高考英语阅读理解精读To highlight its cultural identity

B

Sewing can be fun and creative.But have you ever thought that a sewing machine can also mean the world to many people around the globe that use it as their main source of income?

When Margaret Jankowski discovered this，she decided to found The Sewing Machine Project，an organization that collects donated used machines and redistributes them in remote places like Sri Lanka，Guatemala，Guam，and Kosovo.It also aims to help those in Detroit and New Orleans.

In 2004，when a tsunami(海啸) hit Sri Lanka，Margaret was deeply touched by the story of a particular woman.After the village she lived in was destroyed by the natural disaster，she lost everything，including her sewing machine，her approach to future earnings.This story made Margaret decide to collect used sewing machines and send them to Sri Lanka.After attending a local news program where she presented her idea，she started receiving scores of sewing machines.

The Sewing Machine Project covers a basic yet necessary need of many impoverished people around the world.For them，sewing can be a tool for survival.Whether in a factory or at home，a sewing machine can be the door to brighter financial opportunities.A sewing machine can also enable many to preserve their cultural identity.After Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005，a community of New Orleans that wears skillfully-made suits for their own traditional festival lost many of their sewing machines.Since then，the non-profit organization has distributed hundreds of machines among the creators of the costumes，helping them maintain their tradition as well as their income.

4．Why does the author raise the question in the first paragraph?

A．To call up readers’ memories.

B．To lead up to the project.

C．To stress the role of sewing.

D．To introduce sewing machines.

5．What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Destruction of the 2004 tsunami.

B．The experience of Margaret in 2004.

C．The story of a woman in Sri Lanka.

D．Inspiration for the project.

6．What does the underlined word “impoverished”in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Disabled.

B．Exhausted.

C．Poor.

D．Pessimistic.

7．Why is the community in New Orleans mentioned in the end?

A．To highlight its cultural identity.

B．To prove the importance of keeping traditions.

C．To explain the project’s achievement.

D．To show the project’s contribution to traditions.