My goddaughter, Shari, owns The Berry Factory in Sacramento, California, and her mother, Joan, and I were helping with the Valentine’s Day rush. We’d dipped hundreds of berries, arranged gift baskets and packaged orders to be 36 around the country.
By the end of the day, the two middle-aged women, Joan and I, were exhausted. But Shari didn’t seem tired. That was 37 Shari. 38 she was very busy, I’d seen her give away berries to everyone—parking attendants, mail carriers and hairdressers. “For me?” they would say, bursting into 39 .
40 a“thank you”, Shari took us out for dinner. But there was a 45-munite 41 at her favorite restaurant. “No big 42 . There’s an
other place just up the road,” she said, driving up there. This time we walked right 43 .
When th
e waitress came to 44 our drink orders, Shari 45 into her handbag, pulling something out. “ I want you to have these,” she said, 46 the waitress a box of chocolate-dipped strawberries. “ She will love those berries!” I thought. 47 the waitress seemed very surprised instead. She only let out a “
thank you” 48 grabbing the box and rushing into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, the waitress returned 49 our iced tea. “ I apologize,” she said. “ My best friend and I had 50 to send each other something every Valentine’s Day. But she 51 last year. I didn’t know how I’d 52 this day without her. Then you handed me that box.”
“ I’m so sorry to hear that,” said Shari. “ It’s not much, but I hope you can 53 them.”
“ Oh, I will,” the waitress said. “ See, every year we 54 sent each other the same thing: a box of chocolate-dipped strawberries bought from our favorite store, The Berry 55 .”
A．brought B．produced C．travelled D．shipped
A．ordinary B．typical C．strange D．healthy
A．If B．Since C．Though D．Until
A．a smile B．tears C．laughter D．song
A．By B．Without C．Through D．As
A．discussion B．wait C．choice D．talk
A．mistake B．deal C．idea D．matter
A．out B．along C．in D．away
A．ask B．tell C．bring D．take
A．looked B．passed C．reached D．pushed
A．handing B．forcing C．removing D．providing
A．But B．Or C．And D．So
A．until B．before C．after D．while
A．for B．to C．from D．with
A．promised B．explained C．imagined D．recognized
A．passed out B．passed away C．passed by D．passed through
A．look through B．break through C．get through D．follow through
A．impress B．treasure C．value D．enjoy
A．always B．hardly C．sometimes D．still
A．Market B．Store C．Factory D．Garden
We often talk about ourselves as if we have permanent genetic defects （缺陷） that can never be changed. “I’m impatient.” “I’m always behind.” “I always put things 36 !” You’ve surely heard them. Maybe you’ve used them to describe37 .
These comments may come from stories about us that have been38 for years—often from39 childhood. These stories may have no 40 in fact. But they can set low expectations for us. As a child, my mother said to me, “Marshall, you have no mechanical （操作机械的） skills, and you will never have any mechanical ski
lls for the rest of your life.” How did these expectations 41 my development? I was never 42 to work on cars or be around 43 . When I was 18, I took the US Army’s Mechanical Aptitude Test. My scores were in the bottom for the entire nation!
Six years later, 44 , I was at California University, working on my doctor’s degree. One of my professors, Dr. Bob Tannbaum, asked me to write down things I did well and things I couldn’t do. On the positive side, I45 down, “research, writing, analysis, and speaking.” On the 46 side, I wrote, “I have no mechanical skills.”
Bob asked me how I knew I had no mechanical skills. I explained my life 47 and told him about my48 performance on the Army test. Bob then asked, “ 49 is it that you can solve 50 mathematical problems, but you can’t solve simple mechanical problems?”
Suddenly I realized that I didn’t51 from some sort of genetic defect. I was just living out expectations that I had chosen to 52 . At that point, it wasn’t just my family and friends who had been53 my belief that I was mechanically hopeless. And it wasn’t just the Army test, either. I was the one who kept telling myself, “You can’t do this!” I realized that as long as I kept saying that, it was going to remain true. 54 , if we don’t treat ourselves as if we have incurable genetic defects, we can do well in almost 55 we choose.
A．away B．down C．up D．off
A．yourself B．myself C．them D．others
A．said B．repeated C．spread D．spoken
A．as long as B．as much as C．as well as D．as far back as
A．cause B．plot C．basis D．meaning
A．affect B．improve C．lead D．change
A．means B．hammers C．facilities D．tools
A．therefore B．however C．instead D．somehow
A．took B．turned C．settled D．got
A．negative B．active D．subjective
A．roads B．trips D．paths
A．unexpected B．average C．excellent D．poor
A．When B．Why C．How D．What
A．common B．advanced C．complex D．primary
A．suffer B．separate C．arise D．come
A．adopt B．suspect C．believe D．receive
A．weakening B．accepting C．abandoning D．strengthening
A．As a result B．On the contrary C．In addition D．At the same time
A．nothing B．something C．anything D．all
We often talk about ourselves as if we have permanent genetic defects （缺陷） that can never be changed. “I’m impatient.” “I’m always behind.” “I always put things 36 !” You’ve surely heard them. Maybe you’ve used them to describe37 .
These comments may come from stories about us that have been38 for years—often from39 childhood. These stories may have no 40 in fact. But they can set low expectations for us. As a child, my mother said to me, “Marshall, you have no mechanical （操作机械的） skills, and you will never have any mechanical ski
lls for the rest of your life.” How did these expectations 41 my development? I was never 42 to work on cars or be around 43 . When I was 18, I took the US Army’s Mechanical Aptitude Test. My scores were in the bottom for the entire nation!
Six years later, 44 , I was at California University, working on my doctor’s degree. One of my professors, Dr. Bob Tannbaum, asked me to write down things I did well and things I couldn’t do. On the positive side, I45 down, “research, writing, analysis, and speaking.” On the 46 side, I wrote, “I have no mechanical skills.”
Bob asked me how I knew I had no mechanical skills. I explained my life 47 and told him about my48 performance on the Army test. Bob then asked, “ 49 is it that you can solve 50 mathematical problems, but you can’t solve simple mechanical problems?”
Suddenly I realized that I didn’t51 from some sort of genetic defect. I was just living out expectations that I had chosen to 52 . At that point, it wasn’t just my family and friends who had been53 my belief that I was mechanically hopeless. And it wasn’t just the Army test, either. I was the one who kept telling myself, “You can’t do this!” I realized that as long as I kept saying that, it was going to remain true. 54 , if we don’t treat ourselves as if we have incurable genetic defects, we can do well in almost 55 we choose.
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Born in America, I spoke English, not Chinese, the language of my ancestors. When I was three, my parents flashed cards with Chinese __21__ at my face, but I pushed them __22__. My mom believed I would learn __23__ I was ready. But the __24__ never came.
On a Chinese New Year’s Eve, my uncle spoke to me in Chinese, but all I could do was __25__ at him, confused, scratching my head. “Still can’t speak Chinese?” He __26__ me, “You can’t even buy a fish in Chinatown.”
“Hey, this is America, not China. I’ll get some __27__ with or without Chinese.” I replied and turned to my mom for __28__.
“Remember to ask for fresh fish, Xin Xian Yu,” she said, handing over a $20 bill. I __29__ the words, running down straight into the streets of Chinatown.
I found the fish __30__ surrounded in a sea of customers. “I’d like to buy some fresh fish,” I shouted to the fishman. But he __31__ my English words and turned to serve the next customer. The laugh of the people behind increased __32__ their impatience. With every __33__, the breath of the dragons on my back grew stronger－my blood boiling－ __34__ me to cry out, “Xian Sheng Yu, please.” “Very Xian Sheng,” I repeated. The crowd erupted into laughter. My face turned __35__ and I ran back home __36__, except for the $20 bill I held tightly in my pocket.
Should I laugh or cry? They’re Chinese. I’m Chinese. I should feel right at __37__. Instead, I was the joke, a disgrace to the language.
Sometimes, I laugh at my fish __38__, but, in the end, the joke is on __39__. Every laugh is a culture __40__; every laugh is my heritage fading away. .
| A．custom | B．games | C．characters | D．language |
.
| A．ahead | B．around | C．along | D．aside |
.
| A．when | B．before | C．unless | D．until |
.
| A．success | B．study | C．time | D．attempt |
.
| A．aim | B．joke | C．nod | D．stare |
.
| A．cared about | B．laughed at | C．argued with | D．asked after |
.
| A．right now | B．from now | C．at times | D．in time |
.
| A．decision | B．permission | C．Information | D．Preparation |
.
| A．repeated | B．reviewed | C．spelled | D．kept |
.
| A．farm | B．stand | C．pond | D．market |
.
| A．guessed | B．forgot | C．doubted | D．ignored |
.
| A．by | B．as | C．with | D．from |
.
| A．second | B．effort | C．desire | D．movement |
.
| A．forcing | B．allowing | C．persuading | D．leading |
.
| A．bright | B．blank | C．pale | D．red |
.
| A．open-mouthed | B．tongue-tied | C．empty-handed | D．broken-hearted |
.
| A．service | B．home | C．risk | D．root |
.
| A．trade | B．deed | C．challenge | D．incident |
.
| A．it | B．us | C．me | D．reflected |
.
| A．thrown | B．lost | C．divided | D．reflected |
My friend , Sally , had a failed marriage in the past . After divorce , her parents gave the deepest protection and care to her by helping her 36the child and offering 37aid . Her parents’ 38made her pull herself together and 39the man who had hurt her before .
Nonetheless , her father , an honest and upright old man , after hearing his ex-son-in-law got 40in his company , felt extremely 41and went to his company to 42his boss why such a playboy could get promoted . The whole office fell into a 43immediately and many staff just looked 44. The old man stood silently in the office with his bands 45and eyes tearing .
That night , Sally cried heavily in front of me . I asked her whether it was her father’s 46deeds that made her feel embarrassed . But she said that she felt 47about her dad and that though the rest of the whole world betrayed her , her old father would still 48her up and help her get the 49she deserved , just as when she was young and the neighboring boy grabbed her ball , her father would get it back for her . 50, this changed world was no longer the stage for her old father and his deeds became funnily out-of-date . No one managed to see the real and ever-lasting love to his daughter behind his 51rude behaviors .
Although we have grown up , our parents still would not like us to 52a bit and try all means to 53us without caring whether what they do is awkward and stupid or not .
Who in the world would love us so deeply and relentlessly without asking for any 54? Only our 55!
.
A．take after B．look for C．attend to D．care about
A．life B．advice C．wish D．love
A．blame B．accuse C．forget D．dislike
A．praised B．paid C．trapped D．promoted
A．annoyed B．scared C．amazed D．cautious
A．inform B．quarrel C．question D．doubt
A．ruin B．disorder C．mess D．despair
A．into B．through C．up D．on
A．trembling B．folded C．clapped D．waving
A．brave B．stupid C．selfish D．respectable
A．sympathy B．guilty C．desperate D．crazy
A．ring B．bring C．keep D．back
A．money B．justice C．fame D．respect
A．However B．Therefore C．Besides D．Moreover
A．extremely B．basically C．generally D．seemingly
A．experience B．suffer C．bear D．struggle
A．protect B．raise C．educate D．urge
A．award B．honor C．repay D．assistance
A．husbands B．parents C．friends D．bosses
Wherever in the world you’re reading this right now, you will be aware of just how mixed modern society has become in terms of race. Within the UK, mixed-raced children are the largest 1 ethnic minority. Bringing home a partnerof a different 2 to yourself is no longer viewed as, “strange” or “different” in alot of families.When Joseph brought home Hari, the 3 that she was of Indian parentage was never even talked about — she made him happy. They made each other happy. And that was all that 4 .
But the reason why they were together for 11 years before they got 5 is that Hari was afraid of telling her 6 about the person that she’d fallen in love with. She was afraid of the consequences it would 7 for her younger sisters. Would theybe packed off to India? Would they end up in arranged 8 they may not want? At 22 years old, when she first fell in love with him — it wasa large burden to 9 .
But she loved him, and 10 they moved in together… and then bought a house by theBrighton coast, where they have 11 for almost 8 years. All the while her parents didn’t know. Her sisters did, and they too lovedJoseph — they 12 him as the brother they’d never had.
But after nine years together, she finally had to tell her father (her mother 13 away a few years ago). We were on tenderhooks（惶恐不安）the weekend she went up North to tell him.
It was emotional and as a family we were worried. Hari had been 14 of our family for so long, we felt for her. We knew how 15 it would be. She loved her father, but knew this would hurt him, who was a very traditional Sikh man.
A．growing B．slowing C．reducing D．ageing
A．sex B．race C．citizenship D．nationality
A．fact B．idea C．statement D．news
A．worked B．meant C．existed D．mattered
A．reunited B．accepted C．married D．divorced
A．family B．parents C．classmates D．friends
A．bear B．have C．make D．receive
A．reunions B．gatherings C．marriages D．parties
A．hold B．bring C．take D．carry
A．eventually B．generally C．possibly D．faithfully
A．lived B．worked C．studied D．dated
A．found B．thought C．belived D．saw
A．went B．ran C．passed D．fled
A．member B．part C．fun D．role
A．easy B．close C．hard D．awful
