After 17 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, “I love you, but I know the other woman loves you and would love to spend some with you.” The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been for 20 years, but the demands of my work and my boys made it possible to visit her only .
Then I called to visit her to go out for dinner and a movie. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she had curled her and was wearing a nice dress. My mother took my arm she were the First Lady.
During the dinner, we had an agreeable —nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. At last, she said,” I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I .
Two days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a to do anything for her.
Later, I received a copy of a restaurant receipt from the place mother and I had dined. A(n) note said, “I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates—one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night for me. I love you, son.”
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time “I LOVE YOU” and giving our loved ones the time that they . Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be till “some other time”.
A．time B．money C．dinner D．movie
A．upset B．cheerful C．alone D．excited
A．usually B．occasionally C．frequently D．often
A．program B．comb C．organ D．hair
A．as if B．even though C．such as D．as to
A．discussion B．quarrel C．conversation D．fight
A．refused B．wondered C．ordered D．agreed
A．luck B．chance C．will D．hope
A．connected B．attached C．abandoned D．deserted
A．cared B．arranged C．meant D．applied
A．spend B．want C．need D．deserve
A．put off B．paid off C．put forward D．looked forward
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, that 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.”
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There was a time when I couldn’t understand why my parents were so enthusiastic about with my head teacher. I often thought that they were really good at getting me into trouble. But, after my head teacher’s home-visit last month, my mind totally .
the visit, I was entirely overwhelmed(压垮) by frustration because I thought my head teacher, who , in my eyes，is a boring and strict man, would severely me and ask my parents to take away my iPad. I even wondered if it had been my parents who invited him to come, I got into argument with my parents.
What was worse, after I the news on my microblog, all the words from my classmates, like “you are such a lucky dog” almost tore me apart. When the day came, I said to , “It’s going to be okay! Just face it!” To my , during his visit, I quickly learned that my head teacher is just a(n) man outside class. With his son and wife accompanying him, he just seemed to be a loving and considerate husband.
I also learned that he is a man full of . When my sister started licking (舔) her after finishing a delicious dish, he joked that she was trying to turn her plate into a mirror. All of us burst into at that moment.
Contrary to my previous impression, I that my head teacher is a very respectable and friendly person. Thanks to his visit, I got to see a(n) side of my head teacher. I felt that I had reacted so crazily before. Now, I’m delighted to have him as my head teacher. I know I won’t him down.
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阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of . Very often when we have flowers, Denise or I would plant some between the rocks, just to add some to the area.
Last summer, I found a tiny little in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either. We decided to let it growing until we could find out what it was.
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I decided to the weeds around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something . The sunflower had not where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big and grown under and around it to reach the .
That’s when I that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. If we ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we to go and get what we need for growth.
We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the to achieve our goals. Like the , it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be of who and what we are, then the environment will begin to us. We will find a way to go under or any “rocks” in order to reach our goals.
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My kids and I were heading into the supermarket over the weekend. On the way ,we spotted a man holding a piece of paper that said, “ _____ my job. Family to Feed.”
At this store, a _____ like this is not normal. My 10-year-old noticed him and make a ______ on how bad it must be to have to stand _______ in the cold wind.
In the store, I asked each of my kids to _____ something they thought our “friend” there would ______. They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17-year-old suggested giving him a _______. I thought about it. We were _____ on cash ourselves, but… well, sometimes _____ from our need instead of our abundance is _____ what we need to do! All the kids ______ something they could do away with for the week.
When we handed him the bag of ____, he lit up and thanked us with _____ eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for ______his family might need, he burst into tears.
This has been a wonderful _____ for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can _____! Things would have played out so ______ if I had simply said, “No, we really don’t have _____ to give more.” Stepping out not only helped a brother in _____, it also gave my kids the ______ taste of helping others. It’ll go a long way with them.
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Once upon a time there lived an old man in a nice cottage with a large garden. The old man was seen his flowers all the time. They were so well-tended(照顾得好) that every passer-by could not but for a glance.
One day a young man went by the garden. He gazed at the splendid garden, in admiration（赞美） at the beauty of these sceneries. Then, suddenly he the old gardener was blind. , the young man asked, "Why are you busy tending these flowers every day which you can't in fact?" The old man smiled and answered that "I can tell you reasons. First I was a when I was young, and I really like this job. Second, although I can't see these flowers, yet I can them. Third, I can smell sweetness of them. As to the last one, that's ."
"Me? But you don't know me," responded the young man .
"Yeah, it's that I don't know you. But I know everyone knows flowers and would never them down. I know the beauty of my garden will get many people into a good . In the meantime, it also a chance to me to have a word with you here and to enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us."
The old man's astonished me. The blind man grows flowers and them as a link of minds（心灵的连接） so as to make enjoy the sunshine in spring. Isn't it one kind of happiness?
I believe every flower has with which they can see the kindness of the man's heart. The blind man grows flowers in his heart. Though to see the beauty of blossoming（繁花盛开）, he surely can hear the voice of it, I suppose.
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