When computer salesman Li Guang and his girlfriend Huang Minxia saw on TV the destruction caused by the unexpected earthquake,they quickly filled their car with bottled water and instant noodles and drove more than 160 miles to lend a hand.
“It’s a small car,but we just wanted to help,” said Li,from Chongqing,a city next to the hardest-hit Sichuan province.
Donations (捐赠) are flooding in,more money than charities (慈善) in China collected all of last year,and so are volunteers.
In the week since the quake,donations have totaled $1.3 billion—85 percent raised within China.
Many,like Li,are taking advantage of growing private car ownership and a new,expanding highway system to join the line of government and army assistance toward the epicenter.
Across the disaster region,thousands of cars decorated with large handwritten signs—“Hardship comes from one direction,help comes from everywhere” and “For the people,for the Beijing Olympics”—were coming from as far as the capital,Beijing,more than 900 miles away.
Private cars crowded so thickly on roads that the police set up donation drop-off points outside cities and towns to clear the way for army and government assistance.People living in tents along the roads posted handwritten signs asking for urgently needed items—water,rice,vegetables.Cars paused to hand out a box or two and then drove on.
Instead of waiting for government-organized charity drives,people quickly acted on their own.Bank account (银行账户) numbers for making earthquake donations flashed on Web logs and mobile phones.Blood donation centers were overwhelmed (使应接不暇) by offers and began asking citizens to register (登记) in advance.
“People are really united this time,and they’re acting on their own without waiting to be asked.It sounds corny,but we’re taught in schools and from our parents about helping others,” said Ge Jian,the company’s general manager.
What did Li Guang and his girlfriend Huang Minxia intend to do soon after the earthquake?( )
A.They intended to help the victims in the quake-hit areas. |
B.They were on the way to a pleasant journey in Sichuan. |
C.They were told to do something for the disaster. |
D.They wanted to find their friends in the epicenter. |
What does the underlined word “corny” most probably mean?( )
A.Out of date. | B.Heart-broken. |
C.Funny. | D.Disappointing. |
According to the passage,all the following statements are true EXCEPT .
A.The good road system made it possible for more private car owners to rush to help. |
B.The local people in the quake zone were short of food and drinks. |
C.More money was collected from overseas than within China for the earthquake. |
D.People across China were taking active part in the rescue work. |
Why did Blood donation centers advise people to register ahead of time?( )
A.Because they were expecting more money rather than blood. |
B.Because they had collected enough blood for the disaster. |
C.Because they were ready to go to the epicenter and they were much too busy. |
D.Because too many people were offering to donate blood. |