An 80-year-old man was sitting in his house beside his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow landed in front of the window. The father 16 his son, "What is that?" The son replied, "It is a crow."17 a few minutes, the father asked his son a second time, "What is that?" The son said "I just 18 you that it’s a crow." After a little 19 , the father again asked his son, "What is that?" That time a(n) 20 tone could be heard in the son’s 21 . "It’s a crow, a crow!"
A little later, the father went to his room and 22 with an old diary which he had 23 for many years. After opening the right page, he asked his son to 24 it. When the son read it, tears came to his eyes." Today my 25 was sitting with me on the sofa.
When a crow was 26 by the window, my son asked me 23 times what it was, and I 27 to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him 28 each time he asked me the same question. I did not feel 29 answering the same question." If your 30 become old, don’t treat them or look 31 them as a burden(累赘). Instead be warm and 32 to them. From today on say this to yourself, "I want to 33 my parents happy forever, for they have 34 for me ever since I was born, and they have always showed their 35 love to me."
A．demanded B．asked C．commanded D．tested
A．Before B．During C．After D．Within
A．told B．reminded C．called D．consulted
A．sigh B．doubt C．breath D．while
A．sad B．angry C．pitiful D．gentle
A．face B．mind C．voice D．pace
A．came up B．came out C．came back D．came on
A．kept B．gathered C．collected D．searched
A．tear B．read C．write D．recite
A．son B．daughter C．brother D．father
A．lying B．wiping C．sitting D．spying
A．required B．repeated C．recalled D．replied
A．lovingly B．carefully C．deeply D．lightly
A．puzzled B．worried C．amazed D．annoyed
A．parents B．relatives C．families D．teachers
A．up B．upon C．down D．into
A．wise B．kind C．strict D．generous
A．send B．pray C．own D．see
A．frightened B．hunted C．cared D．waited
A．pleasant B．limited C．useful D．selfless
Music to My Ears
Robby was 10 for his first piano lesson in my class. Much as he tried, he ____ even the basic rhythm. However, he dutifully reviewed the pieces that I required.
Over the months he tried and tried while I ____ and encouraged him. At the end of each lesson he'd always say, “My mom's going to hear me play some day.” ____ it seemed hopeless.
I only knew his mother from a ____ as she waited in her aged car to pick him up. Then one day Robby stopped coming. I was secretly ____ that he stopped because of his lack of ability.
Weeks later I informed the students, including Robby, of the coming recital(独奏). To my ____， Robby asked me if he could be included. I told him he really did not qualify because he had ____ out. He said his mom had been sick and unable to take him to lessons but he was still ____ .
“I've just got to play！” he ____. Something inside me let me allow him to.
Then came the recital night. The gym was ____ with parents. I put Robby up ____， thinking that I could save his poor performance through my “curtain closer(谢幕)．”
The recital went off smoothly. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair was ____. “Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night？” I thought.
Robby pulled out the piano bench and began. I was not ____ for what I heard next. His fingers were ____ on the keys. Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people of his age. After he ended, everyone was ____ their feet in wild applause.
In ____ I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby. “I've never heard you play like that, Robby! How did you ____ it？”
Robby explained, “Well, Miss Hondorf…remember I told you my mom was sick? …____ she had cancer and passed away yesterday. She was born deaf, so tonight she could hear me play in heaven. I wanted to make it special.”
There wasn't a ____ eye in the house. That night I felt he was the teacher and I was the pupil, for it was he who taught me the meaning of perseverance and ____.
A．lacked B．had C．showed D．got
A．listened B．learned C．checked D．played
A．And B．But C．So D．Or
A．conversation B．performance C．distance D．picture
A．guilty B．sad C．anxious D．glad
A．relief B．surprise C．pleasure D．satisfaction
A．stepped B．worn C．run D．dropped
A．acting B．performing C．practicing D．recording
A．insisted B．suggested C．complained D．threatened
A．lined B．packed C．piled D．covered
A．least B．most C．first D．last
A．messy B．cool C．neat D．dull
A．eager B．concerned C．prepared D．grateful
A．hesitating B．dancing C．touching D．crawling
A．over B．under C．in D．on
A．chaos B．tears C．silence D．return
A．find B．feel C．make D．like
A．Gradually B．Suddenly C．Frequently D．Actually
A．dry B．curious C．bright D．wet
A．regret B．talent C．love D．courage
The day that I met my best friend for the first time, I was full of anxiety. I was trying to do some __41__ for an important oral exam in the local library, but people kept ____ me. I was getting annoyed and of course, I wasn't able to ___. Suddenly I heard someone singing behind me. I ____ and glared at the person who was singing. It was a tall girl about the same age as me.
The fact that she looked like a sensitive, friendly girl didn't matter. If anything, it made me even angrier.“ How could she be so selfish？” I thought ____.
I picked up my books, glared at her and whispered coldly, “Thanks to your ____， I've been unable to study. You're so ____！”
I left the library in such a hurry that I left the most important textbook ____. when I got home two hours later, I found that textbook gone. I was so ____ that I almost cried. Just then, the phone rang. A gentle voice ____ the speaker as Jenny and asked if I was Jane. After ____ that I was, she said that she had noticed I'd left my book in the library and as my ___ was in it, she'd asked a librarian to get my phone number. She said that she didn't live far away and could bring it around for me if I needed it.
I sighed with ____ and agreed to meet her at the convenience store down the road. Of course you've ____ who Jenny was. She was the girl I had shouted at for singing in the library. When I recognized her in the convenience store, I was filled with ____ and apologized for my ruled behavior. I felt so ____， but Jenny just laughed, saying she was glad to see that I'd also left my ____ in the library! I couldn't help laughing at this and I invited her back to my apartment for a quick cup of tea.
Ever since then we've been best friends and we got along really well. To be honest, I trust her more than any one else. I often think how ____ I am. If Jenny hadn't been a kind person who was willing to ____ my shortcomings, I would ____ have experienced such true friendship.
A．research B．revision C．work D．experiment
A．watching B．asking C．warning D．disturbing
A．speak B．improve C．concentrate D．follow
A．turned around B．turned down C．turned off D．turned over
A．sadly B．hopelessly C．angrily D．crazily
A．practice B．noise C．attitude D．existence
A．selfish B．active C．sensitive D．stupid
A．out B．around C．aside D．behind
A．nervous B．careless C．upset D．forgetful
A．introduced B．considered C．took D．remembered
A．deciding B．confirming C．realizing D．thinking
A．address B．class C．writing D．name
A．comfort B．relief C．confidence D．satisfaction
A．recognized B．found C．guessed D．heard
A．courage B．energy C．doubt D．shame
A．worried B．sorry C．terrible D．excited
A．glare B．expression C．virtue D．friendship
A．considerate B．pleased C．lucky D．grateful
A．overcome B．share C．hide D．forgive
A．ever B．never C．seldom D．still
The elderly Chinese man in the small booth (售票口) behind the thick glass shook his head. I didn't need to know a word of Chinese to understand there were beds available for the Thursday night train from Beijing to Shanghai. I had a Friday morning
with my college friend. I must be on that train. Desperate times desperate measures. So I squatted(蹲下). I assumed that this was the international for “Are there any hard seats available?”
, there were. It was seat 109. Very quickly, I found it. The Chinese man sitting in it, however, seemed to beg to differ.
I panicked. I am a man who usually avoids conflicts(冲突) and so I my seat, as if still looking, to buy myself more time. I had two options: The first is to be a and ask for what was rightfully mine. The second was to 23 and spend the next 13 hours staying in a corner.
Well, nine out of ten times I choose the second option. But at that moment, every square inch of had already been claimed. There wasn’t a corner in which to cower(退缩). So, I mustered up(聚集) some and presented the man with my proof of ownership. He looked at my ticket and .
About midnight my became heavy and I was ready for the lights to dim and my date
Ms ZZZZ to start. But the room bright and hot. I tried to persevere and was even able to work into a sleeping position.
It is here I must admit: I have a bladder (膀胱). The man next to me drank a Coca-Cola, a bag of milk and a bottle of water and the course of 13 hours he did not move once. I drank but finally, I made my way to the bathroom at 3:02 am.
After waiting in a thick cloud of cigarette smoke, I finally used the bathroom. The philosophy(原则) of my sleeping was right: if you get a seat on a train, don’t move.
A．extra B．few C．some D．no
A．discussion B．appointment C．debate D．conversation
A．take up B．call for C．keep away D．bring in
A．habit B．custom C．symbol D．style
A．Naturally B．Luckily C．Indeed D．Suddenly
A．rushed towards B．jumped upon C．pushed into D．walked past
A．man B．human C．fellow D．hero
A．give up B．lie down C．wait for D．sit still
A．seats B．beds C．space D．corners
A．ever B．yet C．still D．even
A．information B．support C．confidence D．force
A．moved B．refused C．accepted D．admitted
A．body B．eyelids C．arms D．legs
A．to B．on C．with D．from
A．remained B．turned C．stuck D．continued
A．it B．him C．one D．myself
A．sick B．wrong C．healthy D．small
A．at B．over C．to D．from
A．everything B．something C．nothing D．anything
A．neighbour B．friend C．colleague D．partner
A daughter thought life was unpromising(无前途的) to her and complained to her father about it. She did not know how she was going to and wanted to give up. She was of fighting and struggling. It seemed as if one problem was just solved before a new one .
Her father, a cook, took her to the . He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high
. Soon the pots came to the . In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and waited, asking repeatedly what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he spooned the coffee out and placed it in another. Turning to her he asked, “Darling, what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to
the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the , she observed the hard-boiled egg! Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. She smiled she tasted its rich flavor. She humbly asked, “What does it mean, Father?”
He explained that each of them had faced the same , boiling water, but each differ-
ently. The carrot went in and hard. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it and became weak. The egg had been . Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, . After they were in the boiling water, they had the water.
“Which are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity(逆境) knocks on your door, do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
A．make out B．make it C．make up D．make through
A．typical B．conscious C．tired D．warned
A．raised B．arose C．disappeared D．faded
A．room B．market C．kitchen D．grocery
A．shelf B．temperature C．fire D．table
A．boil B．cool C．hot D．smoke
A．happily B．calmly C．casually D．impatiently
A．lights B．burners C．tap D．water
A．see B．carry C．feel D．fetch
A．shell B．pack C．bag D．cover
A．since B．as C．before D．if
A．occasion B．point C．variety D．adversity
A．reflected B．answered C．abandoned D．reacted
A．stable B．weak C．strong D．sensitive
A．softened B．widened C．shortened D．sharpened
A．half-done B．easily-broken C．easily-got D．hard-boiled
A．over B．for C．through D．on
A．however B．otherwise C．besides D．moreover
A．melted B．absorbed C．polluted D．changed
A．what B．how C．when D．why
Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three months of travel through Europe. I had been abroad a couple of times, but I could hardly claim to know my way around, the continent. , my knowledge of foreign languages was limited to a little college French.
I . How would I, unable to speak the language, familiar with local geography or transportation systems, conduct interviews and do
research? It seemed impossible, and with considerable I sat down to write a letter rejecting the . Halfway through, a
ran through my mind: you can't learn if you don't try. So I the assignment.
There were some bad . But by the time I finished the trip, I was an experienced traveler. And ever since, I have never hesitated to head for even the most places, without guides or advancebookings, confident that somehow I will .
The point is that the new, the different, is almost by definition . But each time you try something, you learn, and as the learning , the world opens to you.
I've learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a(n) . And I know I'll go on doing such things. It's not because I'm braver or more daring than others. I'm not. But I'll accept worry as another name for and I believe I can wonders.
A．aboard B．abroad C．away D．out
A．claim B．declare C．hope D．deny
A．Somehow B．However C．Instead D．Moreover
A．accustomed B．added C．limited D．suited
A．resigned B．hesitated C．trembled D．suspected
A．only too B．more than C．apart from D．far from
A．operations B．experiments C．research D．business
A．regret B．doubt C．terror D．disappointment
A．request B．job C．trust D．assignment
A．reaction B．thought C．meaning D．conflict
A．accomplished B．received C．accepted D．resisted
A．exchanges B．conditions C．trips D．experiences
A．remote B．accessible C．interesting D．crowded
A．still B．ever C．even D．yet
A．do B．manage C．make D．fit
A．astonishing B．frightening C．fascinating D．exciting
A．comes up B．shows up C．piles up D．steps up
A．airport B．motorboat C．surfboard D．balloon
A．goal B．opportunity C．struggle D．challenge
A．work B．own C．win D．achieve