I was doing a big clean-up and my kids were helping. One of my sons came across a handkerchief of mine with a coin inside. I took one look and was immediately to another time．
In 1991，I had spent five months in Viger(尼日尔)，a hot African country. There were many things I found about this place—the climate and beggars who shouted “Cadeau! Cadeau!” It means gift．
One was a lot worse．One day，a friend and I headed for neighboring Burkina Faso to work in a health clinic．However，a motorbike with two men slowly．Without warning，one of the men my backpack as the motorbike swept close by．The bag had my passport，money，an airline ticket and other things precious to me．I was in deep ．In the weeks that followed I looked at all with suspicion.
All I wanted was to leave this place．One day，I was stopped by an old woman “Cadeau!” she cried. I’d had enough! I was sick and tired of the country．I told her firmly，“A thief stole all my money and now I can’t get off your country.” The beggar woman listened carefully and my words．
“Then I will give you a cadeau,” she announced．Kindly，she placed an old brown coin in my palm. I looked at it ．Living in poverty，she gave me something priceless! I saw then the beauty of the people of Burkina Faso and deeply the quiet dignity of the small coin；she turned my perceptions upside down．
A．welcomed B．transported C．exchanged D．expected
A．difficult B．easy C．curious D．adequate
A．annoyingly B．carefully C．politely D．calmly
A．clinic B．present C．opportunity D．incident
A．continued B．failed C．approached D．dropped
A．grabbed B．broke C．borrowed D．fixed
A．debt B．snow C．trouble D．thought
A．plats B．friends C．men D．locals
A．denied B．used C．considered D．changed
A．in horror B．in shock C．in return D．in addition
A．uncertain B．unfortunate C．unnecessary D．unexpected
A．thanked B．regretted C．appreciated D．pitied
I consider myself something of an expert on apologies. A quick temper has me with plenty of opportunities to make them. In one of my earlier , my mother was telling me“Don’t watch the when you say, ‘I’m sorry’. Hold your head up and look at the person in the , so he’ll know you it. ”
My mother thus made the key point of a(n) apology: It must be direct. You must never to be doing something else. You do not a pile of letters while apologizing to a person in position after blaming him or her for a mistake that turned out to be your . You do not apologize to a hostess, whose guest of honor you treat , by sending flowers the next day without mentioning your bad .
One of the important things we should do for an apology is a readiness to the responsibility for our careless mistakes. We are used to making excuses, which leaves no for the other person to us. Since most people are open-hearted, the no-excuse apology leaves both parties feeling about themselves. That, after all, is the of every apology. It little whether the apologizer is wholly or only partly at fault. Answering for one’s encourages others to take their share of the blame.
A．provided B．mixed C．compared D．treated
A．dreams B．courses C．memories D．ideas
A．side B．ground C．wall D．bottom
A．mind B．soul C．face D．eye
A．imagine B．enjoy C．mean D．regret
A．useful B．successful C．equal D．basic
A．pretend B．forget C．refuse D．expect
A．hold on B．put away C．look through D．pick up
A．poorer B．weaker C．worse D．lower
A．fault B．reason C．result D．duty
A．cruelly B．freely C．roughly D．foolishly
A．manners B．excuses C．efforts D．roles
A．active B．effective C．extra D．easy
A．raise B．perform C．admit D．bear
A．situation B．need C．sign D．room
A．advise B．forgive C．warn D．blame
A．wiser B．warmer C．better D．cleverer
A．purpose B．method C．end D．advantage
A．cares B．matters C．depends D．remains
A．facts B．states C．rights D．actions
The purpose of a letter of application(求职信)is to help you to“sell”yourself. It should state the job you want, and should tell what your abilities are and what you have . It should be simple, human, personal and brief without out any necessary facts.
In writing a letter of application, keep in that the things a possible employer is most to want to know about are your qualifications(条件), your achievements and your aims. The opening paragraph is perhaps the most important part. the first few sentences fail to the reader’s attention, the rest of the letter may not be at all. Try to key your opening remarks to the needs or interests of the employer not your own need or desires. For example, instead of beginning with “I saw your in today’s newspaper”, you might say“I have made a careful of your advertising during the past six months”or“I have made a survey in my neighborhood to find out how many housewives your product and why they like it. ”
Try to generalities(概述). Be clear about the kind of job for which you are now . College graduates looking for their first positions often ask“What can I in a letter? Employers want experience—which, naturally, no has. ”The answer is that everything you have ever done is .
It is important to write a good strong closing for your letter. a specific request for an interview or give the possible employer something definite to do or expect. An excellent is to enclose(内附)a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your letter. That makes it for a possible employer to get in touch with you.
A．easily B．carefully C．obviously D．clearly
A．done B．found C．known D．heard
A．sending B．leaving C．taking D．picking
A．brain B．sight C．mind D．order
A．probable B．possible C．able D．likely
A．While B．Although C．If D．As
A．win B．pay C．show D．fix
A．kept B．read C．written D．continued
A．from B．for C．into D．to
A．article B．report C．advertisement D．introduction
A．watch B．study C．search D．discussion
A．use B．make C．sell D．change
A．gain B．remember C．protect D．avoid
A．applying B．losing C．preparing D．fitting
A．offer B．supply C．provide D．mean
A．worker B．manager C．owner D．beginner
A．success B．experience C．practice D．development
A．State B．Ask C．Make D．Get
A．result B．idea C．promise D．decision
A．easier B．happier C．cheaper D．safer
The “Doorman”
On a trip to California, my family stopped for lunch. As we walked toward the entrance to the restaurant, a man, with a beard and dirty hair, jumped up from a bench and opened the door for us. Regardless of his , he greeted us in a friendly way.
Once inside, my daughters whispered, “Mom, he . ”After we ordered our lunch, I explained, telling the kids to look the dirt. We then watched other customers approach the restaurant but many him. Seeing this rudeness truly upset me. The day I became a mother, I had resolved to set a good to my children. Yet sometimes when things didn’t go right, being a good example was . When our meal arrived, I realized I had left the car-sick pills in the truck. With the windiest trip ahead, the kids needed them, so I myself from the meal and went to get them.
Just then, the “doorman” was opening the door for a couple. They rushed past him without even acknowledging his . Letting them in first, I said a loud “thank you” to him as I .
When I returned, we talked a bit. He said he was not allowed inside he purchased food. I went back and told my family his . Then I asked our waitress to add one soup and sandwich. The kids looked as we had already eaten, but when I said the order was for the“doorman”, they smiled. When it was time to our trip, I noticed the“doorman”enjoying his meal. Upon seeing me, he stood up and thanked me heartily. He then his hand for a handshake and I gratefully accepted. I suddenly noticed the tears in his eyes—tears of . What happened next drew great astonishment: I gave the“doorman”a . He pulled away, with tears down his face.
Back in truck, I fell into deep thought. While we can’t choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude(感恩). I said thanks to a man who had help open a door for me, and also said thanks for that to teach my children by example.
A．heavy B．long C．messy D．grey
A．service B．appearance C．status D．attitude
A．smokes B．smiles C．sniffs D．smells
A．beyond B．over C．around D．into
A．hated B．ignored C．missed D．refused
A．target B．rule C．record D．example
A．stressful B．authentic C．awkward D．tough
A．excused B．freed C．prevented D．withdrew
A．company B．presence C．effort D．attempt
A．quitted B．marched C．exited D．approached
A．before B．unless C．though D．since
A．story B．deed C．experience D．demand
A．concerned B．shocked C．puzzled D．bored
A．make B．start C．take D．continue
A．lifted B．washed C．raised D．waved
A．approval B．affection C．sympathy D．gratitude
A．hug B．nod C．lift D．clap
A．slipping B．streaming C．rushing D．breaking
A．firmly B．instantly C．simply D．politely
A．journey B．wisdom C．opportunity D．challenge
I’d meant to go to Miros that day. I’d packed my bag and was ready. The motor-boat in on time. The sky was cloudy, but the wind wasn’t too strong for the two-hour . I stood at my window, staring at the boat. Then I lost of her, an old light-house partly blocked my view of the harbor. A dozen passengers were their way there. I was about to join them --- when a man’s face at the light-house window.
This was strange, because the light-house had been empty, unused and for thirty years. It was stranger still --- because I’d seen that before. I couldn’t place it but it was, or had once been, familiar to me. I opened my window and across. “I know we’ve met before, but I can’t remember where.”
I him to open his if he could and answer me. He did neither. The face behind the glass motionless (静止). Seeing him more clearly now, I knew he was not looking at me. He seemed to be looking upwards, the clouds. How well I’d known that face, sometime, somewhere!
I again. “We met years ago. Was it in Athens in the 1950s? I used to live in Plaka.”
He didn’t reply nor give any that he’d heard. I went back further, to I was in the navy. “Perhaps we met at sea during the war,” and that thought at once him to mind. Commander Leftis! He was Commander Leftis of course! How could I have forgotten? I’d saved his life once. But surely he …
The motor-boat her bell. I turned my eyes. The wind had risen, but she was pulling . Laughing, I called, “Now I’ve missed her, and it’s your , Commander!”
As the boat drew away, the face at the window faded. minute it was there. Looking up, I could see the whites of the eyes. The minute it was gone.
Well, I didn’t rush to the light-house. I knew that Leftis was dead. He died at sea in 1963 or 1964. But there’s one other thing I ought to tell you: the motor-boat never reached Miros. It was lost in a storm, with all the passengers.
A．reached B．arrived C．went D．came
A．voyage B．crossing C．travel D．boating
A．sight B．way C．patience D．chances
A．searching B．finding C．making D．hurrying
A．placed B．existed C．occurred D．appeared
A．locked B．opened C．rebuilt D．chained
A．man B．face C．window D．light-house
A．jumped B．ran C．shouted D．screamed
A．expected B．hoped C．believed D．asked
A．became B．remained C．seemed D．grew
A．through B．after C．for D．at
A．persuaded B．repeated C．tried D．continued
A．suggestion B．answer C．sign D．action
A．when B．which C．where D．how
A．kept B．brought C．caused D．changed
A．beat B．rang C．turned on D．put on
A．up B．down C．in D．out
A．problem B．question C．duty D．fault
A．Each B．Every C．One D．Some
A．next B．rest C．other D．last
Over the years, thanks to my life’s obstacles(障碍), I understood the meaning of faith and the strong will to survive. It was Hurricane Ike that made me fully____ the beauty of our strength and a human’s motivation to ____.
Mom had a two-week ____ in summer. While we enjoyed our holiday in Southeast Texas, we didn’t realize the fact that Ike ____ cause months and likely years of “labor”. By September 7th, the “eyes of Texas” were watching Hurricane Ike more ____, making the typical mad rush for last-minute hurricane ____. Two days later, both oil and ice were in ____ demand.
In the early hours of September 11th, some neighbors were planning to ____the storm in their homes, ____ others were making final preparations to get away. At first, we decided to stay. But that afternoon, the Houston-Galveston area would be on the more ____ side of the storm. Mom and I packed some of our most ____ belongings in the car and ____ the East Texas town of Lufkin.
As Ike pushed farther inland, we ____power in Lufkin. On Sunday, our next-door neighbor told us via cell phone that our ____ had remained well. Our hopes could not have been ____. But a few hours later, the neighbors reported that our brick chimney had ____, and it was sitting on our living room, ____ a hole in the roof between two skylights (天窗).
We wouldn’t be allowed to return home ____ September 17th. I climbed upstairs, and looked toward the hole in the roof which showed a beautiful blue sky.
Without hesitation, I shouted, “Wow! A third skylight!”
My neighbors could not believe I was making jokes ____ crying, but ____ is always good medicine. It was with that joke that I knew, given time, everything would be okay.
A．observe B．appreciate C．explore D．improve
A．work B．apologize C．recover D．change
A．vacation B．journey C．meeting D．schedule
A．must B．might C．should D．would
A．closely B．constantly C．warningly D．differently
A．adventure B．equipment C．supplies D．reports
A．basic B．high C．pure D．neat
A．get through B．put away C．test out D．suffer from
A．since B．when C．until D．while
A．dangerous B．abundant C．peaceful D．awesome
A．available B．concrete C．prized D．potential
A．set out B．headed for C．settled down D．watched out
A．provided B．reduced C．produced D．lost
A．garden B．house C．pool D．yard
A．clearer B．wilder C．lower D．higher
A．passed B．stood C．gone D．followed
A．leaving B．digging C．filling D．kicking
A．by B．before C．until D．after
A．in spite of B．instead of C．apart from D．in terms of
A．faith B．will C．strength D．laughter