Recently divorced and unemployed，I was on my way downtown to do the rounds of the employment offices.I had no umbrella，for my old one had ____，and I could not ____ another one.
I sat down in the ____ and there against my seat was a(n) ___ silk umbrella with a silver handle.I had ____ seen anything so lovely.I examined the handle and saw a carved ___.The usual procedure would have been to ____ the umbrella to the conductor，but an idea ____ to me.I decided to take it with me and find the owner myself.
I got off the bus in a downpour and ____ opened the umbrella to protect myself.Then I ____ a telephone book for the name on the umbrella.I called and a lady ____.
Yes，she said ____，that was her umbrella，which her parents，now dead，had given her as a birthday present.But，she ____，it had been stolen ____ her doorstep a month before.
She was so excited that I ____ I was looking for a job and went directly to her house.She took the umbrella，and her eyes were filled with ____.She wanted to give me a ____，but－though twenty dollars was all I had in the world－her happiness at regaining this ____ possession was beyond words and I believed accepting her money would have ____ something.We talked for a while and I left.
A week later，I got a job as a sales manager ____.It might be my kindness that paid off.But who knows?
A．broken up B．gone away C．fallen apart D．faded away
A．afford B．borrow C．find D．repair
A．office B．bus C．theater D．train
A．ugly B．beautiful C．worn D．ancient
A．even B．always C．already D．never
A．design B．number C．name D．brand
A．turn in B．show off C．open up D．carry away
A．occurred B．ran C．struck D．happened
A．firmly B．suddenly C．casually D．thankfully
A．read B．searched C．got D．used
A．appeared B．replied C．answered D．screamed
A．in surprise B．in panic C．in silence D．in anger
A．assumed B．added C．declared D．announced
A．from B．in C．beside D．of
A．mentioned B．forgot C．realized D．remembered
A．memory B．honor C．tears D．thanks
A．gift B．position C．hug D．reward
A．expensive B．common C．rare D．special
A．bought B．ruined C．expressed D．enjoyed
A．immediately B．naturally C．hopefully D．unexpectedly
Leaving for work one morning, I noticed that my newspaper hadn’t been delivered yet. Since I always took it to work, it me that I would have to stop at the store and pick one up. I was already running late, but figured I could make it if I hurried. It was putting me in a mood.
As I pulled into the parking lot of the to get a newspaper, I noticed a young man in a wheelchair who seemed to be with his wheelchair. “I’m sure he’s all right”, I thought, “or if he’s not, someone else will help him.”
by the customers and cars that were passing him by, I guessed they were thinking the thing. I got out and walked over to see what the was.
“Is there anything I can do?” I asked. I noticed he wasn’t able to , and was still struggling with the wheelchair.
I at the wheelchair and noticed that the clamp(夹锁) holding the electronic keyboard and chair controls had loosened, causing the equipment to slip down, out of his reach.
I pulled it back into . His hand pulled over to the keyboard and he hit a single key. An electronic voice said, “Thank you.”
I felt a wave of gratitude come over me. I was truly blessed to have the physical that allowed me to live a normal life. The young man helped me gain a new way of thinking in life.
A．annoyed B．ignored C．permitted D．avoided
A．guilty B．curios C．bad D．good
A．office B．store C．library D．station
A．comparing B．living C．struggling D．playing
A．Judging B．Waiting C．Attracted D．Interrupted
A．particular B．happy C．same D．strange
A．accident B．trouble C．comment D．surprise
A．share B．deliver C．move D．speak
A．look up B．look down C．come down D．hold up
A．gradually B．luckily C．suddenly D．obviously
A．space B．form C．place D．shape
A．gratitude B．attitude C．manner D．ability
For a long time I saw happiness as a huge banner (旗帜) across the finish line of a long race. I felt that only when I____certain things could I finally be happy in my life. Most of the time I felt like a tortoise believing that being slow and___would win the race. At other times I would____like a rabbit trying different side roads at a dangerous ____hoping to reach that banner a little faster.____，I began to see that no matter how long I raced towards it，the banner was never any____. I finally decided to____and take a break. It was then that I saw my____sitting beside me.
It had been with me as I____hard to support my family, as I played with my children and heard their____and even when I was ____with my wife at my side looking after me. It had been with me as I raced towards that stupid banner. I just didn’t have the____to see it.
There is an old Chinese proverb that says，“Tension is who you think you should be. ____is who you are.” Perhaps we all should stop our race towards the____life we think we should have and ____the life we have now. Happiness will never be found under some banner far away. It will be found____your own heart，soul and mind. It will be found when you___that others love you just as you do.
Don’t be a tortoise or a rabbit when it comes to your happiness. Be a playful puppy and carry your stick of____with you everywhere you go. ____yourself out of the race and realize that when it comes to love and happiness, you are____there.
A．forgot B．missed C．overcame D．accomplished
A．safe B．steady C．calm D．quiet
A．act B．run C．jump D．walk
A．place B．height C．speed D．time
A．Generally B．Gradually C．Fortunately D．Firstly
A．clearer B．lower C．closer D．smaller
A．settle in B．start off C．stop by D．sit down
A．happiness B．goal C．success D．friendship
A．studied B．fought C．exercised D．worked
A．laughter B．complaints C．stories D．breathing
A．lonely B．tired C．sick D．hungry
A．courage B．chance C．wisdom D．strength
A．Stress B．Relaxation C．Failure D．Pain
A．real B．perfect C．common D．ordinary
A．enjoy B．change C．improve D．create
A．from B．on C．over D．in
A．realize B．believe C．hope D．admit
A．sorrow B．responsibility C．fortune D．joy
A．Carry B．Make C．Push D．Take
A．never B．still C．already D．ever
“Wanted: Violin
Can’t pay much
Call … ”
Why did I notice that? I wondered, since I rarely looked at the classified ads. I laid the paper on my lap and closed my eyes, remembering what had during the Great Depression, when my family to make aliving on our farm. I, too, had wanted a violin, but we didn‘t have the .
When my older twin sisters began showing an interest in music, Harriet Anne learned to play Grandma’s upright piano, Suzanne turned to Daddy‘s violin, simple tunes soon became melodies as the twins played more and more. in the rhythm of the music, my baby brother danced around while Daddy hummed（哼唱）and Mother whistled. I just .
When my arms grew enough, I tried to play Suzanne‘s violin, I loved the beautiful sound drawnacross the strings. Oh, how I wanted one! But I knew it was the question．
One evening as the twins played in the school orchestra, I closed my eyes tight to capture the picture firmly in my . “Someday, I‘ll sit up there．” I vowed（发誓） .
Unfortunately, it was not a year. At harvest the crops did not bring as much as we had hoped. I, however, couldn‘t any longer to ask, “Daddy, may I have a violin of my own?”
“Can’t you use Suzanne’s?”
“I’d like to be in the orchestra, too, and we can’t use the same violin at the same time.”
Daddy’s face looked . That night, and many following nights, I heard him God in our family devotions: “… and Lord, Mary Lou wants her violin．”
One evening we all sat around the table. The twins and I studied. Mother sewed and Daddy wrote a letter to his friend, George Finkle, in Columbus. Mr．Finkle, Daddy said, was a fine violinist．
As he wrote, Daddy read of his letter out loud to Mother. Weeks later I he’d written one line he didn‘t read aloud: “Would you watch for a for my third daughter? I can’t 40 much, but she enjoys music. And we’d like her to have her own instrument.”
A．managed B．promised C．struggled D．forced
A．luck B．money C．choice D．hope
A．while B．since C．after D．before
A．soft B．fluent C．gentle D．lovely
A．Picked out B．Caught up C．Taken on D．Called for
A．shouted B．laughed C．listened D．cried
A．long B．tough C．old D．slim
A．far from B．next to C．out of D．along with
A．dream B．hand C．life D．mind
A．faithfully B．silently C．frequently D．patiently
A．hopeless B．stable C．good D．difficult
A．stand B．help C．wait D．risk
A．both B．ever C．either D．still
A．angry B．sad C．pale D．weak
A．demand B．inform C．commit D．remind
A．favourite B．private C．own D．individual
A．parts B．lines C．contents D．purposes
A．heard B．conveyed C．discovered D．observed
A．musician B．favor C．gift D．violin
A．owe B．order C．charge D．pay
My family suffered a lot three years ago when my father died in a car accident. It my mother, two younger brothers and me alone.
At that time, I was in a senior high school. As the eldest son, I had no choice but to of school and work in a factory. Life went on without any wonder. I dared not ask for more and just thought about my two brothers. However, it wasn’t easy, for I couldn’t their tuition (学费) even if I worked from day to night without rest. I also had to look after my sick mother. I wanted to go back to school, but it seemed to be an impractical idea, since I needed to work to support my family.
A thread of appeared during those gloomy (阴暗的) days. It was a rainy dusk when I went outside into the rain and walked in the street. Suddenly the rain stopped! I raised my head, and found that “the sky” was in fact a dark blue umbrella. Then I heard a deep voice say, “Why not without an umbrella?” It was a one-legged man, “If you run, you won’t get so wet.” His words me deeply. Without my father’s protection, was I only a slave to fate﹙命运﹚?
While walking with him in the rain, I knew that his dream was once by an accident. He was glad that he didn’t lose and still “ran” on the road of life. Facing this guy, I had no pity, but admiration.
Inspired by his , I went to a city in the south and became an insurance representative. After two years’ “running”, I got somewhere and my family situation became better . I went back to school and eventually succeeded in being admitted to a university.
Everything is so simple: to run without an umbrella! When you run out of the season of your life, there will be a bright sky ahead of you.
A．left B． carried C． had D． forced
A．take out B．drop out C． make out D． jump out
A．bringing in B． taking away C． bringing up D． taking over
A． receive B． realize C． manage D． afford
A． chance B． need C． hope D． money
A． drive B． walk C． travel D． run
A．shocked B． puzzled C． discouraged D． hurt
A． burnt B． accepted C． ruined D． discovered
A． face B． heart C． sight D． control
A．images B． achievements C． signs D． remarks
A．simply B． gradually C． normally D． immediately
A． rainy B． cloudy C． sunny D． windy
Time talks. It speaks more plainly than words. Time in many ways.
Consider the different parts of the day, for example. The time of the day when something is done can give a meaning to the event. It is not a to telephone someone very early in the morning. If you telephone him early in the day, he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that something is urgent and immediate attention.
The samemeaning is telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he may think it is a of life or death. The time chosen for the call its importance.
In social life, time plays a very part. In the United States, gueststend to feel they are not highly regarded if the to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But this is not in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be .
The meaning of time from place to place in the world. , misunderstandings often arise between people from different cultures that time differently. For example, promptness (准时) is greatly in American life. If people are not prompt, they may be regarded as or not fully responsible. In the US, no one would think of keeping a business partner for an hour; it would be too rude. A person who is five minutes late is to make a short apology.
A．wastes B．communicates C．travels D．runs
A．special B．ridiculous C．precious D．rare
A．custom B．deal C．problem D．duty
A．whenever B．though C．while D．once
A．gives B．escapes C．pays D．requires
A．compared with B．covered with C．attached to D．devoted to
A．story B．matter C．game D．view
A．reduces B．ignores C．doubts D．stresses
A．different B．small C．significant D．equal
A．plan B．invitation C．gift D．wish
A．true B．useful C．clear D．grateful
A．on time B．at length C．in advance D．by chance
A．remembered B．forgotten C．canceled D．opposed
A．varies B．separates C．rushes D．keeps
A．Meanwhile B．Otherwise C．Thus D．Besides
A．make B．kill C．save D．treat
A．complained B．valued C．seized D．influenced
A．impolite B．desperate C．helpless D．unlucky
A．working B．approaching C．waiting D．thinking
A．forced B．expected C．refused D．blessed