1. ohn Cruitt, 62, spent decades tracking down his third- grade teacher.
He wanted to talk with Cecile Doyle about 1958--- the year his mother, who was seriously ill, passed away.
Her death came just days before Christmas. Cruitt had been expecting to go home from school and decorate the Christmas tree.
“When I found out she died, I could certainly relate to that, because when I was 11, my own father died,” Doyle tells Cruitt at StoryCorps in Monroe, N.Y. “And you just don’t know how you’re going to go on without that person.”
When Cruitt returned to school, Doyle waited until all of the other children left the room at the end of the day, and told him that she was there if he needed her.
“Then you kissed me on the head,” Cruitt says. “And I felt that things really would be OK.”
“Well, Cruitt, I’m so glad that I could be there with you for that time,” says Doyle, 82.
Decades after his mother’s death, Cruitt began to think more and more of Doyle. He finally wrote a letter:
Dear Mrs. Doyle,
If you are not the Cecile Doyle who taught English at Emerson School in Kearny, N.J., then I’m embarrassed, and you can disregard the letter.
My name is John Cruitt, and I was in your third- grade class during the 1958-1959 school year. Two days before Christmas, my mother passed away, and you told me that you were there if I needed you. I hope life has been as kind to you as you were to me.
God bless you.
John Cruitt
Doyle says his letter, which arrived in February, could not have come at a better time. Her husband, who passed away this August, was struggling with Parkinson’s disease.
“And I had just come home from the hospital, and I read this beautiful letter, and I just was overwhelmed,” she says.
“Well the funny thing is, when I finally wrote to you again after 54 years, I typed the letter--- I was afraid my penmanship wasn’t going to meet your standards,” Cruitt says as Doyle laughs.
“John, what can I say--- I’m just glad that we made a difference in each other’s life.”
【小题1】After Cruitt’s mother’s death, ________.
| A．Cruitt totally relied on his father |
| B．Doyle’s words brought him comfort |
| C．Cruitt didn’t go to school regularly |
| D．Doyle asked his classmates to help him |
【小题2】Before Cruitt wrote the letter, he______.
| A．knew Doyle’s husband had passed away |
| B．believed Doyle was leading a happy life |
| C．considered it embarrassing to write to Doyle |
| D．was unsure whether Doyle could receive the letter |
【小题3】Doyle believed the letter_____.
| A．was a belated gift |
| B．came at just the right time |
| C．lifted her confidence greatly |
| D．served as a reminder of her husband |
【小题4】Why did Cruitt type the letter?
| A．Doyle had taught him typing. |
| B．He was better at typing than writing. |
| C．Doyle would be able to read it without difficulty. |
| D．He was afraid Doyle would be dissatisfied with his writing. |