A certain good woman one day said something that hurt her best friend of many years. She regretted it immediately and would have done anything to have taken the words back. So she went to an older, wiser woman in the village and advice.
Listening to her, the older woman the younger woman’s distress and knew she must help her. She also knew she could ease her pain, but she could teach.
Then, she said. “There are things you need to do. The first is extremely difficult. Tonight, take your best pillows and open a small hole in each one. Then, the sun rises, you must put a single feather on the doorstep of each house in town. When you are through, to me. If you’ve done the first thing , I’ll tell you the second.”
The young woman hurried home to prepare for her chore, the pillows were very to her and very expensive.
All night long, she went from doorstep to doorstep. Her fingers were . The wind was so sharp that it caused her eyes to water, but she ran on through the streets, there was something she could do to put things the way they once were. Finally she placed the last feather on the steps of the last house. Just as the sun rose, she returned to the older woman.
She was exhausted but , thinking that her efforts would be rewarded.
“Now,” said the wise woman, “Go back and your pillows. Then everything will be as it was before.”
The young woman was stunned, “You know that’s impossible! The wind each feather as fast as I placed them on the doorsteps! You didn’t say I had to get them back! If this is the second , then things will never be the same.”
“That’s true,” said the older woman. “Never forget. Each of your words is like a feather in the wind. Once , no amount of effort, how heartfelt or sincere, can ever return them to your mouth. Choose your words well and guard them most of all in the presence of those you love.”
A．asked about B．asked for C．asked to D．ask around
A．witnessed B．touched C．guessed D．sensed
A．ever B．almost C．never D．seldom
A．one B．two C．three D．four
A．feather B．leather C．woolen D．cotton
A．when B．after C．as D．before
A．come back B．go back C．put back D．draw back
A．promptly B．absolutely C．completely D．unfortunately
A．so as to B．even though C．now that D．in spite of
A．hard B．rare C．nice D．dear
A．freezing B．freezingly C．froze D．frozen
A．brightened B．widened C．darkened D．broadened
A．amazing B．lucky C．thankful D．surprising
A．on B．up C．off D．back
A．tired B．relieved C．grateful D．nervous
A．refill B．get C．purchase D．seek
A．blew up B．blew on C．blew away D．blew over
A．requirement B．situation C．consequence D．circumstance
A．speak B．spoken C．speaking D．being spoken
A．however B．whatever C．although D．regardless
Last weekend, my kids along with a few other kids from the neighborhood volunteered to help me wash my car．My 10-year-old daughter came up with the idea of 31 other people’s cars as well．It was pretty 32 outside and I had no plans to 33 being in the bright sun．She 34 wanted to give lemonade（柠檬汽水）to passers-by for free．I had seen little kids 35 and sell fresh lemonade for a small cost but not free．Although I felt 36 , I decided to help her．
37 she asked me, “What if we 38 this a smile car wash?” I couldn’t hold back my tears and 39 her and the other kids to go outside the house and come up with 40 ideas．While I kept myself busy in drying the car, the gang walked up to me with a（n） 41 with beautiful images of smiles．They had “Free Car Wash” written on it and the 42 of their exercise was “smile”．It was pretty neat to see a team of kids ranging 5-11 years with the 43 to do something for others．
All that seemed 44 and came right from their heart．Nothing seemed to 45 to them: their playtime, the heat outside—they just wanted to 46 others and do something nice in the community!
I helped them make some fresh lemonade and brought out some additional 47 to help clean cars．Passers-by were 48 and one even shouted back to them saying “God Bless You, my kids…” One of them even tried giving them 5 dollars, which they refused．A pretty heartwarming 49 !
I feel blessed by being 50 by such wonderful and loving souls．
A．drying B．repairing C．washing D．decorating
A．quiet B．hot C．different D．dirty
A．suggest B．avoid C．continue D．practise
A．further B．therefore C．already D．hardly
A．choose B．enjoy C．buy D．serve
A．worried B．popular C．confused D．difficult
A．Finally B．Simply C．Then D．Luckily
A．show B．leave C．make D．order
A．challenged B．expected C．invited D．encouraged
A．creative B．ready C．changed D．familiar
A．board B．picture C．idea D．car
A．purpose B．trouble C．secret D．theme
A．need B．duty C．imagination D．sense
A．important B．disappointing C．hopeful D．natural
A．matter B．mean C．belong D．refer
A．relax B．try C．help D．smile
A．food B．rags C．money D．fruit
A．interested B．amazed C．bored D．frightened
A．scene B．scenery C．story D．view
A．supported B．understood C．refused D．surrounded
When 16-year-old Ella Fitzgerald stepped onto the stage to perform at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 1934, she had no idea that her life was about to change. Her childhood had been36 . After the death of her parents, Fitzgerald had been placed in a boarding school. 37 , the teachers at the school mistreated her, 38 she ran away. Homeless and orphaned, Fitzgerald was trying her best to 39 on the streets of New York City when she won a contest to perform during an amateur night at the Apollo. She had 40 planned to dance, but at the last second, she decided to sing her mother’s favorite song 41 . Her performance earned her 42 from several well-known musicians. Ella Fitzgerald went on to become a 43 jazz singer.
During a musical career that spanned six decades, Fitzgerald 44 more than 200 albums. She won 13 Grammy Awards, the last of which she received in 1990. She worked with some of the greatest American singers of the twentieth century, including Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Dizzy Gillespie. Her talent and charm 45a wide range of listeners around the world. The worldwide 46 of Ella Fitzgerald helped make jazz a more popular genre.
Until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, the United States 47 African American citizens the same treatment 48 white citizens received. Fitzgerald’s manager and her band 49 to perform at places where discrimination was practiced. They also decided not to perform unless they were paid the same 50 as white singers and musicians. Ella’s fight for 51 received support from numerous celebrity admirers, including Marilyn Monroe. Fitzgerald never took her good fortune for granted. She gave money to charities and organizations that contributed to 52 disadvantages children. For her many civic contributions, in 1992 President George Bush 53 her the Presidential Medal of Honor, one of the highest honors 54 to civilians.
In 1991, Fitzgerald gave her 55 performance in New York’s Carnegie Hall. Although Ella Fitzgerald died in 1996, the American “First Lady of Song” continues to live in the hearts and ears of music lovers worldwide.
A．rich B．rough C．tiresome D．happy
A．Importantly B．Unforgettably C．Naturally D．Unfortunately
A．therefore B．but C．so D．then
A．survive B．experience C．learn D．stand
A．strangely B．blindly C．originally D．probably
A．in spite B．instead C．in place D．though
A．jealousy B．recognition C．reputation D．gratitude
A．creative B．dependent C．undiscovered D．distinguished
A．released B．sold C．copied D．showed
A．compared with B．appealed to C．composed of D．depended on
A．celebration B．admiration C．relaxation D．indication
A．denied B．supported C．offered D．hated
A．which B．what C．that D．like
A．decided B．refused C．started D．afforded
A．number B．quantity C．amount D．lots
A．wealth B．future C．equality D．agreement
A．caring for B．playing with C．preferring to D．taking after
A．rewarded B．awarded C．paid D．presented
A．accessible B．inadequate C．available D．official
A．best B．vivid C．open D．final
“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. “If you can carry on, one day something good will happen. And you’ll 16 that it wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous 17 .”
Mother was right, 18 I discovered after 19 from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way 20 sports announcer. I hitchhiked（搭便车） to Chicago and knocked on the door of 21 station—and got 22 every time. In one 23 , a kind lady told me that big stations couldn’t 24 hiring inexperienced persons. “Go out in the sticks and find a small station that’ll give you a 25 .” she said.
I thumbed home to Dixon, Illinois. While there was no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local 26 to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I 27 . The job sounded just right for me. 28 I wasn’t hired.
My disappointment must have shown. “Everything happens for the best,” Mom 29 me. Dad 30 me the car to job-hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had 31 hired an announcer.
As I left his office, my 32 boiled over. I asked aloud, “How can a fellow get to be a sport announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station?” I was waiting for the elevator 33 I heard MacArthur calling, “What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football?” Then he stood next to me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an 34 game.
On my way home, as I have many times since, I thought of my mother’s words: “if you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment”. I often 35 what direction my life might have taken if I’d gotten the job at Montgomery Ward.
A．realize B．recognize C．request D．receive
A．disappointment B．excitement C．pressure D．anxiety
A．what B．as C．when D．how
A．studying B．working C．living D．graduating
A．up to B．out at C．up for D．down to
A．every B．many C．a few D．some
A．taken down B．broken down C．turned down D．put down
A．room B．image C．studio D．stage
A．risk B．avoid C．mind D．regret
A．trouble B．chance C．choice D．change
A．adviser B．athlete C．photographer D．composer
A．applied B．assisted C．approved D．admitted
A．And B．But C．However D．So
A．reminded B．praised C．demanded D．informed
A．supplied B．provided C．prepared D．offered
A．still B．even C．already D．yet
A．distinction B．frustration C．impression D．expression
A．until B．when C．while D．as
A．visible B．bitterness C．imaginary D．satisfactory
A．think B．suspect C．doubt D．wonder
Perhaps the only test score that I remember is the 41. I was in high school. The test was the final for the class. It was a rather 36 test. I didn’t know how 37 I had done but I knew there were things on 38 that I didn’t know.
I remember 39 waiting for the result. When Mr. Bales 40 my paper on my desk, I was 41 . There in big 42 numbers, circled to draw attention, was my grade — 41! I 43 my paper so that others couldn’t see it. A 41 was not 44 that you wanted your classmates to see. Finally, Mr. Bales stood behind the desk and 45 the class. “The grades were not very good; 46 of you passed,” he announced. “ The highest grade in the class was a 41, so all of you failed.”
A 41. That was me. Suddenly my dismal(阴沉的) face didn’t look quite so bad. I had the highest grade. I felt a lot 47 . As soon as I got home, my mother asked me, “How did you do on your test?” “I made a 41,” I said. My mother’s 48 changed suddenly. “You failed.” “But I had the highest grade in the class!” I replied. “ I don’t 49 what everyone else had. You failed. It doesn’t matter if everyone else failed too; what matters is what you do,” my mother 50 answered.
For years, I thought that was a harsh judgment. My mother was always that51 . It didn’t matter what the other kids did; it only mattered what I did and 52 I did it excellently.
We often don’t understand the wisdom of good parents until we ourselves stand 53 the parenting shoes. My mother’s philosophy（人生态度）has 54 me throughout life. The path of the crowd is wide but the path to pass the tests of life is 55 and there are very few people on it.
A．easy B．difficult C．exciting D．disappointed
A．much B．good C．well D．long
A．this B．them C．it D．one
A．happily B．anxiously C．excitedly D．calmly
A．fell B．handed C．dropped D．lay
A．excited B．worried C．delighted D．shocked
A．red B．black C．blue D．green
A．collected B．gathered C．hid D．kept
A．everything B．something C．anything D．nothing
A．talked B．declared C．announced D．addressed
A．some B．each C．none D．most
A．worse B．better C．best D．good
A．looks B．appearance C．eyes D．expression
A．understand B．care C．mind D．want
A．rudely B．politely C．firmly D．impatiently
A．method B．manner C．behavior D．way
A．this B．that C．which D．what
A．on B．at C．in D．of
A．taken B．brought C．fetched D．carried
A．wide B．deep C．narrow D．straight
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从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。
A young student was one day taking a walk with a professor. As they went along, they saw 21in the path a pair of old shoes, which they 22 belonged to a poor man who was employed in a field close by.
The student turned to the professor, saying, “Let us play the man a 23 : we will hide his shoes and wait to see his 24 when he cannot find them.”
“My young friend,” answered the professor, “we should never amuse ourselves at the 25 of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure 26 the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch 27 the discovery affects him.”
The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by.
The poor man soon finished his work, and came 28 the field to the path where he had left his shoes. While 29 his foot into one of his shoes, he 30 something hard, 31 he bent down and found the coin. Astonishment and 32 were seen upon his face. He then looked around himself on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and went on to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was 33 on finding the other coin. His feelings 34 him; he fell upon his 35 , looked up to heaven and thanked God aloud.
The student stood there 36 affected, and his eyes filled with tears. “Now,” said the professor, “are you not much better 37 than if you had played your 38 trick?” The youth replied, “You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the 39 of those words, which I never understood before: It is more blessed to 40 than to receive.”
A．sitting B．lying C．hiding D．laying
A．imagined B．expected C．supposed D．recognized
A．trick B．role C．part D．game
A．impatience B．puzzlement C．pity D．disappointment
A．expense B．risk C．need D．poverty
A．in reply to B．in response to C．by means of D．by way of
A．why B．when C．where D．how
A．across B．around C．through D．towards
A．rising B．rushing C．slipping D．sliding
A．found B．noticed C．kicked D．felt
A．but B．so C．as D．for
A．wonder B．admiration C．guilt D．anxiety
A．advanced B．improved C．progressed D．doubled
A．grasped B．overcame C．inspired D．sank
A．knees B．hands C．feet D．legs
A．generally B．fairly C．deeply D．naturally
A．excited B．satisfied C．touched D．pleased
A．intended B．required C．wanted D．interested
A．fact B．truth C．reality D．faith
A．reward B．win C．give D．send