I was a publishing director and was looking forward to embracing a new day of work, as always，that morning．
I would always turn to the crossword, but that day it didn't 31 I'd been doing it for 30 odd years, but trying to read this one was like treading through syrup（糖浆）: 32 slow and hard． I thought I must be tired． I said to my assistant． The 33 colleague contacted my wife, Beth, and she drove me straight to hospital． There, confirmation came that I'd had a stroke in the part of my brain that 34 communication． I was now in a condition that means it's difficult or 35 to receive and produce language． It was the only time I 36 ．
I was back at home a week later, and my goal was to get better and 37 Work in a couple of months． The way to 38 my language ability was rough． I'd look at simple pictures and try to describe them as my mind 39 round and round in the darkness, looking for words．
As the months passed it became 40 that I wasn't going to be able to go back to my old job． For 25 years, I had 41 myself as a publisher． I was used to a busy day of meetings． I enjoyed colleagues and the 42 I'd had． I didn’t feel ready to say goodbye to my old self． There were times when I felt incredibly 43 ．
In the darkest months, I devoted myself to 44 ． I couldn't manage novels or newspapers, 45 I tried reading poetry, and found the shorter lines less overwhelming． My speech came back, and I learned how to read again, though much more slowly． I also learned the 46 to keep up． I allowed myself to slow down, and started to enjoy it．
47 , I rid of my old skin． I grieved the past, its passing and its absence, and started to 48 it． Now, 10 years later, I look after my grandson a day a week, and my relationship with my family is deeper than ever． If you'd asked me 15 years ago to 49 the importance of the things in my life I might have said work, but now I'm no longer a high-achieving publisher． I'm a 50 man．
A．wear off B．make any sense C．count up D．pay off
A．temporarily B．scarcely C．incredibly D．savagely
A．curious B．reserved C．rigid D．concerned
A．calls for B．deals with C．suffers from D．responds to
A．practical B．absurd C．impossible D．innocent
A．prayed B．cried C．failed D．withdrew
A．contribute to B．agree to C．return to D．appeal to
A．obtaining B．rebuilding C．revealing D．improving
A．slipped B．doubted C．wandered D．reckoned
A．messy B．flexible C．straightforward D．self-evident
A．informed B．estimated C．reflected D．defined
A．extinction B．reward C．agenda D．status
A．angry B．acute C．prejudiced D．merciless
A．speaking B．trying C．writing D．managing
A．since B．until C．SO D．as
A．favor B．patience C．coincidence D．comfort
A．Gradually B．Hopefully C．Narrowly D．Annually
A．keep up with B．come to terms with C．get around to D．live up to
A．arrange B．compare C．rank D．declare
A．genius B．community C．dignity D．family
From my second grade on, there was one event I feared every year: the piano recital(独奏演唱会). A recital I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers. Each year I would ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”. And each year he would shake his head, saying something about building and working toward a goal.
One recent Sunday I stood in church, video camera in hand, and my 68-year-old father play the piano in his very first recital.
My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor and couldn’t lessons. He could have gone on regretting it, too many of us do. But he wasn’t stuck in the past. When he retired three years ago, he his church music director to take him as .
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he stared down at his fingers. Has he forgotten the ? I worried. But then came the beautiful melody (旋律). And I he had been doing what music teachers always stress: the notes and pretend the others aren’t there.
“I’m of him for starting something new at his age,” I said to my son Jeff.
“Yeah, and doing it so ,” Jeff added.
With his first recital, my father taught me more about self-confidence and the life goal than all the words he used those 30-plus years ago.
A．reflected B．meant C．explained D．proved
A．self-confidence B．self-control C．self-defense D．self-discipline
A．kept B．sent C．watched D．felt
A．miss B．afford C．select D．understand
A．as B．once C．if D．while
A．allowed B．invited C．inspired D．persuaded
A．a teacher B．an old man C．a student D．a singer
A．words B．videos C．notes D．lessons
A．predicted B．realized C．imagined D．insisted
A．pass over B．turn up C．bring in D．concentrate on
A．ashamed B．aware C．tired D．proud
A．nicely B．anxiously C．casually D．frequently
“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”
As we live through life, we tend to get caught up in our individual world, our problems — our life. When we our world to include others in a meaningful way, by making a difference in their life, we increase our experience at the same time.
Think back on a time when someone made a difference in your life.
Here is one of mine: I was going to college, working part-time, and just getting by financially. Standing in line at a local supermarket, I a woman in the same line, thinking that she was not very attractive. As I was , I discovered that I did not have enough money to pay; without , that same woman I had been judging offered to the difference. It wasn’t , but what that person did made a lasting impression on me. She was a beautiful, caring soul who was willing to help a stranger in a(an) situation. That happened over forty years ago and I remember it as as if it was yesterday.
Other examples are the numerous times I have had people smile at me, which my day. I've often wondered if it was because I was smiling, which I to do all the time, or because they were smiling to be , which encouraged me to smile as well. It has probably been some of both. In case, that simple gesture (a smile) makes a difference in my day.
There are ways to make a significant difference in another's life. The question is: Are we doing it? It does not anything, but it does require some effort on our part. I have found that as I do this consistently, the go far beyond the energy required to do the deed. Looking for ways to brighten another person's day raises our vibration(共鸣),and when we act on it, we the other person to raise their vibration as well — it is to each other.
Make a difference in someone's life today, and doing so every day. Today is a perfect time to start! If you are already doing so. bravo!
A．rebuild B．establish C．expand D．develop
A．direct B．minor C．remarkable D．positive
A．thoroughly B．smoothly C．barely D．actually
A．observed B．witnessed C．inspected D．accompanied
A．hanging out B．checking out C．setting out D．working out
A．expectation B．hesitation C．assumption D．intention
A．deal with B．take in C．make up D．cut down
A．much B．enough C．little D．awful
A．urgent B．absurd C．hopeless D．embarrassing
A．roughly B．clearly C．correctly D．dimly
A．brightens B．ruins C．begins D．influences
A．undertook B．tried C．promised D．failed
A．dynamic B．appealing C．friendly D．merciful
A．neither B．either C．no D．another
A．limited B．vital C．necessary D．countless
A．deserve B．charge C．determine D．cost
A．efforts B．achievements C．returns D．consequences
A．assist B．remind C．permit D．persuade
A．similar B．beneficial C．fundamental D．appropriate
A．admit B．prefer C．recommend D．consider
I still remember it was in the winter of 1990 that, together with the help of my older sister, I down my wishes for Christmas onto a piece of paper. How I wished on Christmas Eve my grandest wish would be and placed under the Christmas tree — a puppy. When we were done, our wish-lists were collected by our parents with the promise to be to Santa's hard- working helpers.
The next day, our parents sat us down in the living-room, with expressions on their faces. As it , they had seen our wishes, now wanting to talk to us about one wish — the puppy. For a moment, I held my breath, but was when they told us that they weren't against a puppy. What they against was putting it under the Christmas tree. That was not a good idea.
They taught us that an animal was not a gift that belonged to the same as our toys. Animals were creatures with that we should decide to have one, and it would be a(n) to our family. An animal a lot of responsibilities. It wasn’t anything one bought out of a mood. An animal could not be exchanged or when we didn't feel like it. An animal wasn’t a toy. An animal was a family member that needed lots of love and attention. An animal was not a , but a family decision. A serious decision. And a big decision.
, my parents share my love for animals, so the decision came reasonably . After our grandparents had given their up for taking care of the dog, while we were on future vacations, the answer was yes. Yes, we would get a puppy.
The following days and weeks, there was only one : our new family member! Yes, a family member, because animals have their rights. They are not simply food or gifts. We humans must attend, love and protect them.
A．left B．got C．set D．pulled
A．rejected B．declined C．challenged D．fulfilled
A．given away B．passed on C．taken on D．put up
A．dangerous B．curious C．serious D．mysterious
A．turned out B．taken out C．run out D．held out
A．in peace B．in order C．in particular D．in return
A．pardoned B．frightened C．inspired D．relieved
A．protested B．objected C．opposed D．resisted
A．patiently B．hurriedly C．anxiously D．roughly
A．arrangement B．routine C．schedule D．category
A．feelings B．secrets C．stains D．sufferings
A．convenience B．facility C．extension D．heritage
A．signed B．meant C．attained D．guaranteed
A．put forward B．put up C．put aside D．put off
A．native B．original C．responsible D．precious
A．riddle B．gift C．servant D．victim
A．Negatively B．Ridiculously C．Particularly D．Luckily
A．difficult B．easy C．contradictory D．concrete
A．thumbs B．toes C．noses D．eyes
A．theme B．argument C．prejudice D．topic
“I wouldn’t buy that woman a Mother’s Day card, even if my life depended upon it,” said the woman standing by the card shelf at Wal-Mart. I looked up and saw a(n) of total complaint and dislike.
Having been at a Florida orphanage at age four, I never knew what it felt like to have a mother or a father. Never once had I received a hug or a kiss from my parents. That part of my life is a total .
She looked up, saw me looking at her and angrily, “Just what are you looking at, you fool?”
“Sorry Ma’am. I never had a mother, and I was by your words.” I reached over and picked up a nice-looking , opened it and began to read, “Thank you for being my mother.”
“Do you think your mother would like that card? Mine would, I think,” I said.
“Do you know what it is like to be at for years, and never be told that you are loved?” she asked.
“My mother didn’t me, let alone shout. She just took me to the orphanage where I stayed until I grew up,” I replied.
“Don’t you her?” she asked.
“Oh, I can’t. She’s my mother. Being a mother is a position to be , even if she is not a very nice person,” I told her. The woman stood there her head.
I looked down at the floor and said, “I know your mother might have done a lot of things that you. It appears as if you hate her. But I can tell you this from my that disliking her, or even hating her, feels nowhere near as as never having known a mother at all—good or bad. At least, you feel . For me, it’s all just a large blank of loneliness inside my heart, and that’s I’ll feel until I die.”
The woman stood there for a moment. , she reached out, took the card from my hand, smelled it, and placed it in her cart.
After she left, I a nice card for my mother. I took it home, it, and placed it with the other Mother and Father’s Days cards bought all these years, each marked “Address Unknown”.
A．idea B．appearance C．expression D．impression
A．deserted B．lost C．reserved D．rescued
A．dark B．pain C．misfortune D．blank
A．requested B．considered C．screamed D．refused
A．relieved B．annoyed C．disappointed D．shocked
A．cart B．card C．book D．magazine
A．simply B．largely C．originally D．basically
A．shouted B．glared C．laughed D．pointed
A．set aside B．leave behind C．care about D．know about
A．miss B．love C．accuse D．hate
A．depended B．obeyed C．respected D．observed
A．shaking B．dropping C．raising D．nodding
A．hurt B．blamed C．disturbed D．punished
A．conscience B．efforts C．experiences D．nature
A．fragile B．lonely C．hateful D．anxious
A．anything B．everything C．nothing D．something
A．whether B．how C．where D．why
A．Cheerfully B．Eagerly C．Hesitantly D．Seriously
A．picked out B．packed up C．brought out D．took up
A．mended B．exposed C．addressed D．signed
One afternoon，the high school boy Clay Jensen received a mysterious package with no return address. When he opened it，he was to find seven tapes，which were by Hannah Baker，his classmate who had committed suicide (自杀)two weeks earlier. Clay had secretly been in love with her but never had the to tell her about it.
On the tapes，Hannah had thirteen reasons for ending her own and Clay was one of the reasons. Hannah had even left him a marking places with dots for him to visit. Clay walked out of his home and with her voice in his ;he wandered all over the town trying to uncover the reasons why she felt her life had to end so tragically(悲剧地).
Hannah and Clay’s story，American author Jay Asher wove(编织)a sad story of confusion and desperation in novel，Thirteen Reasons Why，which had on The New York Times best-selling list for eight weeks.
When Clay anxiously how he played a part in her suicide, he noticed how a number of little, seemingly unimportant can add up to a terrible high school existence for someone else.It us all that sometimes when something is said or done to another, it can have effects and can even lead to other major events in that person’s life.
The theme of the story is that we are all our own actions. Hannah admitted it was her to end her life. However, if someone had differently，she could have changed her decision.
it is an imaginary story, many of us will connect parts of Hannah’s high school career with something in our life and may know someone showing warning signs of suicide. And we can act and prevent such a tragedy.
A．delighted B．shocked C．disturbed D．excited
A．brought B．delivered C．recorded D．bought
A．time B．courage C．atmosphere D．mood
A．stated B．told C．found D．expressed
A．love B．schooling C．story D．life
A．tape B．map C．note D．number
A．eyes B．heart C．face D．ears
A．In B．For C．Through D．With
A．left B．stayed C．kept D．continued
A．found out B．gave away C．hung out D．thought of
A．accidents B．incidents C．events D．affairs
A．informs B．proves C．reminds D．encourage
A．praise B．hurt C．damage D．comfort
A．lasting B．important C．different D．instant
A．concerned about B．careful of C．devoted to D．responsible for
A．task B．rule C．choice D．dream
A．thought B．replied C．said D．acted
A．As though B．Even though C．In case D．Now that
A．even B．also C．still D．ever
A．thankfully B．hopefully C．equally D．similarly