2018-2019学年高二英语外研版选修六练习：Module 6 课下能力提升（二十四） .docVIP

Module 6 课下能力提升（二十四） Ⅰ.阅读理解 Between flights, as I sat in the Denver airport, a young man, maybe half my 46 years, approached me. He tilted his head toward the chair next to mine, and then toward my suitcase blocking the chair. There were many open seats. Why did he choose this one? I thought. When he sat, I noticed the markings on his bag and his faded camouflage (迷彩服) uniform. He told me he had just come from Afghanistan. He was going home for a few days of leave. He said it was almost harder to leave the war than to stay, leaving others behind. But he had to go back and this might be his last chance to see his mom. I remember how he scanned the room warily (谨慎地) as he talked and when he looked at me, his eyes kept no distance. He seemed to want something from me. I could not tell what it was. He said it was hard to stop scanning for danger. The day before, he’d been in the desert. Fellow soldiers, men under his command, had been blown into pieces around him. This day, he was in an airport trying to understand the anger over flight delays, and the rush for coffee. He didn’t know how to be here in this place. I thought maybe I understood. Only weeks before, my friend’s teenage son had died suddenly. One evening, after spending still hours with a broken mother, I went to my daughter’s theater performance. In the crowded lobby before the show, mothers complained about their seats and other small slights. I felt disoriented and distant. I told the soldier about this.He breathed deeply and showed a small smile. I had given him a sliver of connection. He’d seen something raw during his military service. He knew what was real and mattered. When he returned, he found it was hard for him to experience the peace. But he did not know how to tell us. I realized this was what he needed from me. He did not want the seat beside mine. He wanted to sit with me.He needed to feel safe and understood for a brief while between here and there. I did not know his name, and how long his