A few months earlier I had been painting two portraits for each of my parents．I'd planned to give them the portraits as Christmas gifts．This would be a 36 for everyone，as I had not studied 37 ．
While painting one day, I was surprised by a knock on the door. Quickly having put all my 38 materials out of sight, I opened the 39 . To my astonishment, my father came in .
Immediately I wanted to show him the paintings, but I was 40 to destroy his Christmas surprise. Yet something 41 me to share the gifts with him. After making him promise to keep it secret, I 42 he keep his eyes closed until I had the portraits set on easels(画架). “Okay, Daddy. Now you can 43 !”
He appeared dazed at first. Finally , he said, “I don’t believe it. The eyes are so 44 that they follow you everywhere—and look how 45 your mother is. Will you let me have them 46 ?”
Excited with his response, I happily volunteered to 47 them to the frame shop the next day. Several weeks passed. Then one night the 48 rang—my father had a stroke(中风). He died the next day, and it seemed all 49 escaped from the life of my mother and me .
I finally remembered to 50 about the framed portraits. I was surprised when the shopkeeper told me my father had visited the shop, 51 for the framing and had them gift-wrapped.
52 we had lost our loved people, everyone gathered on Christmas Day making an effort to be 53 . As I looked into my mother’s sad eyes and unsmiling face, I decided to give her Daddy’s and my 54 . After she saw it, with a wide smile, she quickly said, “I knew Daddy would be with us on Christmas Day!”
I glanced at the gift card written in my father’s 55 . “ Mother—Our daughter reminded me why I am so blessed. I’ll be always looking at you.—Daddy.”
A．comfort B．success C．chance D．surprise
A．art B．music C．dance D．literature
A．1istening B．painting C．writing D．reading
A．window B．drawer C．door D．bag
A．reluctant B．sorry C．content D．eager
A．forbade B．forced C．advised D．encouraged
A．suggested B．insisted C．required D．ordered
A．look B．taste C．sing D．go
A．big B．bright C．real D．clear
A．honest B．old C．shy D．beautiful
A．hung B．framed C．signed D．sold
A．drive B．see C．drop D．leave
A．bell B．clock C．phone D．whistle
A．anxiety B．pain C．trouble D．joy
A．worry B．call C．care D．talk
A．paid B．waited C．stayed D．prepared
A．In case B．As soon as C．Even though D．Now that
A．sad B．cheerful C．quiet D．calm
A．heart B．secret C．advice D．gift
A．words B．saying C．handwriting D．1etters
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1～20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项选项的标号涂黑。
Every day on the way to work I drive down a street lined with pine trees. One tree in particular ____ my attention. It must have suffered some severe ____. Part of its trunk grew nearly parallel(平行) to the ground, and then in an effort to ____ its own course of life, the trunk took a 90 degree turn ____ to stand tall and stretch（伸展） toward the sun.
This tree became a ____ for me. Each day as I drove by, I saw this bent but determined tree and I would be ____. It was a reminder to me that ____ I may not have had the best start in life, I could change ____ in the paths of my life at any time.
I was planning to stop one day to get a perfect ____ of my kindred-spirit(志趣相同的) tree. But that week I was ____. After that busy week, I still didn’t take any action. Every time I drove by the tree I ____ tell myself, “Tomorrow, I’ll stop tomorrow to take one.” Then one day, as I drove by, I glanced over and, much to my ____, I found a lonely sawed-off stump(树桩) ____ the symbolic tree had stood. It was gone! I had ____ my plan until “tomorrow” and tomorrow proved to be too ____.
A picture of a tree is not of great ____. But my lesson rang through clearly ____ I found out one of my colleagues had been diagnosed with stage-four cancer. He may no longer have many ____.
What have you been putting off? What would you do if you knew you would ____ have the opportunity to do it again? Why not do those things ____ that you have been putting off until tomorrow?
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About five years ago，I found myself working in a terrible middle school. The hours were long and the work was boring. ________, the pay was low. Every day the job seemed a physical ________ for me. My neck would burn with pain from the ________ bending. My feet would ache from ________ the entire day. The skin around my fingernails would ________ because of the work my hands were doing. I tried to keep my ________ up while I worked there, but day by day I felt myself ________ down. Every morning I would press sticking-plaster on my neck, place Band-Aid around my fingers and ________ my worn-out shoes. And every night I would _______ myself home and fall onto the couch.
One evening I felt like I could________ it no more. As I drove home alone, I said to myself. “Why am I working myself here just to ________? Why couldn’t I find a better job than this? Why do I have to ________ this right now?”
I wasn’t really expecting a(n) ________, but life always loves to surprise us. As I ________up the steps to my front door, I found my wife and my son waiting for me ________ smiling faces. “Daddy, Daddy!” my son yelled. I smiled and picked him up with my ________ arms. Then after hugging and kissing him, I laughed for the first time in days and sat down ________. At that time, I found the answer which would give me the ________ I needed to go on.
Eventually I moved on to a better school, but I________ forgot that answer, which had gently reminded me of the simple truth. We may have to work to live, but we live to ________. May you always fill your days with love and joy.
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阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1～20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The students at Sandy’s high school were badly shaken by the news that a classmate had himself. The suicide note read: “It’s hard to when nobody cares if you die.”
Glen, a teacher, realized this was a moment about the importance of making people feel
. He asked his class to imagine they were about to and to write a note “telling someone how and why you him or her.”
Sandy, who had a relationship with her mother, decided to write her . Her letter read: “We’ve had some times and I haven’t always been a very good ,but I know I’m lucky to have you in my life. You’re the person I’ve ever known, And even when I disagree with you, I never you love me and want what’s best for me. Thanks for not up on me”.
When her mom read the note, she cried and hugged Sandy but said little.
The next morning, Sandy found a on her mirror: “Dearest Sandy, I want you to know being your mother is ,by far, the most important thing in my life. I got your note, I thought I had lost your love and . I felt like such a failure. I intended to it all last night. Your note saved my .”
Be careful not to underestimate the of expressed appreciation. It won’t always save a life, but it will always make someone’s life better.
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Do you remember the name of your kindergarten teacher? I do，mine. Her name was Mrs. White. And I thinking she must be some older relation of Walt Disney’s Snow White， she had the same bright blue eyes，short dark hair，red lips and fair skin.
I don’t remember much about what we in her class，but my mother once told me that we used to a lot. And I would bring back what I wrote and she would look at it and see there were so many . But no red corrections. And always a star. Sometimes a Good! But it my mother， so one day when she met Mrs. White at a Parent-Teacher meeting，she asked her why she never my mistakes and why she never red-pencilled in the right of words or pointed out grammatical errors.
And Mrs. White said “The children are just beginning to get about using words，about forming sentences. I don’t want to dampen that enthusiasm with ink. Spelling and grammar can wait but the wonder of words …” I grew up learning to use words with loving like that.
I now and think she must have been a rather teacher — to exercise such red-pen restraint (克制)，to the joy，wonder and excitement of expression to flower — however faultily — like that，because to bloom is better than not to bloom.
I used to beautiful a lot. Never could I quite remember that the e went the a. Eventually the e and a settled into their right places. I am glad I didn’t wait on them though. Pretty is easier to spell but it doesn’t hold as much as you sometimes.
And thanks to Mrs. White I felt no about writing what I meant even if I couldn’t quite spell it out. Because Life isn’t Pretty. It’s Beautiful.
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Several years ago, my son and I had a brief conversation that has really stuck with me.
My Son: “ Were you there for the first of my game, Dad? I started!”
Me: “ I didn’t get back into town and to the game the second quarter... But you did great!”
My Son: “Oh.”
Me: “ But you really need to start better.”
My Son:(Silence)
So, what was wrong with I said? Well, he understood my flight was late and so I the first quarter. And my compliment(表扬) was good. But, the “but ” was the . Instead of just praising him for his accomplishment, I_him for his eating habits. And that criticism crushed(碾碎) the compliment.
, I realize that the words I had spoken weren’t the words my son heard. The moment I said, “ But you really need...” what my son heard was, “ What you did was good, but not quite good enough.”
So what did I take away from this ? First, I learned that accomplishments should be strong and . Saying “great job” or “good work” is a good when complimenting. But it’s even to say something like, “I’m proud that you the staring team. You preserved and worked really hard to get there.” Second, I learned that criticism should not be a compliment. Criticism can be so to the listener that he won’t even hear a compliment more than criticize. Mark Twain once said, “ I can live for two months a good compliment.” Giving your child a strong compliment can greatly and push him forward. Criticizing your child, although necessary at times, quickly take the wind out of his .
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