如你所愿

江麗

一個破損的氣球，把兩個遙遠的家庭聯(lián)系在一起。

Alvin Bamburg， 66， was deep in the woods in Grand Cane， Louisiana， last December when something caught his eye. As Alvin approached， he saw that the object was a broken balloon with a piece of paper. It was a child's wish list.

“My name is Luna. I am four years old. I live in Liberal， Kansas. This year， I have been nice. I would like candy， a Spider-Man ball， a Frozen doll and a puppy. With love， Luna，” the handwritten note read.

“Years ago， classes at school released （放飛） balloons with notes. I've always wanted to find one.” Alvin believed this was his childhood wish coming true. And he knew he was going to make Luna's wish come true too. On January 2， 2021， Alvin posted a photo of the balloon and the wish list on the Internet， asking for help to locate the sender. As he saw the number of people sharing his post increase quickly， his hope grew into expectations.

Meanwhile， Gonzalez， the mother of four-year-old Luna and her twin sister， Gianella， had no idea that such an effort was underway. On a tough day last December， Gonzalez helped the girls send balloons with letters. Gonzalez helped them write down all the things they dreamed of and then put the notes into red balloons. “Bye， balloons！” the girls

called， waving as the balloons floated away， sailing above the trees and into the sky.

“My jaw （下巴） dropped when I knew that someone had found Luna's balloon，” Gonzalez says. At her friend's urging， she saw Alvin's post. Gonzalez hadn't really expected anyone would find the balloons， let alone offer to buy gifts for her daughters. She was curious about this man who had tried so hard to find her family. So she gave him a call. When Alvin told her how much it would mean to him to make the girls' wishes come true， she agreed to let him send some gifts.

Now， after having received so much generosity， Gonzalez and her girls intend to pay it forward this year. When they travel to Mexico in the near future， they will take toys， clothing， and shoes to give to children there.

Reading check

1. What's the second paragraph mainly about？

A. Alvin's adventure experience. B. Alvin's childhood dream.

C. Luna's wish list. D. Luna's living habits.

2. What does the underlined word “one” in paragraph 3 refer to？

A. A Frozen doll. B. A puppy.

C. A Spider-Man ball. D. A balloon with notes.

3. Alvin tried to find Luna by_____________.

A. releasing red balloons back

B. posting the balloon photo and the wish list online

C. turning to schools for help

D. writing letters on different websites

4. How did Gonzalez feel when she learned somebody had found Luna's balloon？

A. Unexpected. B. Satisfied. C. Disappointed. D. Confused.

Langage Study

Useful expressions

catch one's eye 吸引某人的注意 release balloons 放飛氣球