I grew up poor – living with six brothers, my father and a wonderful mother. We had 36 money and few worldly goods, but plenty of love and attention. I was 37 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could 38 afford a dream.
My dream was to be a 39 . When I was sixteen, I could crush a baseball, throw a ninety – mile – per – hour fastball. I was also 40 : my high – school coach was Ollie Jarvis, who 41 me the difference between having a dream and showing strong belief. One particular 42 with him changed my life forever.
It was a summer and a friend recommended me for a summer 43 . This meant a chance for my first income – cash for a new bike and new clothes, and the 44 of savings for a house for my mother. The opportunity was attracting, and I wanted to 45 at it.
Then I realized I would have to 46 summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing. I was 47 about this.
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as 48 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said. “Your 49 days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.”
I stood before him with my head 50 , trying to think of how to explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth 51 his disappointment in me.
“How much are you going to make at this job?” he demanded.
“$ 3.25 an hour,” I replied.
“Well, is $ 3.25 an hour the price of a 52 ?” he asked.
That 53 laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to 54 that summer, and within the year I was offered a $ 20,000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $ 1.7 million, and bought my mother the 55 of my dreams.
A．some B．little C．no D．much
A．happy B．lovely C．angry D．noisy
A．only B．ever C．still D．almost
A．teacher B．coach C．doctor D．sportsman
A．lucky B．satisfied C．hopeful D．surprised
A．taught B．asked C．told D．trained
A．match B．story C．moment D．incident
A．job B．camp C．holiday D．course
A．cause B．start C．need D．amount
A．stand B．call C．look D．jump
A．take out B．cut off C．put on D．give up
A．excited B．curious C．anxious D．disappointed
A．mad B．puzzled C．regretful D．discouraged
A．working B．playing C．learning D．shining
A．shaking B．hanging C．holding D．nodding
A．feeling B．suffering C．facing D．expressing
A．dream B．game C．chance D．life
A．offer B．price C．question D．order
A．study B．sports C．homework D．business
A．clothes B．bike C．house D．Goods
I was walking down the road one day when my cell phone rang. A strange on the other end spoke to me, “Dad, please come back soon. I miss you so much!” I judged that it was a number. A little while later, the call came once again, so I rudely answered, “You’ve dialed the wrong number!” and then .
During the following days, I got the same call now and then. But I didn’t care much about it.
Then one day she constantly called me I didn't answer. Finally I answered the phone and heard a weak voice, “Dad, please come back. I miss you so much! Dad, I’m so much pain! Mom said you were too busy to take care of me. But, dad, please me again, OK?” The innocent(天真的) was difficult to refuse. I made a kiss on the phone and heard the weak voice say, “Thank you．．．Dad, I am so…happy, so…happy…”
Shortly after this, I became about who had been on the other end of my phone. So I called back, and a woman answered, “Sorry, sir. I am really sorry to have you. My daughter has suffered from bone cancer she was born. And her father… died in an accident a short while ago. I dare not tell her this sad news. Poor baby．When she couldn’t bear (忍受) the painful chemotherapy (化疗), she would cry for her dad, who had always her. I really couldn't bear it, so I gave her my phone …”
“How is your daughter now?” I couldn’t to ask.
“She’s . You must have kissed her on the phone, because she passed away with a smile, tightly holding the cell phone…”
filled my eyes and I was so sad to hear that.
A．sound B．noise C．voice D．shout
A．bad B．different C．unlucky D．wrong
A．hung off B．turned off C．got off D．took off
A．as if B．so that C．if D．even though
A．of B．on C．in D．at
A．support B．kiss C．treat D．encourage
A．condition B．suggestion C．request D．news
A．soft B．sweet C．low D．loud
A．surprised B．curious C．interested D．shocked
A．bothered B．warned C．told D．reached
A．when B．since C．as D．after
A．encouraged B．supported C．satisfied D．praised
A．help B．wait C．expect D．want
A．survived B．passed C．gone D．lost
A．Tears B．Cries C．Anger D．Disappointment
I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a person.
I think my started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my and be left alone. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, so I hardly ever to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really . It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So tried a(n) , I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble, I to help. That was really a big for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, two of are still my best friends today.
A bigger cause of my new , however, came when I took a part-time job at a Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer’s disease became my . Every time I came into her room, she was so because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never her, so I took her place. She let me that making others feel good make me feel good, too, when she died, I was , but I was very grateful to her.
I think I am a much person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not these experiences. They have me to care about other people more than about myself. I who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.
A．since B．after C．before D．unless
A．famous B．different C．simple D．skilled
A．education B．career C．change D．tour
A．balance B．homework C．interest D．degree
A．talked B．wrote C．lied D．reported
A．lonely B．alone C．curious D．guilty
A．argument B．game C．experiment D．defense
A．dared B．happened C．hesitated D．offered
A．problem B．step C．duty D．dream
A．us B．which C．them D．whom
A．idea B．attitude C．hope D．luck
A．friend B．partner C．guide D．guest
A．polite B．strange C．happy D．confident
A．bothered B．answered C．visited D．trusted
A．explain B．guess C．declare D．see
A．heartbroken B．heart breaking C．bad-tempered D．hopeless
A．quieter B．busier C．better D．richer
A．analyze B．face C．improve D．forget
A．forced B．preferred C．ordered D．taught
A．miss B．like C．wonder D．expect
A friend of mine met with an accident driving in darkness. His legs were so hurt that he couldn’t move. What was the ____ was that he found himself unable to ask for help---his mobile phone went out of ____ as a result of exhausted battery（电池）. Nothing could be done but to ___ in cold wilderness. It was eight hours later that day broke, and then _ of the rescue（救援）.
It is almost _ __ that he could stand the horror in the darkness for so long. Even more surprising was his _ __: “First of all, I checked up my _ __ conditions and found myself not in mortal（致命的）danger”. As there was no __ __ to call for help, I leaned back in my seat trying my best to keep the wound from __ __. In this way I dozed (打盹) off.”
His story put an end to my regret for the __ _ of an exploration adventure that happened last year. A group of young men _ __ to explore a mountain cave and got lost. __ _to find a way out in the dark cave, they were frightened and ran anxiously without a sense of _ __. Finally they fell dead in fear and exhaustion (筋疲力尽). According to the _ _ people that found them, the place where they got lost was only about 10 meters away from the __ of the cave. If they stayed on the spot when they lost their way and tried to _ __ themselves, they would probably sense a faint light glimmering (闪烁) not far away.
Don’t you think you can compare it with __ _ itself? When you meet with difficulty in life and work, you are lost in darkness. __ __ you it’s unclear yet and you needn’t put up struggle __ __. It seems to be a negative attitude, _ _ a person who can afford to do so must have foresight(远见) as well as a great courage in the first place.
A．hopeless B．worst C．more D．best
A．service B．way C．control D．work
A．cry B．lie C．wait D．sleep
A．delay B．success C．team D．arrival
A．untrue B．unimaginable C．true D．useless
A．plan B．decision C．explanation D．excuse
A．physical B．mental C．working D．medical
A．energy B．way C．tools D．strength
A．rotting B．spreading C．hurting D．bleeding
A．loss B．failure C．disappointment D．sadness
A．had B．managed C．tried D．meant
A．Willing B．Unable C．Determined D．Deciding
A．hearing B．sight C．feeling D．direction
A．rescue B．village C．local D．brave
A．end B．top C．opening D．side
A．save B．help C．stop D．calm
A．adventure B．work C．life D．mankind
A．Mind B．Watch C．Imagine D．Warn
A．really B．immediately C．carefully D．hopefully
A．and B．so C．but D．while
A Leap（跳跃）to Honor
Leaping on a narrow balance beam（平衡木）is not easy. But Lola Walter, a 13-year-old gymnast, is an expert at it.
To perfect her skills, Lola 21 for four hours a day, five days a week. At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.
That’s especially impressive, she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift（移动） constantly. She often sees double and can’t how far away things are.
When she was little, her mom that even though she couldn’t see , she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the right away and gymnastics became her favorite.
Though learning gymnastics has been more for her than for some of her teammates, she has never quit. She doesn’t let her stop her from doing anything that she wants to.
She likes the determination it takes to do the sport. Her biggest is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even closes her eyes. “You have to your mind that it’ll take you where you want to go.” says Lola.
To be a top-level gymnast, one must be brave. The beam is probably the most for anyone because it’s four inches wide. At the state competition, Lola didn’t fal the beam. In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10—her highest score yet.
Lola doesn’t want to be differently from the other girls on her team. At competitions, the judges don’t know about her vision . She doesn’t tell them, because she doesn’t think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her attitude.
Lola never thinks about . She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her is to reach level 9. She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she’s learned to other kids she grows up.
Lola is of all her hard work and success. She says it’s helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics too. Her for others is “just believe in yourself”.
A．runs B．teaches C．trains D．dances
A．since B．unless C．after D．though
A．tell B．guess C．assume D．predict
A．deeply B．well C．ahead D．closely
A．task B．sport C．event D．show
A．boring B．enjoyable C．difficult D．satisfactory
A．talent B．quality C．nature D．condition
A．doubt B．advantage C．challenge D．progress
A．examine B．express C．open D．trust
A．fearful B．harmful C．unfair D．inconvenient
A．to B．on C．off D．against
A．greeted B．treated C．served D．paid
A．pains B．stresses C．injuries D．problems
A．positive B．friendly C．flexible D．cautious
A．defending B．quitting C．winning D．bargaining
A．standard B．range C．view D．goal
A．until B．as C．when D．before
A．proud B．tired C．ashamed D．confident
A．plan B．advice C．reward D．responsibility
After 28years, my wife is still the one who owns my heart, because of one single, powerful moment when I realized our love began.
After several dates, we knew our feelings ran deep. What Mary I had enough to give. And what was missing in my life, she had plenty to . One evening she called . She wanted to come over and see me. I was because our dates were usually planned. She asked for to my place, but instead of replying, I asked where she was. She was using a payphone outside our favorite .
With more persistence(坚持),she again. I offered the name of the main street－but with no further detail. Sensing the awkwardness of the moment, she the call. Fear settled over me. I was of two things; (1) I had made her angry; (2) she would try to find out where I lived.
I raced to my car and drove to the place I thought Mary had called from. Maybe she was having dinner or waiting to see if I would . When I arrived, she wasn’t there. There were no cellphones in 1984, so my best was to drive back and call her. She wasn’t at home. Panic had now the fear. I walked outside to see if Mary was trying to find me.
She found me quickly replaced panic. When she saw me and the apartment building where I lived with my parents, I knew she why I didn’t want her to come.
Mary had a(n) house. She came from affluence (富裕) and I came from a two-bedroom apartment. I thought if she discovered my secret it would end the .
She rushed toward me with the kindest smile I had ever seen. Without any , she told me what was that she loved me, not where I lived, She we could share a life together, and if that happened, our home would always be a beautiful place to live.
At that moment, love arrived and my heart her forever. Holding onto this memory is a good reminder on the days when we forget about love’s beautiful grace.
A．cared B．preferred C．refused D．lacked
A．support B．offer C．try D．select
A．unfriendly B．unexpectedly C．unnaturally D．unhappily
A．interested B．encouraged C．worried D．surprised
A．directions B．opinions C．forgiveness D．permission
A．restaurant B．store C．park D．club
A．smiled B．asked C．walked D．sat
A．developed B．planned C．ended D．repeated
A．glad B．lucky C．angry D．afraid
A．drive B．like C．come D．find
A．option B．wish C．guess D．intention
A．released B．changed C．formed D．replaced
A．Concern B．Shame C．Curiosity D．Sadness
A．Wondered B．believed C．understood D．predicted
A．ordinary B．shabby C．beautiful D．traditional
A．relationship B．conversation C．requirement D．discussion
A．recognition B．expectation C．consideration D．disappointment
A．happened B．mattered C．depended D．faced
A．hoped B．allowed C．doubted D．argued
A．led to B．compared to C．belonged to D．objected to