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£¨2021·¹ãÎ÷ÄÏÄþÊз¸ßÈýһģ£©    Richard Ripley knows he wouldn’t be the man he is today without one special woman.

Richard and his brother, Kevin, were placed into disparate adoptive homes at a young age because of their parents’ deep drug addiction. Kevin was placed with the Ripley family while Richard went to live in four separate homes over the course of three years, suffering abuse along the way. Richard and Kevin only saw each other every few months, but during their visits, Mrs. Ripley grew to care for Richard, too.

“Mrs. Ripley would take us for lunch at McDonald’s as Kevin always liked the food, and when she first noticed the scars all over my body,” Richard wrote. “She immediately made arrangements for me to join their family.” Unfortunately, Mr. Ripley passed away from cancer shortly after Richard joined the family. But even in the face of hardship, Mrs. Ripley never once considered parting with Kevin or Richard.

“Nobody would have blamed her for taking us back. But instead she took us to court and made it permanent,” Richard continued. “She must have been super stressed, but that’s not at all what I remember. I just remember the words that she gave me. It was always: ‘You’re smart.’ And ‘You’re handsome.’ And ‘You survived all bad things because you’re strong.’ There are very few forces as powerful as a mother’s love.”

Thanks to her unfailing love and guidance, Richard grew up to be the strong, successful man she always knew he could be. He joined the Marines (º£¾ü½ս¶Ó)... and graduated from law school! And, of course, his mom was always there by his side, celebrating right along with him.

Now, as a parent himself, Richard couldn’t be more grateful to the Ripleys for making his life worth living and giving him a future to look forward to.

1£®What does the underlined word “disparate” in paragraph 2 mean?

A£®Wealthy.         B£®Faraway.         C£®Different.       D£®Large.

2£®What made Mrs. Ripley decide to adopt Richard?

A£®The abuse he suffered.               B£®Kevin’s sincere request.

C£®The death of her husband.            D£®The blame from others.

3£®Which word best describes Mrs. Ripley as an adoptive mother?

A£®Demanding.       B£®Encouraging.     C£®Ambitious.       D£®Creative.

4£®What can we learn from Richard’s story?

A£®Man must be strong.                  B£®Hard work pays off.

C£®Where there is love, there is hope.  D£®Kindness makes one’s soul noble.