Don’t Wait Until Flowers Fade
Each spring brings a new blossom of wildflowers in the ditches (路沟) along the highway I travel daily to work.
There is one blue flower that has always my eye. I’ve noticed that it blooms only in the morning hours, and the afternoon sun is too warm it. Every day for approximately two weeks, I see those beautiful .
This spring, I started a wildflower garden in our yard. I can look out of the window while doing the dishes and see the flowers. I’ve often thought that those lovely blue flowers from the ditch would look in that bed alongside wildflowers.
Everyday I drove the flowers thinking, “I’ll stop on my way home and dig them.” “Gee, I don’t want to get my good clothes ...” Whatever the reason, I never stopped to dig them. My husband gave me a folding shovel(铁锹) one year to be used for that purpose.
One day on my way home from work, I was to see that the highway department had moved the ditches and the pretty blue flowers were gone. I thought to myself, “Way to go, you too long. You it when you first saw them blooming this spring.”
A week ago we were shocked and saddened to learn that my oldest sister-in-law has a terminal brain tumor(脑瘤晚期). She is 20 years older than my husband and , because of age and distance, we haven’t been as as we all would have liked.
I couldn’t help but see the between the pretty blue flowers and the between my husband’s sister and us. I do believe that God has given us some time left to plant some valuable that will bloom every year for us.
And yes, if I see the blue flowers again, you can bet I'll stop and them to my wildflower garden
A．sweet B．interesting C．different D．particular
A．fascinated B．struck C．caught D．charm
A．for B．to C．with D．on
A．plants B．flowers C．ones D．wilds
A．open B．main hall C．front D．kitchen
A．great B．well C．horrible D．ugly
A．many B．various C．other D．colorful
A．passed B．past C．pass D．pasted
A．damaged B．ready C．dirty D．smelly
A．ever B．once C．never D．even
A．expressed B．temporary C．unfinished D．permanent
A．annoying B．saddened C．interested D．helpless
A．wasted B．ignored C．thought D．waited
A．would have done B．need have done C．should have done D．muse have done
A．unconsciously B．fortunately C．unfortunately D．consciously
A．close B．closely C．closed D．near
A．connection B．difference C．meaning D．significance
A．friendship B．relationship C．support D．relative
A．trees B．memories C．species D．roses
A．dig B．rescue C．transmit D．transplant
There are times when people are so tired that they fall asleep almost anywhere. We can see a lot of people sleeping on the bus or train on their way home ____ work in the evening. A man will be reading the newspaper, and seconds later it appears as if he is trying to eat it. Or he will fall asleep on the shoulder of the stranger sitting next to him. Another place where __
__ (plan) short sleep goes on is in the lecture hall __
__ a student will start snoring so loudly that the professor has to ask __
__ student to shake the sleeper awake. A more _
__ (embarrass) situation occurs when a student starts falling into sleep and __
__ weight of the head pushes the arm off the desk, and the movement carries the rest of the body along. The student wakes up on the floor with no memory of getting there. The __
_ (bad) time to fall asleep is when driving. Police reports are full of accidents that occur when people fall into sleep and go off the road. __
__ the drivers are lucky, they are not seriously hurt. One woman’s car, for example, went into the river. She woke up in four feet of water and thought that it __
__ (rain). When people are really tired, __
__ will stop them from falling asleep — no matter where they are.
A king in Africa had a close friend with whom he had grown up. The friend had a habit of looking at every bad situation that occurred in his life and 1 , “This is good!”
One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting 2 . The friend would 3 the guns for the king. But this time he had 4 done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.
Examining the 5 the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” to which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and 6 imprisoned his friend.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area where he should have known not to hunt. Cannibals(食人者) __7 him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, set up a wooden post and 8 him to it. As they came close to set fire to burn the king, they 9 that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So 10 the king, they sent him on his way.
As he returned home, he was 11 of the event that had taken his thumb and felt sorry for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the 12 to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” Then he 13 to tell the friend all that had just happened.
“I feel 14 for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”
“No,” his friend replied, “this is good!”
“What do you mean? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?”
“If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you, and I would have been ___15 !”
A．joking B．remarking C．announcing D．whispering
A．expectation B．experience C．expedition D．experiment
A．prepare B．arrange C．carry D．hold
A．deliberately B．apparently C．naturally D．specially
A．thumb B．king C．gun D．situation
A．angrily B．calmly C．regretfully D．joyfully
A．caught B．warned C．robbed D．hunted
A．connected B．related C．wrapped D．fastened
A．observed B．understood C．noticed D．complained
A．untying B．forgiving C．overlooking D．beating
A．recalled B．accused C．informed D．reminded
A．house B．jail C．village D．kingdom
A．stopped B．hesitated C．continued D．refused
A．fortunate B．foolish C．guilty D．painful
A．burnt B．cooked C．fired D．eaten
We arrived in Spain for the _36_ time a few weeks ago and I decided to buy a car because we had sold _37_ we had in England before leaving. Yesterday the _38_ office rang us to tell the car was ready. I had _39_ out a model like it before but as I was not yet used to _40_ in this city, my wife did not want me to collect it on my own, so we went _41_ to fetch it. We paid for the car and _42_ the papers. They told us there was enough _43_ to take us to a garage, where we could fill up. (加油)The nearest garage to the _44_ was about 100 yards away and we got there _45_ .But when I turned into the main road I suddenly saw a lot of _46_ racing towards me .I got out of their way as _47_as I could by backing into the garage once more and the man behind _48_ at me . “It’s such a _49_ to remember to drive on the right, isn’t it?” My wife said.“Yes, if only I had _50_ a few lessons for practice,” I replied . “You’d better go carefully on the way_51_ ,” my wife said. “You ’d be _52_ if you had an accident _53_ the first day, wouldn’t you ?” While we were talking, the man behind _54_ out of his car and said in good English, “Would you mind telling me when you are thinking of leaving , _55_ are you going to sit in your car all the day?”
A．second B．first C．third D．other
A．ours B．one C．the one D．it
A．police B．manager’s C．sales D．garage
A．tried B．found C．picked D．sold
A．living B．running C．driving D．staying
A．together B．out C．on foot D．slowly
A．wrote B．bought C．signed D．showed
A．time B．water C．power D．petrol
A．station B．office C．buliding D．house
A．on time B．safely C．in time D．quickly
A．cars B．people C．buses D．horses
A．fast B．soon C．slowly D．hurriedly
A．smiled B．shouted C．laughed D．looked
A．problem B．trouble C．rule D．way
A．taught B．learned C．found D．heard
A．home B．to the garage C．to work D．up
A．lucky B．glad C．sorry D．clever
A．for B．on C．in D．during
A．climbed B．stole C．jumped D．got
A．so B．or C．therefore D．but
He lost his arms in an accident that claimed his father's life—who was the main 21 of support for the family. He had to 22 the arms of his younger brother. For the sake of taking care of him, his younger brother became his 23 ,never leaving him alone for years. Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do 24 in his life.
One late night, his younger brother accompanied him into the toilet and then went back to the dorm to 25 . But being so 26 , his younger brother fell asleep, leaving him on the toilet for two hours. As the two brothers grew up together, they had their share of problems and they would often 27 . Then one day, his younger brother wanted to live 28 from him, living his own life, as many normal people do. So he was 29 and didn't know what to do.
A 30 misfortune befell a girl, too. One night her mother, who suffered from mental illness，31 . So her father went out looking for her mother, leaving her alone at home. She tried to prepare a 32 for her parents, only to overturn the stove, 33 in a fire which took her hands away.
Though her elder sister who was studying in another city, showed her 34 to take care of her, she was determined to be completely 35 . At school, she always studied hard.
One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote: My younger brother's arms are my arms；36 the girl wrote: Broken wings, flying heart.
Disasters can 37 at any time. How you handlemisfortune when confronted with it is the true test of your character. If you choose only to complain and 38 from the ordeal(磨难), it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decide to be 39 , the hardship will turn out to be a(n) 40 on which new hopes will arise.
A．cause B．strength C．source D．course
A．live on B．take on C．turn on D．depend on
A．shadow B．volunteer C．bodyguard D．servant
A．something B．anything C．nothing D．everything
A．play B．work C．wait D．wash
A．tired B．angry C．impatient D．unfair
A．support B．separate C．quarrel D．avoid
A．bravely B．differently C．separately D．thoughtfully
A．heartless B．heartbroken C．kind-hearted D．hopeless
A．same B．similar C．simple D．strange
A．missed B．disappeared C．dismissed D．lost
A．meal B．lunch C．surprise D．breakfast
A．leading B．resulting C．taking D．bringing
A．willingness B．anxiety C．contribution D．respect
A．independent B．relaxed C．disabled D．energetic
A．since B．while C．as D．though
A．strike B．appear C．raise D．reach
A．hide B．remain C．survive D．escape
A．careful B．strong C．healthy D．polite
A．difficulty B．fortune C．occupation D．power
It’s only after three weeks into a new job that I made a serious mistake. My boss called it “extremely embarrassing” in a company-wide e-mail — which, 11 , he wrote because he felt he needed to explain that what I did was something 12 in the company should ever do. I wish I 13 give a good excuse for what I did. At the very least, I wish I could explain it somehow — 14 it on youth, inexperience or ignorance. Unfortunately, I’m 15 , experienced and I know better.
16 I work with some very kind and compassionate (富于同情心的) people. For the past couple of days many of them have taken time to 17 by my desk and offer comfort, encouragement and support. Some have shared with me similar 18 they have made. Evidently I’m not the only “ 19 ” person here.
One of the exchanges I had this week was with Lois, the much-honored, much-respected professional who 20 the desk right next to mine. Lois was completely 21 about her work, and to be honest I was a little nervous about how she would 22 to such an extremely embarrassing incident.
As I expected, Lois didn’t pass over the 23 when she saw me the next day. She mentioned it directly, 24 with empathetic consideration. She listened to my 25 . Just as I was ready to express my regrets, she brought my self-pity partly to a(n) 26 .
“It happened”, she said, “There’s nothing you can do to 27 that. It happened. But it’s over now. It’s 28 . It’s in the past. You need to let it go, and move on.” And with that she returned her 29 to her work, as if to say, “We’re done here.”
I beat myself up for weeks. At such times I need to remember those 30 words: It’s over. It’s done. Let it go. And mostly, move on.
A．by the way B．in the way C．on the way D．to the way
A．someone B．anyone C．no one D．the one
A．should B．might C．will D．could
A．fix B．blame C．rely D．put
A．outgoing B．old C．cheerful D．energetic
A．Thankfully B．Naturally C．Generally D．Hopefully
A．work B．stop C．watch D．sit
A．decisions B．troubles C．attempts D．mistakes
A．annoying B．confusing C．embarrassing D．puzzling
A．repairs B．wants C．works D．occupies
A．mad B．serious C．curious D．hopeful
A．react B．agree C．turn D．object
A．issue B．outcome C．standard D．message
A．for B．therefore C．but D．otherwise
A．challenge B．imagination C．conclusion D．explanation
A．order B．key C．end D．process
A．forget B．ruin C．prevent D．change
A．broken B．done C．lost D．kept
A．attention B．skill C．patience D．interest
A．sweet B．pleasant C．meaningful D．colorful