One day，some of the girls in our neighborhood started acting a bit strangely towards me．They talking to me．After a day or so of this，I finally what was going on．I'd said something to a（n） girl the night before that she didn't like．I'd had a few that night, and like everyone I sometimes say things that severer than I mean them to．
Anyway，it seemed that the girl had told many of her friends，and now they were all at me．They found a great to think of all the other supposed“crimes”I'd committed over the past year． they'd all really liked me before, suddenly they I was a really bad guy．
This was a difficult problem．I to get along well with these people and I liked them all．I didn't want them to me because of something stupid I'd said when I was drunk．It didn't much whether they or I was wrong．All I wanted was things to be to normal again．
So I wrote the popular girl a note saying：“I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings．I didn't mean to”．And that was it．The problem was solved． ．the girls who were angry with me now liked me than ever．They felt I'd done something in admitting I was wrong and apologizing．
Learn how and when to ．Often，the pride and stubbornness you hold onto by refusing to back down isn't worth the of a lasting argument．An apology can for healing a difficult situation．And often, people will think better of you for it．
A．began B．continued C．avoided D．regretted
A．found out B．picked out C．gave out D．spoke out
A．special B．popular C．familiar D．ordinary
A．quarrels B．comments C．problems D．drinks
A．look B．sound C．feel D．appear
A．surprised B．angry C．excited D．amazed
A．right B．opportunity C．space D．need
A．As B．Since C．As if D．While
A．convinced B．admitted C．decided D．promised
A．happened B．used C．prepared D．agreed
A．forget B．forgive C．hate D．respect
A．matter B．change C．care D．explain
A．around B．up C．about D．back
A．simply B．generally C．regularly D．gently
A．At first B．In fact C．At least D．As usual
A．rather B．worse C．less D．better
A．doubtful B．interesting C．brave D．shameful
A．cheer B．forgive C．worry D．apologize
A．effort B．price C．result D．cause
A．permit B．fail C．work D．Last
Born in America, I spoke English, not Chinese, the language of my ancestors. When I was three, my parents flashed cards with Chinese at my face, but I pushed them . My mom believed I would learn I was ready. But the never came.
On a Chinese New Year’s Eve, my uncle spoke to me in Chinese, but all I could do was at him, confused, scratching my head. “Still can’t speak Chinese?” He me, “You can’t even buy a fish in Chinatown.”
“Hey, this is America, not China. I’ll get some with or without Chinese.” I replied and turned to my mom for . “Remember to ask for fresh fish, Xin Xian Yu,” she said, handing over a $20 bill. I the words, running downstairs into the streets of Chinatown.
I found the fish surrounded in a sea of customers. “I’d like to buy some fresh fish,” I shouted to the fishman. But he my English words and turned to serve the next customer. The laugh of the people behind increased their impatience. With every , the breath of the dragons（龙）on my back grew stronger---my blood boiling--- me to cry out, “Xian Sheng Yu，please.” “Very Xian Sheng,” I repeated. The crowd erupted into laughter. My face turned and I ran back home , except for the $20 bill I held tightly in my pocket.
Should I laugh or cry? They’re Chinese. I’m Chinese. I should feel right at . Instead, I was the joke, a disgrace（丢脸）to the language.
Sometimes, I laugh at my fish , but, in the end, the joke is on . Every laugh is a culture ; every laugh is my heritage（传统）fading away.
A．custom B．games C．characters D．language
A．ahead B．around C．along D．aside
A．when B．before C．unless D．until
A．success B．study C．time D．attempt
A．aim B．joke C．nod D．stare
A．cared about B．laughed at C．argued with D．asked after
A．right now B．from now C．at times D．in time
A．decision B．permission C．information D．preparation
A．repeated B．reviewed C．spelled D．kept
A．farm B．stand C．pond D．market
A．guessed B．forgot C．doubted D．ignored
A．by B．as C．with D．from
A．second B．effort C．desire D．movement
A．forcing B．allowing C．persuading D．leading
A．bright B．blank C．pale D．red
A．open-mouthed B．tongue-tied C．empty-handed D．broken-hearted
A．service B．home C．risk D．root
A．trade B．deed C．challenge D．incident
A．it B．us C．me D．them
A．thrown B．lost C．divided D．Reflected
As I got out of the car, I saw many cars parked around Ah Mah’s house. Uncle Harry stood at the , urging us to go in quickly. I saw all my there. Aunt Lanny, Aunt Nancy, and Aunt Ping were sitting on the sofa choking and wiping their tears. Uncle Harry told me to stay as my parents and my brother went in Ah Mah’s room. During this time some thoughts about my Ah Mah kept racing through my mind.
Ah Mah was my grandmother, but I her because she liked boys more than girls. She had a way of thinking that boys were more than girls. She made her prejudice clear when she announced that she would leave all her to the men of the family and nothing to the women after she . I hated her way of thinking; , she and I never got along.
My thought was suddenly when my parents and my brother came out. Mother was crying.
What happened to Ah Mah? I my way through and forced the door wide open. My eyes fell on her almost hairless head. I froze. After a few seconds, she to me. Slowly, I walked over to her.
She was . She looked tired, and her eyes were open. Most of her hair had fallen out. She held her hands out to me, but I was afraid to her. She pointed to her desk and , “Futju.” The “futju” was her most prized possession, her Buddha beads(佛珠). I went over to her desk and took the “futju.” By now, I was crying, even without my knowing, and I just her. She called my name, breathing quickly with short breaths and . She said, “Keep…forgive me... .”
I ran over to her and tried to seize her out-stretched(伸出) hand but it was too .
A．exit B．table C．door D．stop
A．friends B．companions C．neighbors D．relatives
A．inside B．away C．outside D．down
A．liked B．remembered C．missed D．disliked
A．valuable B．optimistic C．mature D．positive
A．furniture B．belongings C．clothes D．goods
A．passed B．left C．died D．disappeared
A．therefore B．instead C．however D．otherwise
A．awakened B．accepted C．started D．interrupted
A．pushed B．cleared C．explored D．smoothed
A．pointed B．signed C．shouted D．appealed
A．scared B．stubborn C．skinny D．sensitive
A．curiously B．barely C．automatically D．surprisingly
A．strong B．flexible C．dirty D．trembling
A．touch B．meet C．trouble D．shake
A．screamed B．whispered C．announced D．repeated
A．grand B．moral C．holy D．splendid
A．glared at B．glanced at C．smiled at D．stared at
A．struggling B．laughing C．rising D．crying
A．dark B．late C．difficult D．far
Even at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), a top-ranked high school in the US, senior Pooja . She has got a 4.57 grade-point average, a 2390 (out of 2400) on the SAT, and earned all 13 of her Advanced Placement (先修课程)exams. She a national non-profit program that encourages middle-school girls to in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs. She has developed a mobile app that analyzes speech patterns and predicts with 96 percent accuracy a person has Parkinson’s disease（帕金森氏病）.
Oh, and she’s 17.
Pooja earned admission to all eight Ivy League schools. Ivy League schools are generally as the best universities worldwide. Earning an letter from one Ivy League school is a rare achievement for most high school students. It is rare for a student to get into all eight, a few each year manage to do so. This year, Long Island student Harold Ekeh announced that he, too, had been accepted to all the Ivies.
Pooja’s adviser, Kerry Hamblin, said that she worked very hard to herself in the classroom, which helped her to be the best among her classmates. “She’s taking the hardest courses, the most that we offer, and has succeeded beyond anyone’s in all of them,” Hamblin said.
“She is really outstanding as a TJHSST kid has taken the mission(任务,使命) of the school as as it can go,” said principal Evan Glazer. “She’s a STEM superwoman who her interests in curious ways.”
Pooja has taken classes in computing, artificial intelligence and DNA science. Pooja wrote one of her college application essays being a woman interested in a career in computer science, a field strongly mainly by men for a long time. She said she’s often one of just girls in her technology classes. “I want to encourage in the field,” she said.
A．sticks out B．pushes out C． stands out D． puts out
A．scored B．graded C．bet D．arrived
A．found B．founded C．set D．based
A．undertake B．enjoy C．practice D．participate
A．also B．either C．ever D．never
A．whether B．what C．why D．how
A．sighted B．thought C．viewed D．looked
A．appointment B．acceptance C．acquirement D．allowance
A．fully B．hopefully C．badly D．extremely
A．though B．if C．even D．then
A．make B．push C．remind D．help
A．interesting B．tiring C．challenging D．disturbing
A．exceptions B．respects C．thoughts D．expectations
A．who B．as C．which D．where
A．good B．far C．low D．well
A．went B．progressed C．approached D．moved
A．about B．in C．for D．to
A．committed B．required C．existed D．influenced
A．a handful of B．a lot of C．a large number of D．an amount of
A．similarity B．diversity C．imbalance D．excellence
On a summer evening, I was reading a newspaper in my garden. Then my 18-year-old son，Max , wandered out to me. We spent about an hour chatting together, . Then he went out to have another night out with his .
As he left to meet his friends, I on how our evening together had been one of my life’s golden moments. , such treasured times were drawing to a . In less than a week, Max will go off to Israel, where he will study art for three years. Of course, Max’s is part of the natural order. Life is rushing in, and he is moving on. I’m that my son has the drive and energy to plan his own , which is the most important thing.
To , we’ll have the phone and e-mail, but why do it happen so ? I wondered how Max felt about leaving. He isn’t the one to his inner thoughts, and he prefers to use rather than noise to make his point. However, on my birthday last week, he gave me a card as a(n) . Inside, he had placed a scratch card(刮刮卡)with a top of $100,000, as well as a message. His message read, “Dear Mum, I discovered on the Internet that the average cost of a child until adulthood is $106,428, so I want to show my . I hope you win. Then you can go on holiday to all the places you love.” Reading his words, I , cried and gave him a huge hug.
I’m going to my boy. But he’s no longer a boy, is he? I’m going to miss this lovely young man. I didn’t a bean on the scratch card, but looking at Max, I know I’ve been a winner anyway.
A．wake B．join C．disturb D．call
A．tired B．delighted C．shocked D．moved
A．friends B．teachers C．classmates D．parents
A．reminded B．revised C．recovered D．reflected
A．Besides B．Therefore C．However D．Then
A．close B．wonder C．trick D．past
A．regretting B．maturing C．studying D．leaving
A．worried B．proud C．sad D．curious
A．happiness B．luck C．future D．business
A．keep in touch B．live out C．start with D．go through
A．quickly B．strangely C．generally D．hardly
A．hide B．bury C．ignore D．show
A．chances B．dreams C．wisdom D．wealth
A．memory B．gift C．praise D．honor
A．class B．remark C．grade D．prize
A．delivering B．adopting C．raising D．educating
A．gratitude B．doubt C．action D．opinion
A．puzzled B．broke C．complained D．laughed
A．thank B．miss C．admire D．lose
A．find B．plant C．win D．buy
Waiting eagerly for the airplane to take off, I was happy to get a seat by the window. Just then, a flight stewardess me and asked, “Would you mind your seat with the woman over there？They are a couple and would like to sit together.” The only other seat was next to a woman with both arms in casts(石膏), a blackandblue face, and a depressed emotion.“ am I going to sit there.” was my immediate . But then a deeper, quieter voice spoke, “Opportunity.” Eventually I took my new seat and after a short conversation, I that Kathy had been in a car crash, and she was on her way for .
When the snack of nuts and juice arrived， did not take me long to realize that Kathy would not be able to help herself. I offering to feed her but hesitated，as it seemed close a service to offer to a stranger. At last I decided that Kathy’s need was more important than my . I offered to help her eat，and although she too felt uncomfortable about accepting it，she . The flight turned out and she and I close in a short period of time. By the end of the fivehour trip, my heart was full of , and the time was definitely better spent than if I had just sat by myself.
I was very glad I had reached beyond my comfort zone to sit next to Kathy and offer to feed her. Love sometimes beyond human borders and overcomes the fears that keep us . When we reach out our hands to serve another, we grow to live in a larger and more world.
Help me move beyond the small self so I can with the hearts of others.
When I give to another, I feed my own soul.
A．reached B．deserved C．approached D．greeted
A．sharing B．exchanging C．giving D．quitting
A．acceptable B．comfortable C．bearable D．available
A．In no way B．In a way C．In one way D．By no way
A．reply B．reaction C．choice D．faith
A．discovered B．found C．informed D．saw
A．holidays B．sightseeing C．interview D．treatment
A．that B．which C．it D．what
A．suggested B．considered C．advocated D．teased
A．too B．so C．much D．still
A．guilt B．discomfort C．inconvenience D．ambition
A．refused B．laughed C．did D．made
A．embarrassing B．desperate C．ridiculous D．agreeable
A．kept B．grew C．remained D．developed
A．warmth B．sorrow C．pleasure D．fun
A．pushes B．touches C．goes D．fits
A．close B．allergic C．tough D．separate
A．rewarding B．demanding C．encouraging D．inspiring
A．help B．connect C．affect D．withdraw
A．care B．sympathy C．love D．kindness