Not long before, my daughter's shoes were scratched with a knife．She burst into 36 ．I took them to the shoemaker to get them 37 ．
The young apprentice （学徒） glanced at the opening and said, " 38 I can do except replace the upper．" His master looked at them and said to me, "If you 39 me, I will add more scratches on both of the shoes．"
I was 40 and asked why．
He explained, "As if the openings were made 41 for the sake of special style and reuse．"
Two days later I found there were indeed more scratches on 42 shoe, but all the openings were patched （打补丁） by soft red leather with edges sewed by thick thread, 43 more unique and interesting than ever．I couldn't help but 44 the master's skill．
Another time, my wife's sister's white blouse had been torn, leaving a large opening on the back．My wife 45 the blouse carefully, and then said, "Let me take it 46 _ and mend it．"
Seeing the blouse again, I was shocked: all the torn parts had been sewed up by thin and 47 thread and they 48 a look of ice crystal （冰晶） hanging from a winter's branch． 49 , she had attached a snowman and a cabin made of flowery cotton rags onto the shirt．I 50 with praise, "It's just as beautiful as a piece of 51 !"
"I was inspired by that craftsman．Patches are supposed to be 52 , but a skillful craftsman can make it take on a kind of perfection," replied my wife．
Her words inspired me even more: Perfection is 53 to achieve in everything; Patches are unavoidable, so is human's life．Since you can't 54 the existence of wound, you should not expect people's 55 by exposing the wound, which reveals nothing meaningful．
A．laughter B．cheers C．tears D．speech
A．made B．repaired C．decorated D．preserved
A．Anything B．Something C．Everything D．Nothing
A．trust B．inform C．appoint D．convince
A．annoyed B．confused C．disappointed D．discouraged
A．on purpose B．by accident C．in vain D．beyond control
A．neither B．any C．every D．each
A．remaining B．growing C．looking D．feeling
A．appreciate B．witness C．praise D．describe
A．delivered B．checked C．washed D．ironed
A．outside B．downtown C．home D．abroad
A．red B．white C．pink D．purple
A．took on B．put on C．decided on D．focused on
A．Therefore B．Otherwise C．Anyway D．Besides
A．sighed B．signed C．greeted D．paused
A．cake B．art C．furniture D．jewellery
A．pretty B．attractive C．tough D．ugly
A．easy B．improper C．likely D．impossible
A．change B．imagine C．stand D．prove
A．respect B．friendship C．sympathy D．apology
A little boy invited his mother to attend his school’s first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy’s __1__, she said she would go. This __2__ be the first time that his classmates and teacher __3__ his mother and he felt __4__ of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar (疤痕) that __5__ nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to __6__ why or how she got the scar.
At the meeting, the people were __7__ by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother __ 8__ the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed (尴尬) and __9 __ himself from everyone. He did, however, get within __10__of a conversation between his mother and his teacher.
The teacher asked __11__, “How did you get the scar on your face?”
The mother replied, “__12__ my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was __13__ afraid to go in because the fire was __14__，so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a long piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked __15__ but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She __16__ the burned side of her face. “This scar will be __17__, but to this day, I have never __18__ what I did.”
At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He held her in his arms and felt a great __19__ of the sacrifice (牺牲) that his mother had made for him. He held her hand __20__ for the rest of the day.
1. A. enjoyment B. disappointment C. surprise D. excitement
2. A. would B. could C. shouldD. must
3. A. noticed B. greeted C. acceptedD. met
4. A. sick B. ashamed C. afraidD. tired
5. A. included B. passedC. covered D. shaded
6. A. talk about B. think aboutC. care about D. hear about
7. A. impressedB. surprisedC. excited D. comforted
8. A. in sight of B. by means of C. by way ofD. in spite of
9. A. hid B. protected C. separated D. escaped
10. A. understanding B. reminding C. hearing D. learning
11. A. carefully B. seriously C. nervously D. anxiously
12. A. As B. When C. Since D. While
13. A. so B. muchC. quite D. too
14. A. out of control B. under controlC. in control D. over control
15. A. helpless B. hopeless C. senselessD. useless
16. A. pointed B. showed C. wipedD. touched
17. A. ugly B. lasting C. serious D. frightening
18. A. forgot B. recognized C. considered D. regretted
19. A. honor B. sense C. happiness D. pride
20. A. quietly B. slightly C. tightly D. suddenly
It was the district sports meet. My foot still hadn’t healed(痊愈)from a(n) ___1___ injury. I had ___2___ whether or not I should attend the meet. But there I was, ___3___ for the 3,000-meter run.
“Ready … set …” The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed ___4___ me. I felt ___5___ as I fell farther and farther behind.
“Hooray!” shouted the crowd. It was the loudest ___6___ I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps (圈) ahead of me when she crossed the finish line. “Maybe I should ___7___,” I thought as I moved on. ___8___, I decided to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran ___9___ and decided not to ___10___ in track next year. It wouldn’t be worth it, ___11___ my foot did heal.
When I finished, I heard a cheer— ___12___ than the one I’d heard earlier. I turned around and ___13___, the boys were preparing for their race. “They must be cheering for the boys.” I was leaving ___14___ several girls came up to me. “Wow, you’ve got courage!” one of them told me.
“Courage? I just ___15___ a race!” I thought. “I would have given up on the first lap,” said another girl. “We were cheering for you. Did you hear us?”
Suddenly I regained ___16___. I decided to ___17___ track next year. I realized strength and courage aren’t always ___18___ in medals and victories, but in the ___19___ we overcome(战胜). The strongest people are not always the people who win, ___20___ the people who don’t give up when they lose.
1. A. slighterB. worse C. earlier D. heavier
2. A. expected B. supposed C. imagined D. doubted
3. A. late B. eager C. ready D. thirsty
4. A. from behind B. ahead of C. next toD. close to
5. A. ashamedB. astonishedC. excitedD. frightened
6. A. cheer B. shout C. cry D. noise
7. A. slow down B. drop out C. go onD. speed up
8. A. Therefore B. Otherwise C. Besides D. However
9. A. with delight B. with fear C. in pain D. in advance
10. A. play B. arrive C. race D. attend
11. A. even if B. only ifC. unless D. until
12. A. weaker B. longer C. lowerD. louder
13. A. well enough B. sure enough
C. surprisingly enoughD. strangely enough
14. A. while B. when C. as D. since
15. A. finished B. won C. passed D. lost
16. A. cheer B. hope C. interest D. experience
17. A. hold on B. turn to C. begin with D. stick with
18. A. measuredB. praised C. testedD. increased
19. A. sadness B. struggles C. diseasesD. tiredness
20. A. or B. nor C. and D. but
In Renee Smith's classroom, attendance is up, trips to the headmaster's office are down and students are handing in assignments on time. The Springfield High School teacher says she has seen great ___11___ since adding a few new students to her class – five Labrador puppies and their father.
The seven ___12___ students in Smith's class have a history of discipline ___13___. But since they've started teaching the dogs obedience (顺从), their own ___14___ has improved. A dog trainer Chuck Reynolds ___15___ the students a new trick each week that they then work on with the puppies. At night, the dogs go home with the staff members who have raised them. They get dropped off in the morning, ___16___ a parent would take a child to day care.
Smith said she came up with the idea when her dog had puppies and she saw how ___17___ her own children responded to them. She consulted with school psychologist Kristin Edinger, ___18___ they took the idea-- along with letters from students ___19___the programme -- to the school board. A pet therapist said, "What you are trying to teach is ___20___ and that there are consequences for the decisions you make."
11. A. promotion B. progress C. disturbance D. disappointment
12. A. human B. dog C. new D. Labrador
13. A. problems B. questions C. issues D. troubles
14. A. habit B. attitude C. action D. behaviour
15. A. guides B. teaches C. permits D. aids
16. A. such as B. much as C. so that D. even if
17. A. well B. quickly C. poorly D. carelessly
18. A. but B. so C. and D. because
19. A. revising B. describing C. opposingD. supporting
20. A. self-criticism B. self-respect
C. self-control D. self-importance
People wear hats for three main reasons: protection, communication, and decoration.
Protection. People first began to wear hats to ___1___ themselves from the climate. In hot, sunny climates, wide-edged hats provide ___2___ from the sun. In cold climates, people often wear wool hats. In some regions, people wear a variety of protective hats, ___3___ the season. They may wear a wool hat in winter, a rain hat in spring or fall, and a wide-edged hat in summer. Hats also provide protection in certain ___4___. Construction workers, football players, military personnel, and people in many other fields wear metal or plastic helmets(头盔)for protection from ___5___.
Communication. Hats can communicate various things about the people who wear them. The hats of coal miners, cowboys and firemen indicate the wearer's ___6___. Students may wear a mortarboard (学位帽) to show they are graduating from high school or college.
Decoration. Most people wear a hat that they believe makes them look attractive, ___7___ the hat's main purpose may be protection or communication. Many protective hats are attractive and stylish. Even the caps of police officers and military personnel are designed to ___8___ the wearer's appearance. Certain decorative hats are worn as a (n) ___9___. In Scotland, for example, people wear a cap called a tam-o'-shanter that is part of their national costume (服装). Many people change their style of hat from time to time because they feel more ___10___ when keeping up with the latest fashion.
1. A. defend B. protect C. prevent D. hide
2. A. shade B. shadow C. security D. cover
3. A. resulting fromB. basing upon
C. relating to D. depending on
4. A. seasons B. climates C. activities D. communities
5. A. injury B. destruction C. harm D. pollution
6. A. experience B. occupationC. personality D. education
7. A. as B. unlessC. though D. because
8. A. change B. increase C. display D. improve
9. A. traditionB. label C. honour D. fashion
10. A. sociable B. informal C. attractive D. noble
The birthrate in Europe has been in a steady decrease since the 1960s. European countries, realizing crisis is at hand, are providing great encouragement for parents to create more babies in the 21st century.
Affairs Ministry concluded last year that, 11cash encouragement, some women just don’t want to be 12holding the baby. “What we know is that it’s good for the 13___ if men and women share the burden of having children,” says Soren Kindlund, family policy adviser at the Swedish ministry. 14Swedish parents can take their paid leave as they wish, men use a mere 12% of it; 60% of fathers do not take even a(n) 15 _ day off work.
Experts fear that the tendency for women to use most of the parental leave could make employers 16to give young women the permanent jobs they need to qualify for paid maternity leave (产假). In January, Sweden decided to allow new fathers two months’ paid leave, with a warming: use it or 17it.
Kindlund admits that men are under 18to stay at work, even though parental pay comes out of the public purse. “It’s not popular among bosses and perhaps with other men in the workplace,” he says. “But it’s good for the father and for the child if they can 19 a relationship.”
In Norway, a(n) 20policy has worked wonders. 70% of dads in Norway now take parental leave, and the birthrate of 1.85 children per woman is one of the highest in Europe.
11. A. is spite of B. at the cost of
C. in addition to D. due to
12. A. sent B. left C. caught D. seen
13. A. birthrate B. income C. health D. spirit
14. A. Just as B. Only if C. Even though D. Now that
15. A. one B. mere C. only D. single
16. A. willing B. reluctant C. likely D. unable
17. A. reserve B. misuse C. ignore D. lose
18. A. discussion B. attack C. control D. pressure
19. A. make out B. add up C. build up D. set aside
20. A. impersonal B. similar C. severe D. global