I've got the worst name in the world. My name is Tom T. Terdle (sound like "Tom The Turtle"). People called me all sorts of things. What was even worse, my dad had to move around with his job. Every time we moved, I had to get ready for the stupid names and a fight or two.
I didn't like to fight, but some of the things the kids said were impolite. One thing led to another, and usually I hit somebody. Then, I ended up in the teacher's office. This time we moved to Port Aransas, on the Gulf of Mexico. I thought it cool to live near the ocean, but going to another new school meant hearing new kids call me names. that was why I fought again. And I got kicked out of school—for three days.
Walking on the beach alone, I found lots of eggs, buried under the sand. The deeper I dug, the more eggs I found. Then I heard an angry voice, "What are you doing?"
"Huh?" I looked up, sand all over my face and an egg in my hand. Standing behind me was
I've got the worst name in the world. My name is Tom T. Terdle (sound like "Tom The Turtle"). People called me all sorts of things. What was even worse, my dad had to move around with his job. Every time we moved, I had to get ready for the stupid names and a fight or two.
I didn't like to fight, but some of the things the kids said were impolite. One thing led to another, and usually I hit somebody. Then, I ended up in the teacher's office. This time we moved to Port Aransas, on the Gulf of Mexico. I thought it cool to live near the ocean, but going to another new school meant hearing new kids call me names. That was why I fought again. And I got kicked out of school—for three days.
Walking on the beach alone, I found lots of eggs, buried under the sand. The deeper I dug, the more eggs I found. Then I heard an angry voice, "What are you doing?"
"Huh?" I looked up, sand all over my face and an egg in my hand. Standing behind me was
an old lady.
"You are going to kill every one of those!" she said.
"Kill what?" I asked.
"The turtles," she took the egg out of my hand while pointing to a sign nearby: "Be Aware! Sea Turtle Nesting Area!"
I felt bad and together we carefully put the eggs back in the hole and covered them with warm sand. She was actually a kind lady and easy to talk to. Soon, I told her everything, the schools and the kids making fun of me. She smiled and laughed, "Well, Tom, they call me the Turtle Lady and I take a lot of pride in being called that. I love turtles. By the way, since you're out of school for a few days, can you help me tonight when the eggs will probably hatch (孵化)?"
How interesting it sounded! She might be old, but she was immediately my friend.
That night, when we were watching for some signs that the eggs were going to hatch, she told me about the sea turtles. I learned more than what I had in all my science classes. Then, the most amazing scene of my life came. Like a big wave, the little turtles began digging from the sandy nests and moving down to the sea. When most of them made their way to the water, she smiled, "Go back and get some sleep, Turtle Tom. Today is a big day." For the first time ever, I wasn't mad about hat name.
The night, fifteen years ago, was the one I would never forget. I have gotten rid of my sensitivity to being called Turtle Tom since long. Instead, now as a marine-biologist (海洋生物学家), I am pleased when school kids call me that.
Who was the Turtle Lady? Her real name was Ila Loetscher, and she loved and protected the turtles like nobody else in Texas. She died at the age of 95. I often walk the beaches at Port Aransas. I feel she is still there in spirit, guarding the sea turtles and guiding people like me towards the new meaning of life.
27. Why did the writer often fight when he was young?
A. Because kids made fun of his name. B. Because his dad didn’t care about him.
C. Because he liked the feeling of winning. D. Because he wanted to be kicked out of school.
28. What happened on the unforgettable night?
A. The writer learnt a lot from the lady about sea turtles.
B. The writer fell asleep and failed to see the eggs hatch.
C. The writer told the lady what he had learnt in the science class.
D. The writer was sad that some turtles didn’t make it to the water.
29. What can we learn from the passage?
A. It’s never too old to learn.
B. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
C. A change of attitude can open new doors in life.
D. It’s OK to make mistakes as long as we learn from them.
答案解析：
27. 选项A正确。文中提到，每次搬家，作者都要准备接受愚蠢的绰号和一两次打架。作者不喜欢打架，但是孩子们说的有些话很无礼，这导致了他最终会打人。这表明，作者打架是因为孩子们取笑他的名字。
28. 选项A正确。文中描述了那个难忘的夜晚，作者和turtle lady一起观察海龟蛋孵化，并且从她那里学到了很多关于海龟的知识，比他在所有科学课上学到的都要多。因此，作者在那个夜晚学到了很多关于海龟的知识。
29. 选项C正确。文中的故事展示了作者态度的转变。最初，作者对自己的名字感到敏感和愤怒，但通过与turtle lady的相遇和帮助海龟蛋孵化的经历，作者开始对自己的名字感到自豪，并且最终成为了一名海洋生物学家。这表明，态度的改变可以为生活开启新的可能性。
