A
On a recent afternoon, some 60 years after they graduated from grammar school, Kathleen
Rys , 72, and her sister Lorraine O'kelly, 70, sat down and had a meal with a classmate, Bruce
Smit 71 for the first time.
In the 1950s, Lorraine and Kathleen Rys’ family moved from Chicago to Monee. As new
kids at Monee Elementary School. they soon found themselves on the outs with other students.
“I would be with the other guys and see Kathleen walking down the hallway. her head
down, holding her books, walking slowly, And all of us guys would lean against the wall until she
passed.Then we’d burst into laughter. How rude is that? It's just crazy, " said Bruce, a doctor
whose wife, Tammy, organized the meeting.
The women said none of the teachers cared about it. "We just kept it to ourselves, "Lorraine
said.
Over the years, Tammy Smit said, "Bruce would just start to cry at times. He'd wonder what
happened to the sisters, if they led a good life.” One day a few weeks ago. Tammy took to the
Internet and found Mary O'kelly, Lorraint’s daughter, offered to set up a meeting. The idea of
revisiting the pain was not well-received by Kathleen, who had never married, let alone gone on
a date. It took some convincing, but Lorraine finally got Kathleen to agree to meet with Bruce
Bruce broke into tears. "I'm so ashamed, so embarrassed,” he said."But I’m so happy that
you're still here and that I can finally apologize.” He said he hoped his apology would encourage
others to seek forgiveness for the pain they had made on others. Loraine said. " This is a
beautiful thing, It’s just wonderful that a person can ask for forgiveness after about 60 years. It's
like a miracle to us. It's healing to us”.
21. What can we learn from the first three paragraphs?
A. Kathleen made her classmates afraid of her at school.
B. Kathleen was once hurt by her classmates at school.
C. Bruce Smit asked his wife to organize the meeting.
D. Bruce Smit spoke ill of Kathleen.
22.What does the underlined word "it" in the 4th paragraph probably refer to?
A. The guys' meeting. B. Kathleen’s slow pace.
C. The guys' apology D. Kathleen's suffering.
23. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. Bruce was embarrassed about his apology.
B. The other guys apologized to the two sisters.
C. Bruce and the two sisters felt a sense of relief.
D. Lorraine thought the apology came a little late.
