I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a freight(货运) yard in Atlantic City and landing on my head. Now I am thirty-two. I can slightly the brightness of sunshine and what color red is. It would be wonderful to see again, but can do strange things to people.
It to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn't been . I believe in life now. I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so , otherwise. I don't mean that I would prefer to go without my . I simply mean that the loss of them made me the more what I had left.
Life, I believe, asks a continuous series of ___ to reality. The more readily a person is able to make these adjustments, the more his own private world becomes. The adjustment is never easy. The hardest I had to learn was to believe in myself. That was , If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have and become a chair rocker on the front perch(门廊) for the rest of my life.
It took me years to discover and this believe. It had to start with the most elementary things. Once a man gave me an indoor baseball. I thought he was at me and I was hurt. "I can't use this," I said. " it with you," he urged me, "and roll it around." The words stuck in my head. "Roll it around!" By rolling the ball I could hear it went. This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought : playing baseball. At Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind I invented a successful variation of . We called it ground ball.
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time. I had to learn my . It was no good to try for something I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of . I would fail sometimes anyway but on average I made progress.
A.forget B.see C.ignore D.remember
A.happiness B.fortune C.misfortune D.wealth
A.occurred B.happened C.agreed D.applied
A.clever B.blind C.foolish D.luckily
A.hardly B.quickly C.roughly D.deeply
A.hands B.arms C.eyes D.legs
A.appreciate B.arrive C. believe D.accept
A.employments B.investments C.settlements D.adjustments
A.meaningful B.painful C.fearful D.careful
A.pleasure B.lesson C.enjoyment D.trouble
A.unnecessary B.horrible C.unpractical D.essential
A.broken out B.broken through C.broken down D.broken off
A.strengthen B.weaken C.shorten D.darken
A.smiling B.laughing C.wondering D.glaring
A.Bring B.Borrow C.Take D.Lend
A.where B.when C.why D.how
A.possible B.potential C.probable D.impossible
A.basketball B.baseball C.football D.volleyball
A.conversations B.limitations C.congratulations D.educations
A.achievement B.process C.success D.failure
阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项(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。
A lady and her husband stepped off the train in Boston. They walked without an appointment (预约) into the outer of Harvard’s president. But they were by his secretary and kept waiting. For hours, the secretary took no notice of them, that the couple would finally become and go away. But they didn’t. The secretary finally decided to disturb the president, though .
A few minutes later, the president walked towards the couple with a face. The lady told him, “We had a son that Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to a memorial (纪念物) to him, somewhere on campus.”
The president wasn’t . Instead, he was shocked. “Madam,” he said, “we can’t put up a statue for every person who studied at Harvard and died. If we did, this would look like a cemetery (墓地).” “Oh, no,” the lady quickly, “we don’t want to put up a statue. We would like to give a to Harvard.” The president rolled his eyes and at the couple and then exclaimed(呼喊), “A building! Do you have any how much a building costs? We have spent over $ 7,500,000 on the campus building at Harvard.” For a moment the lady was silent. The president was , because he could get rid of them now. Then the lady turned to her husband and said quietly. “Is that all it costs to start a ? Why don’t we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. Since their offer was , Mr and Mrs Stanford traveled to California they founded the University that bears their , a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.
A.lab B.library C.hall D.office
A.watched B.stopped C.followed D.interviewed
A.hoping B.finding C.realizing D.imaging
A.surprised B.disappointed C.worried D.troubled
A.hopelessly B.carefully C.unexpected D.unwillingly
A.pleasant B.funny C.cold D.sad
A.attended B.visited C.studied D.served
A.clever B.brave C.proud D.happy
A.set about B.set up C.take down D.take over
A.satisfied B.excited C.moved D.ashamed
A.house B.part C.garden D.place
A.explained B.expressed C.refused D.admitted
A.building B.yard C.playground D.square
A.laughed B.shouted C.glanced D.called
A.suggestion B.idea C.thought D.opinion
A.bored B.astonished C.interested D.pleased
A.department B.university C.business D.club
A.turned in B.turned up C.turned down D.turned out
A.which B.that C.where D.when
A.name B.character C.picture D.sign
The “Doorman”
On a trip to California, my family stopped for lunch. As we walked toward the entrance to the restaurant, a man, with a beard and dirty hair, jumped up from a bench and opened the door for us.Regardless of his , he greeted us in a friendly way.
Once inside, my daughters whispered, “Mom, he .” After we ordered our lunch, I explained, telling the kids to look the dirt.We then watched other customers approach the restaurant but many him.Seeing this rudeness truly upset me.The day I became a mother, I had resolved to set a good for my children.Yet sometimes when things didn’t go right, being a good example was . When our meal arrived, I realized I had left the car-sick pills in the truck.With the windiest trip ahead, the kids needed them, so I myself from the meal and went to get them.
Just then, the “doorman” was opening the door for a couple.They rushed past him without even acknowledging his . Letting them in first, I said a loud “thank you” to him as I .
When I returned, we talked a bit.He said he was not allowed inside he purchased food.I went back and told my family his .Then I asked our waitress to add one soup and sandwich.The kids looked as we had already eaten, but when I said the order was for the “doorman” , they smiled.When it was time to our trip, I noticed the "doorman" enjoying his meal.Upon seeing me, he stood up and thanked me heartily.He then his hand for a handshake and I gratefully accepted.I suddenly noticed the tears in his eyes—tears of .What happened next drew great astonishment: I gave the “doorman” a ! He could hardly say a word, with tears down his face.
Back in truck, I fell into deep thought.While we can't choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude.I said thanks to a man who had held open a door for me, and also said thanks for that to teach my children by example.
A.heavy B.long C.messy D.grey
A.service B.appearance C.status D.attitude
A.smokes B.smiles C.sniffs D.smells
A.beyond B.over C.around D.into
A.hated B.ignored C.missed D.refused
A.target B.rule C.record D.example
A.stressful B.accessible C.awkward D.tough
A.excused B.freed C.prevented D.withdrew
A.company B.presence C.effort D.attempt
A.quitted B.marched C.exited D.approached
A.before B.unless C.though D.since
A.story B.deed C.experience D.demand
A.concerned B.shocked C.puzzled D.bored
A.make B.start C.take D.continue
A.extended B.washed C.raised D.waved
A.approval B.affection C.sympathy D.gratitude
A.hug B.nod C.lift D.clap
A.slipping B.streaming C.rushing D.breaking
A.firmly B.constantly C.simply D.politely
A.journey B.wisdom C.opportunity D.coincidence
Cheerful Charlie was a very special boy. When he was still in his mother’s tummy, she had an accident, which meant that Charlie couldn’t walk. But that had never been a(n) for him; they had started calling him Cheerful Charlie because of his joyful and nature. He really brightened everything up for those around him.
There wasn’t a postman, or a taxi driver who wasn’t to see Charlie. “Cheer up, Mr. Postman, that way you’ll more letters today!” he would say, or “That was great, Mr. Taxi Driver. You that thing better than anyone else. ”
He also had great ideas and for everything; and he shared them so generously that, just about every day in that town, someone did a great job, or something new, thanks to Charlie’s ideas.
One day, though, he came up against a real . A young boy came to town on his holidays. He was known as Waterworks and was a real crybaby. No matter what Charlie said to him, Waterworks would always find some to be sad: “I don’t have many sweets… my parents didn’t buy me that toy…” Everything seemed so bad to him. But Cheerful Charlie wasn’t going to be , and he kept spending more time with Waterworks, trying to cheer him up, just as he did with everyone.
Then, one day, when they were together in the street, someone a pie from a window above by chance, and it landed on Charlie’s head. He got such a fright that he couldn’t even move his lips. He was speechless, and although Waterworks was just about to cry, he Charlie’s happy words so much that he finally said,“Wow, Charlie, that’s a nice clown mask(小丑面具)you just put on!”
On saying those words, Waterworks felt so that he finally understood why Charlie was always so happy and cheerful. He realized that he was so used to Charlie’s enthusiasm that he couldn’t help but see the funny side of everything.
A.problem B.mistake C.excuse D.topic
A.sensitive B.humorous C.responsible D.enthusiastic
A.surprised B.moved C.pleased D.disappointed
A.send B.write C.print D.find
A.paint B.play C.park D.repair
A.opportunities B.solutions C.comments D.impressions
A.cleared B.noticed C.enjoyed D.invented
A.difficulty B.surprise C.risk D.disaster
A.means B.reason C.method D.value
A.let down B.taken up C.set free D.driven away
A.hardly B.quickly C.constantly D.specially
A.aimed B.moved C.threw D.dropped
A.ahead B.right C.almost D.even
A.missed B.loved C.envied D.wanted
A.ordinary B.sorry C.good D.curious
I have always wanted to share this story because it is one of the things that I will remember for my entire life. And I’m sure person feels the same.
We had a new teacher in my high school World History class. She was very nice and excited to see us. She told a story about her fighting in a war and brought a picture of him. After about fifteen of her talking, the class started talking softly to each other they were getting bored. Looking , she asked “So, you guys don’t really want to hear any more?” No one dared to actually say “no” to her out loud one kid. He said, “No, not really!” in a disrespectful way. Some kids were a little and thought that it was rather rude.
I felt extremely bad for this teacher. No one deserves to be in such a disrespectful manner. , a little before class let out, I went up to her and for the guy’s rude behavior. I told her I had been , and even though I may not entirely like , I did appreciate her sharing her story. I asked her about her father and asked to see the picture of him. We had a very nice, genuine conversation about her father.
The teacher was . She really appreciated me coming up and actually treating her with the that she deserved. I felt at full peace with myself knowing that I did the right thing and I was super happy that I actually . Even though I didn’t really care for history, I listened, and I hope that others in different situations will do the same. Listening means a lot to the people sharing; it really . If I had just left the class without saying a word, I would have felt extremely and would have a constant reminder, probably to this day, that was not served and I had left a person in their time of need.
A.neither B.no C.a certain D.the other
A.father B.nephew C.uncle D.brother
A.hours B.minutes C.seconds D.days
A.even if B.as if C.because D.so
A.hurt B.funny C.proud D.amused
A.besides B.except C.as well as D.along with
A.interested B.excited C.disappointed D.shocked
A.treated B.considered C.scolded D.taught
A.Therefore B.However C.Personally D.Naturally
A.thanked B.prepared C.apologized D.argued
A.talking B.listening C.laughing D.wondering
A.geography B.literature C.architecture D.history
A.nothing B.little C.less D.more
A.amazed B.touched C.embarrassed D.bored
A.gift B.reward C.respect D.praise
A.made her day B.made my day C.made her way D.made my way
A.ever B.even C.still D.seldom
A.means B.makes C.is D.does
A.happy B.guilty C.lucky D.empty
A.justice B.right C.purpose D.interest
German Prime Minister Otto Von Bismarck may be most famous for his and diplomatic talent, but his contributions to the society include many of today’s social insurance programs. During the middle of the 19th century, Germany, other European nations, an unusual outbreak of workplace deaths and accidents as a result of growing . in part by Christian sympathy for the helpless as well as a practical political impulse to get the of the socialist labor movement, Bismarck the world’s first worker’s compensation law in 1884.
By 1908, the United States was the industrial nation in the world that lacked workers’ compensation insurance. American’s injured workers could seek in a court of law, but they still faced a number of tough legal barriers. , employees had to prove that their injuries directly employer’s lack of care and they themselves were ignorant about potential danger in the workplace. The first state workers’ compensation law in this country passed in 1911, and the program soon throughout the nation.
After World War II, benefit payments to American workers did not the cost of living. In fact, real benefit levels were lower in the 1970s than they were in the 1940s, and in most states the maximum benefit was below the poverty level for a family of four. In 1970, President Richard Nixon set up a national to study the problems workers’ compensation. Two years later, the committee issued 19 key recommendations, one that called for increasing compensation benefit levels to 100 percent of the states’ average weekly wages.
A.artistic B.literary C.military D.economic
A.along with B.other than C.apart from D.rather than
A.experimented B.explored C.experienced D.excluded
A.urbanization B.revolution C.evolution D.industrialization
A.Inspired B.Touched C.Organized D.Motivated
A.feedback B.statement C.proof D.support
A.discovered B.created C.uncovered D.revealed
A.unique B.only C.powerful D.most
A.rights B.help C.compensation D.support
A.For example B.However C.Consequently D.Moreover
A.resulted in B.stood for C.resulted from D.deal with
A.spread B.promoted C.stretched D.placed
A.put up with B.face up to C.benefit from D.keep up with
A.community B.committee C.authority D.government
A.including B.insisting C.installing D.investing