalsoagoodmusiclover.Helearnedtoplaytheviolin9amusicteacheratcollege.Hesaid,“Musicisthewarmththathasaccompanied(陪伴)methroughoutmylife.”Yuanoncesaid,“Weshouldbegoodbothinmind10body.”Notonlydidhefinishgreatthings,buthealsohadauniquesoul(独特的灵魂).Asmiddleschoolstudents,weshouldalsofindourowninterestsandlifedreamslikeYuanLongping.Passage6SuShi,knownasSuDongpo,wasafamousChinesewriter,poetandpainter.Whenhewasyoung,hereadalotofbooksandwrotemanygoodarticles.Peoplethought1(high)ofhim.Becauseofthis,hebecameveryproudandwroteacouplet(对联)for2(him).Knowingallthewordsintheworld;Readingallthebooksontheearth.Awiseoldmansawthiscoupletandthought,“ItisnecessaryforSuShi3(learn)howtobemodest.”So,oneday,hecametoSuShi’shousewithabook.TheoldmanshowedSuShithebookandexplained,“Sofar,I4(read)thebookseveraltimes,buttherearestillsomedifficultwordsthatIcan’tunderstand.Ihaveaskedmanypeople,butnoneofthemcouldunderstandtheir5(meaning).Ihaveheardthatyouareapersonofrichknowledge,soIcometoaskyou.”Fullofconfidence,SuShitookthebookfromtheold6(man)hand,butwhenheopenedit,hebecamevery7(surprise)becausethereweremanywordshedidn’tknow.Atthatmoment,SuShirealizedthatthereweremanymorethingsthathehadtolearn.Actually,theoldmankneweverywordinthisbook.HejustwantedtomakeSuShiknowtheimportanceof8(be)modest.SuShiwasembarrassed(尴尬的)andsaid,“NowIknowwhyyoucame.Ishouldn’thavebeensoarrogant(自大的).”Theoldmansmiledand9(leave).ThenSuShiquicklytookhisbrushandink,andaddedsomewordstothecouplet:Workinghardtoknowallthewordsintheworld;Beingdeterminedtoreadallthebooksontheearth.Fromthenon,heworkedeven10(hard)thanbefore.Finally,SuShimadegreatachievementsinmanyfields,especiallyinliterature.Passage7“WethankyouforyourvisitstoHeilongjiang.Thiswinter,youbroughtjoyandlifetothisland.It’ssogreattohaveyouhere.”1thelastdayof2023,theHeilongjiangProvincialTourismOfficeannouncedathank-youletter2(excited).Theletter3(publish)byseverallocalnewspapers.AtHarbinIceandSnowWorld,4ice-and-snowthemeparkinNortheastChina’sHeilongjiangProvince,touristsgathered5(count)downtoward2024,withmorethan1,000iceandsnowsculpturesaround.Besidestheice-and-snowsculptures,alotofwinteractivitieswerethereforvisitorstoenjoy.Skiingwasoneof6(popular)activities.Manypeoplewouldwaitfortwotothreehours7theseactivities.What’smore,bicyclesoniceandhotairballoonsallowedvisitorstoenjoythemagicworldfromabove.Whenthenight8(fall),theicesculptureslookedbrightindifferentcolors,andlivemusicandDJsaddedmoretothecolorfuliceandsnowworld,where9(thousand)ofvisitorsdancedtothemusictogether.Duringthistourismboom,manyvisitorsfeltthe10(warm)oflocalpeople.Localgovernmentprovidedhotteaforfreetokeepvisitorswarm.Manydriversalsovolunteeredtodrivearoundthecitytopickuptouristsandgivethemfreerides.“WhetheritisZiboBarbecueorHarbinIceandSnowTourism,theyhavegivenfullplaytotheirowncharacteristicsandadvantages.”saidZhangYiwu,aChineselanguageandliteratureprofessoratPekingUniversity.Passage8Recently,moreandmoreChinesetouristsaretakingahistoryorgeographybookwhentheytravelabroad.Whentheygettofamous1(place),theyhidethebookinaquietcorner,waitingforthenextChinesetravelertofinditandkeepthissharinggoing.Someof2(they)hidejuniorhighschoolhistorybookswithpyramid(金字塔)picturesorhighschoolEnglishbookswithTowerBridgecovers.Othersalsoputsmallgiftslikebagsandpens,andevenwarmnotesonthe3(one)page,suchas"Seeingyourwordsislikeseeingyou,andIhopeyouarefine."Inmyopinion,thisisaromanticexperienceacrossmountainsandseas.Strangersuseabookasasigntounderstandeachotherinaforeigncountry,bringingunexpected4(warm)toalonelyjourney.5(look)forthebooksislike6treasurehunt.Youneverknowwherethenextbookis7(hide),whatmessageithas,orwhatconnectionyouwillhavewithastranger.Somepeoplesaythatwehavegrownupand8(reach)thefarawayplacesinourtextbooks.Wereadhistoryandgeographybooksmanytimesinclass,andtheyshowourinterestintheworld.Now,wetakethesebookstotheworld.Wenotonlyrealizeourchildhooddreams,9spreadthebeautyofChineseculturearoundtheworld.Thisbookandculturesharing,whichcantouchpeople'sheartsandturntextbooks10abridgebetweenChinesepeopleanddifferentcountries,iscareacrossmountainsandseas,lovepasseddownthroughyears,anddeeploveforourcountryinsmalldetails.二、阅读理解：Passage9It’simpossibleformychildrentoreadthis,whichisluckyforme,becauseitwouldgivethemsupportfortheargument“Canwegetadogoracat?”Becausetheresearchsuggeststhathavingoneisgoodforchildren.Astudypublishedshowsthatchildrenwhohadadogintheirfirstyearoflifewere13%lesslikelytodevelopasthma(哮喘)bythetimetheyweresixthanthosefromdog-freefamilies.Itisbelievedthatchildrenaremorelikelytodevelopallergies(过敏)iftheygrowupinsuper-cleanenvironments.Thisstudyshowsotherreasonsthatincreasetheriskofasthma,butcanstillshowonlyanassociation(联系).Itisreportedthat46%offamiliesintheUKhavepets,withdogsandthencatsthemostcommonanimals.Theevidencewhichshowstheadvantagesofhavingcatsisnotalwaysthesame,butsomeresearchstillshowsthatpetsmakechildrenhealthier.Astudyof397Finnishbabiesin2012foundthatduringtheirfirstyearoflife,thosewhoseparentshaddogsorcatshadfewercoldsthanthosefromhomeswithoutpets.Dogsofferedmoreprotectionthancats.Theresearchersthinkthisisbecausetheybroughtinmoredirtfromoutsidetocausethebabies’immunesystems(免疫系统)toworkwell.Theresearchalsoshowsthathavingapetmaymakechildrenfeelmorepopularandbemoreunderstanding.Olderstudiesfoundthatpetsmakefamilymembersspendmoretimetogetherandhavemore“entertainment”theyofferedaswell.Petscanalsohelpchildrentolearnaboutresponsibility,brushthefur,cleantheplacetheysleep,feedthem,takemoreexercise(ifyougetadog)anddealwithloss—whocanforgetwhentheirfamilypetgotacaraccident?Inaword,keepingpetsisreallygoodforimprovingchildren’shealthandtheirqualities.However,Istillwon’tallowmychildrentokeepapetathome.Afterall,bothdogsandcatspoop(排泄)athome,andtheycancarrywormsorotherviruses.Also,itseemsthatfewchildrenlookaftertheanimals,theyrepeatedlyaskedtheirparentsforhelp.1.Accordingtosomeresearch,havingapetmakeschildrenhealthierbecause.A．theyaren’tlikelytodevelopasthmaB．theyliveinasuper-cleanenvironmentC．petscanprotectthemfromdangerD．dirtmakesthemguardagainstthediseasebetter2.Whatcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraph?A．Thereisnogoodreasonforhavingpets.B．Havingpetsalsohasitsdisadvantages.C．Childrensharethecareofpetswithparents.D．Petsmaybringhappinesstochildren.3.Whatdoesthepassagemainlytalkabout?A．Whycanpetsmakeparentshealthier?B．Willhavingapetmakeyourparentssick?C．Doesapetbringmorehappiness?D．Iskeepingapetreallygoodforyourchildren?4.Whatbestshowsthestructureofthepassage?Passage10Ilovesnakes,whilemymotherdoesnot.Lotsofpeoplewhoareafraidofsnakeshaveneverseenone.Neitherhasmymother.Sowheredoesthefearcomefrom?Tofindouttheanswer,scientistsputpictureswithsnakes,pandas,cats,flowersandmanyotherthingsinfrontofagroupofpeopleofallages,evenbabies.Peoplefoundsnakesfasterthanflowers.Itwasn’tjustsnakes.Theyfound“blackfaces”,anotherexample,spiders(蜘蛛),fasterthan“safe”thingslikeflowers.Itseemswefindthingsthatmightbedangeroustousfaster.Maybeweareborntobeafraidofthem.Scientistsalsofoundpeoplelearnedtofearsnakesfaster.Whydidtheyfearsnakes?Mostofthemsaidthatintheirexperiences,theywereinfluencedbythescaredvoiceandfacesofthosewhometsnakes,butweren’tbittenbysnakes.Afterall,ifwehadtobebittenbyasnaketolearnthatit’sdangerous,wemightlearnourlessontoolate.Sowhyisitimportantwhetherweareafraidofsnakesornot?Itmaynotmattermuchtous,butitisreallyveryimportanttosnakes,Peopleprotectanimalstheylike,notanimalstheyfear.Snakesmaynotbeascuteaspandas,butthey’rejustofthesameimportancetotheenvironment.Snakeseatinsectsandmicethatarepests(害虫)tohumans.Snakesarealsofoodforotheranimalsso,whenwekillsnakes,we’rebreakingthebalance.Howcanwereduceourfearstogivesnakesachance?Scientistsdidastudyrecently.Somevolunteerstudentswentonafieldtrip.Withthehelpofsafetytips,everyonecouldsafelytouchandholdasnake,Itturnsoutthatsnakesaren’tsobadwhenyouknowthewaytostaywiththem.Mostpeoplewhowereafraidofsnakesbeforethefieldtripweren’tafraidafterwards.Infact,snakesevenbecamesomestudents’favouriteanimal.Hmm,maybeIshouldtakemymumonthenextfieldtrip.1.Inthewriter’sopinion,whatare“blackfaces”?A．Thingsmakepeoplefeeldangerous.B．Facesofanimalsinthepictures.C．Thingsthathaveblackfaces.D．Facesofpeopleindanger.2.Whatdoesthewritermeanbysaying“wemightlearnourlessontoolate”inthethirdparagraph?A．Wemightneverseeanysnakes.B．Wearenotindangeranylonger.C．Wemightnotfearsnakesanymore.D．Wemightalreadybekilledbysnakes.3.Howdothescientistshelppeoplereducethefearofsnakes?A．Byteachingpeopleskillsofkillingsnakes.B．Bydrivingsnakesawaythroughafieldtrip.C．Byteachingthemtherightwaytostaywiththem.D．Bygivingsnakesachancetoshowtheyaregood.4.Whatcanwelearnfromscientistsafterreadingthepassage?A．Don’tbeafraidandfindchancesindanger.B．Alwaysremembertogivepeoplesafetytips.C．Facefailuresbravelyandnevergiveuptrying.D．Findproblemsanddoresearchtosolvethem.Passage11Aplayisoneoftheimportantartforms.Thefollowingplaymustattractyourattention.Letenjoyit!Scene1(AbusinessmancalledAntonioborrowedthreethousanddollarsfromShylock,amoneylender,tohelphisfriendBassanio.Theysignedacontract(契约),andifthemoneycouldn’tberepaidintime,Antoniowouldbecutofapoundofflesh(肉)toShylock.)Characters:Bassanio,Antonio,Shylock,thelawyer(律师)Bassanio:(shouting)Ihaveenoughmoney.Icanpayyou.MakeAntoniofree!Shylock:Thatisn’tpossible.Nobodyhastherighttochangethecontract.IrefusetoacceptanypaymentexceptapoundofAntonio’sflesh.Judge,pleasegiveyourdecision.Lawyer:(toShylock)Youshouldshowmercytothisman,orhewilldie.Shylock:WhyshouldI?Nomercy!Iwantjustice(正义)!Lawyer:Areyousurethatyoustillwantapoundofhisflesh?Shylock:Ofcourse.Lawyer:Excellent.Bycontract,ShylockcantakeapoundofAntonio’sflesh.(Antonioiscrying.ShylockisholdinghisknifeoverAntonio.)Stop!(toShylock)Yourcontractisonlyforflesh,notblood!Ifbloodfalls,youwillbeguiltyofmurder!Thenyouwillgotoprison!Shylock:(droppingtheknife)What?...Okay,Iwillacceptmoneyaspayment.Lawyer:(coldly)Remember,youhavesignedyournameonthecontractpapers.Youmusttakeapoundofflesh,oryougetnothingatall.Shylock:Igiveup!Iwilldropmycase!(Shylockangrilyleavestheroomandeveryonecheers.)Bassanio:(tothelawyer)Dearsir,Ireallywanttothankyou.Lawyer:(laughing)Oh,really?Howcanyouthankme?(Thelawyerleftandchangedtheclothes.)Scene2Characters:Bassanio,Antonio,PortiaBassanio:(toPortia)Believeitornot,wewonthecase.Oh,dear!Antoniohasbeensaved!Portia:(smiling)(changethevoice)Yourcontractisonlyforflesh,notblood!Ifbloodfalls,youwillbeguiltyofmurder!Thenyouwillgotoprison!Bassanio:(surprisedly)Howdoyouknowthat?Portia:(showthelawyerclothestothem)Iwastheyounglawyer.(Everyonelaughsandlooksveryhappilyateachother.)1.Whatwouldbethebestsentencetoputintheblank?A．Alieisalie.B．Apromiseisapromise.C．Abadalwaystellslies.D．Agoodmangetsagoodpay.2.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“mercy”inthedialogueprobablymean?A．Kindness.B．Patience.C．Confidence.D．Happiness.3.Whatcanwegetfromtheplay?A．Antoniowillbeputinprison.B．Bassaniowillloseapoundofflesh.C．Shylockwouldhavehismoneyback.D．Shylockdidn’tgetwhathewanted.4.Whatdothewordsinbrackets,suchas“(Antonioiscrying.ShylockisholdinghisknifeoverAntonio.)”tellus?A．Whatthecharactersaredoing.B．Whatthecharactersaresaying.C．Whatthewriteractsintheplay.D．Whenandwhereeachscenehappens.Passage12Bigdata(大数据)isalotofsets(组)ofinformationthatareputtogether,sotheycanbeusedbyacomputerprogram.Theprogramlooksfordifferentkindsofanswersinthedata.Bigdatacanhavedifferentkindsofinformationfrommanysources(来源),suchasinformationthatcomesfromschools,socialmediasites,companiesandgovernments.Onesetofdatacanhavepeople’snamesandaddresses.Anothersetcanhavewhattheylike,wheretheygotoschool,andhowmuchtimetheyspendonthecomputer.Bigdatacanbeusedinmanyways.Thegovernmentusesittounderstandhowmanypeopletravelonbusesortrains.Thisinformationisthenusedtomakebusortrainsystemsbetter.Someschoolsusebigdatatounderstandwhichchildrenmayneedextrahelpinclass.Theteachercanthengivecertainstudentsmorehelporsupportsotheycansucceedinschool.Companiesusebigdata,too.Ithelpsthemunderstandwhobuystheirproducts.Forexample,onecompanyusesweatherdatatoseewhenpeopleeatthemosticecream.Bigdatacanbeusedforgoodreasons.Somehospitalsusebigdatatopredict(预测)ifababywhoisborntooearlywillgetsick.Thehospitalcanthentakeextraactiontotakecareofthatbaby,sothebabydoesnotgetsick.Bigdatacanalsobeusedforbadreasons.Itcanbeusedtopredictwhichkindsofpeoplearelikelytobreakthelaworhurtothers,eveniftheyhavenotdoneanythingwrong.1.WhatkindofinformationmaybeincludedinbigdatafromParagraph1?A．People’saddresses.B．People’splans.C．People’sminds.D．People’spersonalities.2.HowdoesthewritershowhisideasinParagraph2?A．Byshowingnumbers.B．Bygivingexamples.C．Bytellingstories.D．Bydrawingmindmaps.3.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“they”referto?A．Studentsatschool.B．Studentswhosucceedinschool.C．Somecertaintopstudents.D．Studentswhoneedmorehelpthanothers.4.Whatisthebesttitleforthepassage?A．Bigdata,goodorbad?B．Bigdata—BesthelperC．FactsaboutbigdataD．ManysourcesofbigdataPassage13Inabigcity,therelivedanoldmannamedMr.Lin,whohadlivedaloneformanyyearssincehischildrengrewupandmovedaway.Hislifewasquiet,andhisonlycompanionswereafewsmallbrownsparrows(麻雀).Everymorning,Mr.Linhadthesamehabit.Hewouldgotothewindow,takeoutasmallboxofrice,andputsomeonthewindowsill(窗台).Next,hewouldplaceabowlofcleanwaterbesideit.Thesparrows,whichwereveryshy,waitedonthetelephonewirenearby.OnlywhenMr.Linwentbackinsideandsmiledatthemthroughtheglass,wouldtheyfinallyflydowntoeat.Thiswastheirspecial,silentfriendship.However,onewinter,Mr.Lincaughtabadcold.Hehadtostayinbed,tooweaktomove.Forthreedays,thewindowsillremainedempty.Thesparrowscameasusual,butfindingneitherfoodnortheiroldfriend,theymadealoudsoundandflewaway,seemingdisappointed.Onthefourthmorning,somethingunexpectedhappened.Aparticularlybravelittlesparrow,whichwassmallerthantheothers,insteadofleaving,flewdirectlytothewindowsill.Tap,tap,tap.Ituseditssmallbeaktoknockontheglass.Hearingthesound,Mr.Linslowly,withgreateffort,gotupfromhisbed.Thoughstillweak,hemadehiswaytothewindow.Heopeneditandgentlyplacedasmallhandfulofriceonthesill.Thesparrowlookedathimbutdidnotflyaway.Itstinyeyesseemedtoask,“Areyouallright?”Atthatmoment,Mr.Linfeltwarmthinhisheart.Herealizedthetruth:whileheprovidedthesparrowswithfood,inreturn,theyofferedhimtheircompany.Theirsimpleactofcaringforhimtransformedthefeelingofthehuge,busycity,makingitseemalittlelesslonely.Sometimes,themostmeaningfulkindnessthatwecanreceiveappearsinthesimplestandquietestways.1.