Part A – Please fill in the blanks with the
verbs in parentheses
Friends remember Washington state social worker Alan
Naiman as being frugal. He _____________ (wear) old shoes _____________ (hold )
together with duct tape, _____________ (buy ) his apparel
at the grocery store, _____________ (drive) old model cars and _____________
(eat) at cheap restaurants. But when he _____________ (die) of cancer in
January, at age 63, the people around him _____________ (get) to know
that he quietly _____________
(save) millions for a higher cause.
Naiman _____________ (leave ) most of his $11 million
estate to organizations serving abandoned, impoverished, sick and disabled
children.
Naiman _____________ (have) no spouse or biological
children. But his elder brother, who _____________ (be) disabled and_____________
(die) in 2013, _____________ (color) the
way he _____________ (look) at things.
After _____________ (be) a banker for some years, Naiman _____________ ( spend) two decades at Washington's Department of
Social and Health Services, where he reportedly
_____________ (earn ) about $67,200 a year.
Despite _____________ (live ) a modest life, he _____________
(amass ) a great deal of wealth by _____________
(save ) his work wages, taking on side
jobs and inheriting millions from his parents.
Part B – What about asking questions to get the
underlined answer?
Before he was diagnosed with cancer, Naiman thought about taking more road trips or moving
to a house with a view. But those dreams
receded after the diagnosis. Instead, he spent his time researching charities.
He used to joke that he was doing "work at the
foundation," alluding to Microsoft
founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.
Naiman was cheered up by the knowledge that he was leaving the organizations his money
and said, "My gift is going to be bigger than their annual budget. It's
going to blow them away." He was right.
Naiman gave a reported $2.5 million to a Washington state charity that helps newborns who were exposed to opiates,
cocaine and other drugs.
Part C – What about provide the missing
prepositions?
"We first became aware ___________Alan's
generosity last fall when we received a $10,000
donation from him online," the Pediatric Interim Care Center said.
"Thinking that large amount might be a mistake, we called him ____________ make sure
he had entered the right number of zeroes! Yes, he told us, the donation was right, and there would be more to come ____________ the future."
Naiman then wrote a letter to staff that explained
why: One frantic night____________ the early
days of his career____________ the Department of Social
and Health Services, he was trying to find a home for a fragile baby. The
center's founder himself came to his office to take the child.
The organization will use the funds ____________ pay off the mortgage on its building.
Naiman also surprised a foster care group called
Treehouse. He made a first-time donation of $5,000 in the months before he died
— a lot of money ____________ the organization.
"Then, shortly after his death, we learned he would be donating an
additional $900,000. The donation is completely unexpected,"
Chief Development Officer Jessica Ross said.
He told staff that he brought his foster children on
shopping sprees ____________ Treehouse's free clothing store. The
money will help fund a planned expansion of a graduation support program as well as career services for fostered youth.
