Joshua, my son, is fifteen years old. He was born with Down Syndrome (唐氏综合症). In the last fifteen years. I have experienced many difficult and stories. However, right now I want to just stick to the topic of . When Joshua was born, they us not to “waste our time, energy or money". They claimed that our son would never accomplish anything. They told us he would never walk, talk or learn to use the toilet. , we were not about to accept the words. However, we weren’t really sure what to expect.
Therefore, we expected him to develop at his own pace, with a lot of help and encouragement, but only to develop little. We decided that we saw progress we could never give up. Very early on, we knew in our hearts that we had to have high expectations, but how high? We could not set goals for him that he could not ever possibly reach. , if we did not have high hopes, the chances would be very slim for him to work to his potential.
When Joshua was four and a half years old, his younger sister, CJ, was three and attended the same preschool in a younger class. The school an art contest and all the children in it presented pictures. The pictures were hung on the wall and the president of the local church, who was not personally with the children, was appointed to be the .
On the day of the contest, I made my through the crowded parents to see CJ’s picture, it was likely to be hung there, but Joshua's class pictures were not yet up and I didn’t think twice about seeing his picture leaving the building. You see, I had no expectation that Joshua would win; it was for me to know that he was able to draw a picture and have it with those of the other children.
Well, when I returned to the kids, you can image my when I discovered that Joshua was the winner from his class! Proud and excited, he told everyone, “I won the contest! I it! ”
CJ kept insisting that she had won too and it was certainly a feeling to know that Joshua had achieved something that his sister had not. After that I decided to keep my expectations . It seems that most people work to whatever expectations are set for them. Why should Joshua be any ?
A．inspiring B．frustrating C．encouraging D．exciting
A．expectation B．love C．education D．instruction
A．suggested B．hoped C．persuaded D．advised
A．Luckily B．Unfortunately C．Naturally D．Generally
A．due to B．as long as C．so far as D．in case
A．However B．Besides C．Thus D．Therefore
A．charged B．prepared C．engaged D．held
A．familiar B．similar C．friendly D．close
A．host B．teacher C．headmaster D．judge
A．effect B．way C．force D．struggle
A．where B．as C．when D．that
A．after B．during C．before D．once
A．anxious B．enough C．amazing D．pleased
A．displayed B．kept C．taken D．replaced
A．take up B．keep up C．get up D．pick up
A．surprise B．expectation C．anxiety D．amusement
A．got B．drew C．made D．defeated
A．special B．extraordinary C．curious D．mixing
A．on B．high C．great D．easy
A．difficult B．upset C．disappointed D．different
One cold night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was walking home around one o’clock in the morning after a ______ practice at the theatre. With the opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines by heart. I was having ________ handling my part-time job at the bank in the daytime and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about ________ both acting and San Francisco. I had ________ too much of the city life.
As I walked down the ________ streets under the tall buildings, I felt very small and cold, so I began ________ both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out ________ a few homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my ________, I heard a sound behind me. I ______ quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me ________ so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I ________ what the noise had been. It had been my wallet ________ to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk ________ for 15 minutes, my wallet was ________ to be found.
Just as I was about to quit the ________, I heard the garbage truck stop to the sidewalk next to ________. When a voice came from the inside, “Alisa Camcho? ” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened and out jumped a small blonde man with an ________ look in his eyes. “Is this ________ you’re looking for? ” He asked, holding up something like a wallet.
Finally, I got my wallet back. I also got back some ________ of city life. I realized the city couldn’t be a bad place as soon as people were willing to ________ each other.
A．comfortable B．serious C．tiresome D．fortunate
A．comfort B．desire C．pain D．trouble
A．setting up B．giving up C．holding up D．picking up
A．expected B．changed C．controlled D．possessed
A．deserted B．crowded C．blank D．narrow
A．running B．jumping C．moving D．marching
A．towards B．except C．including D．between
A．bank B．theatre C．apartment D．office
A．stood B．walked C．turned D．left
A．satisfied B．confused C．frightened D．annoyed
A．turn out B．figure out C．give out D．pull out
A．belonging B．adding C．sticking D．falling
A．gratefully B．anxiously C．skilfully D．delightedly
A．nowhere B．anywhere C．everywhere D．somewhere
A．instruction B．training C．search D．acting
A．it B．him C．someone D．me
A．amused B．unpleasant C．uneasy D．embarrassed
A．what B．who C．whichever D．whomever
A．production B．judgment C．friendship D．appreciation
A．expect B．help C．share D．love
There was a time when I thought my dad didn’t know a thing about being a good father. I couldn’t _______ him ever saying the words “I love you.” It seemed to me his only purpose in life was to say “_______” to anywhere I wanted to go and anything I wanted to do, including getting a ______. Some parents bought their kids cars when they got their driver’s licenses. ________ my dad — he said that I’d have to get a job and buy my own.
So that was what I did. I got a job at a very nice restaurant and _______ every penny I could. And when I had enough to buy my car, I _______! The day I brought that car home, my dad was the first one I wanted to show it _______ to. “Look, dad, a car of my own. If you ever want a ride, I’ll only _______ you five dollars.” I offered with a smile.
“I see,” was all he said.
One day, there was something wrong with my father’s truck. So he needed a ________ to work. The sun wasn’t even up when we left the house , ________it was already getting warm out. It was going to be a(n) ________ day. As I dropped my dad off, I ________ him, dressed in his work clothes, getting his ________ from the truck (车尾箱) of my car. Watching his sun-weathered face, and even from a distance I could tell there were ________ lines than I ever remembered being there before. I realized how hard my dad worked for the family. My father was a cement finisher(水泥修整工).
In that instant, it ________ to me that he actually got down on his hands and knees to sweat over hot concrete to make a living for his family. And he did this ________, no matter how hot it got. Never, not once, had I heard him _______ about it. To him we were “worth” it. And never once did he “charge” us for it.
When he closed the trunk, his tools set off to the side, he walked over to my window to ________ me five dollars. I rolled down the window and said “Good-bye, dad. Keep your five dollars. It’s ________ me. Don’t work too hard. I love you.”
His eyes met mine, then glanced away in the direction of his waiting tools, he cleared his ________ and said, “Oh, and… me, too.”
A．like B．remember C．forget D．care
A．Sorry B．Yes C．No D．Good
A．car B．friend C．job D．bus
A．So B．As C．Not D．Even
A．spent B．earned C．kept D．saved
A．did B．changed C．stopped D．was
A．out B．in C．up D．off
A．pay B．charge C．offer D．accept
A．ride B．leave C．trip D．hurry
A．as B．although C．but D．since
A．ordinary B．hot C．unusual D．special
A．helped B．followed C．left D．watched
A．tools B．clothes C．luggage D．bag
A．fewer B． more C．longer D．less
A．happened B．seemed C．occurred D．appeared
A．now and then B．day and night C．all the time D．day in and day out
A．talk B．complain C．ask D．speak
A．hand B．pass C．lend D．take
A．for B．at C．on D．in
A．hands B．eyes C．throat D．clothes
Hi Cindy，
Please don't worry if you feel a little strange around boys.You are in the process of ____ from a little girl into a young woman and there are ____ called hormones（荷尔蒙）that are changing not only your body but your ____.For example，you say you used to feel at ease ____ boys and you would usually run and fight one another for ____.That was Cindy，the little girl.Cindy，the ____ woman，doesn't want to fight boys or even run with them ____ your interests are changing.That is what is making you feel strange and it is also ____ to the other girls around you and also to the boys.Your life is ____ a different stage but you should understand that this is ____ normal，and something that will pass quickly.
I think you should try again to ____ around boys.You can still talk with them about ____you like including sports，movies，websites and celebrities（名人）．I ____ that you not try to fight with them，however，because the ____ are becoming much bigger and stronger.I think you will find that you will ____ being with boys but that your feelings will be different from the ____ they used to be.I know you are not supposed to have a ____ while you are still in school in China，but if you start to find some boys very handsome and you are strongly ____ to some of them，don't be surprised.____，this is all very normal.For now，you should ____ your school work，though you will find that some boys are attracted to you.This will be a new adventure for you and my best advice is to relax and enjoy it.
Good luck!
Brad
A．starting B．surviving C．changing D．ranging
A．cells B．nutritions C．objects D．chemicals
A．head B．mind C．life D．study
A．against B．for C．with D．without
A．fun B．honor C．good D．praise
A．brave B．young C．smart D．unique
A．before B．when C．until D．because
A．referring B．appealing C．happening D．pointing
A．setting B．entering C．reflecting D．representing
A．perfectly B．possibly C．hardly D．nearly
A．play B．fool C．date D．relax
A．somebody B．anybody C． anything D．something
A．demand B．recommend C．command D．determine
A．girls B．adults C．kids D．boys
A．enjoy B．hate C．avoid D．regret
A．model B．standard C．way D．style
A．girlfriend B．boyfriend C．degree D．job
A．attracted B．opposed C．exposed D．accustomed
A．Rather B．Besides C．Afterwards D．Again
A．depend on B．decide on C．concentrate on D．agree on
Think you can't be happy？You'll think again after reading this story. Barbara Ann Kipfer hated her feet.They were too big and she always seemed to ____ over them when someone was ____ —usually a smart guy.Come to think of it，her teeth were too big，too.The other kids teased(取笑)her because of the way she ____，and because she wanted to be a sportswriter some day.No matter what she did，she was teased for being “____”．
That's ____ she started writing down things that she liked in a notebook.“It was like a friend，and it ____ me that there are good things，____ everything around me is unpleasant，”she says.She copied the list over and over，____ new things every day.
One day，she decided to ____ her list with some of the girls in her class，hoping they would think it was as much fun as she did.But ____，they made her feel stupid again.“They laughed at me，” she remembers，“I was ashamed，and I ____ doing it.” Here comes the ____ part.When she was in 10th grade，Kipfer found her old notebook and decided to ____ where she left off.“It was like a diary，like a photograph of my life，” she says.She started writing to publishers，asking them if they'd be interested in printing her list as a book.
She kept writing to one company ____，because she liked the types of books it printed.“He kept saying，‘It's just a list，what am I supposed to do with it？’” “You're not ____ to do anything with it.It's ____ supposed to remind people of something they did that was really ____.
Finally，the publisher ____ to turn Kipfer's list into a book，which sold more than 1 million copies！14,000 Things to Be Happy About even ____ it to be New York Times Best Sellers List.____ being a bestselling author，Kipfer also went to realize her dream of becoming a sports editor at the Chicago Tribune.
A．jump B．fall C．turn D．push
A．nearby B．around C．watching D．laughing
A．dressed B．lived C．thought D．looked
A．silly B．special C．different D．shy
A．how B．when C．because D．where
A．reminded B．told C．persuaded D．helped
A．because B．but C．unless D．even though
A．adding B．finding C．making D．giving
A．talk B．discuss C．share D．write
A．then B．naturally C．further D．instead
A．continued B．stopped C．enjoyed D．hated
A．cool B．important C．difficult D．funny
A．find out B．pick up C．think of D．give up
A．in general B．at first C．in particular D．at last
A．made B．going C．advised D．supposed
A．often B．just C．also D．always
A．excellent B．successful C．fun D．true
A．hoped B．agreed C．refused D．considered
A．made B．pushed C．improved D．helped
A．Without B．Instead of C．While D．Besides
It was a cool October evening.Excitement and family members____the hall. I was only a 7-year-old girl, but I was the center of____. Finally, after weeks of preparation, I would____all my hard work in a dance performance. Everything would be____-so I thought. I waited backstage all____in my black tights with a golden belt.In a loud and clear voice, the master of ceremonies____that my class was next.
My dance class was doing a routine on wooden boxes two feet by two feet, facing the____. All I had to do in the next move was put one foot on the box next to mine and keep my other foot on my box. It really was an____move. I was concentrating so much on____the huge smile on my face and holding my head up that I did not look____I was going. I missed my partner's box altogether and____. There I was standing on the stage floor when my classmates were on top of their boxes.I could hear giggles(咯咯笑)coming from the audience, and I felt the____rush to my face. I remembered my dance teacher had told us, "If you make a mistake, keep smiling so the audience will not____." I did my best to follow her____as I continued with the routine.
When the curtain dropped, so did my____for the evening. I____bitterly, tasting the salt from the tears that streamed down my face.I ran backstage, but no one could____me down.
Recently I realized I had been a____that night. I was____, but I fought the urge to run off the stage.____, I finished the routine with a smile on my face.Now when friends and family laugh about the time I slipped during a dance performance, I can laugh too.
A．filled B．visited C．attended D．decorated
A．pressure B．impression C．debate D．attention
A．take over B．show off C．look after D．give up
A．reasonable B．suitable C．obvious D．perfect
A．dressed up B．folded up C．covered up D．mixed up
A．suggested B．explained C．announced D．predicted
A．music B．audience C．curtain D．stage
A．easy B．active C．adventurous D．extra
A．containing B．hiding C．sharing D．keeping
A．why B．whether C．where D．what
A．wandered B．slipped C．waved D．skipped
A．blood B．pleasure C．pride D．tear
A．leave B．cheer C．believe D．notice
A．gesture B．example C．advice D．plan
A．doubts B．hopes C．voice D．patience
A．argued B．shouted C．begged D．sobbed
A．turn B．calm C．let D．put
A．star B．pioneer C．loser D．fool
A．satisfied B．moved C．embarrassed D．confused
A．However B．Instead C．In total D．In return