After 28years, my wife is still the one who owns my heart, because of one single, powerful moment when I realized our love began.
After several dates, we knew our feelings ran deep. What Mary I had enough to give. And what was missing in my life, she had plenty to . One evening she called . She wanted to come over and see me. I was because our dates were usually planned. She asked for to my place, but instead of replying, I asked where she was. She was using a payphone outside our favorite .
With more persistence(坚持),she again. I offered the name of the main street－but with no further detail. Sensing the awkwardness of the moment, she the call. Fear settled over me. I was of two things; (1) I had made her angry; (2) she would try to find out where I lived.
I raced to my car and drove to the place I thought Mary had called from. Maybe she was having dinner or waiting to see if I would . When I arrived, she wasn’t there. There were no cellphones in 1984, so my best was to drive back and call her. She wasn’t at home. Panic had now the fear. I walked outside to see if Mary was trying to find me.
She found me quickly replaced panic. When she saw me and the apartment building where I lived with my parents, I knew she why I didn’t want her to come.
Mary had a(n) house. She came from affluence (富裕) and I came from a two-bedroom apartment. I thought if she discovered my secret it would end the .
She rushed toward me with the kindest smile I had ever seen. Without any , she told me what was that she loved me, not where I lived, She we could share a life together, and if that happened, our home would always be a beautiful place to live.
At that moment, love arrived and my heart her forever. Holding onto this memory is a good reminder on the days when we forget about love’s beautiful grace.
A．cared B．preferred C．refused D．lacked
A．support B．offer C．try D．select
A．unfriendly B．unexpectedly C．unnaturally D．unhappily
A．interested B．encouraged C．worried D．surprised
A．directions B．opinions C．forgiveness D．permission
A．restaurant B．store C．park D．club
A．smiled B．asked C．walked D．sat
A．developed B．planned C．ended D．repeated
A．glad B．lucky C．angry D．afraid
A．drive B．like C．come D．find
A．option B．wish C．guess D．intention
A．released B．changed C．formed D．replaced
A．Concern B．Shame C．Curiosity D．Sadness
A．Wondered B．believed C．understood D．predicted
A．ordinary B．shabby C．beautiful D．traditional
A．relationship B．conversation C．requirement D．discussion
A．recognition B．expectation C．consideration D．disappointment
A．happened B．mattered C．depended D．faced
A．hoped B．allowed C．doubted D．argued
A．led to B．compared to C．belonged to D．objected to
It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas. He didn’t hate the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects. Knowing this, one year I to reach for something special just for Mike. The came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, attended a wrestling match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church shortly Christmas. These youngsters’ sneakers were in and the shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them , compared to our boys’ gold uniforms and shoes. I was even shocked to find they had no helmets.
Mike, seated beside me, his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing could take their dreams away.” That’s when the idea for his came.
That afternoon, I went to a local sports store and bought some wrestling helmets and and sent them anonymously（匿名地） to the inner-city . On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year.
For each Christmas, I the tradition. The envelope became the most exciting part of our Christmas. It was always the thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their unwrapped (打开的) new toys, would stand with wide-eyed as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to exhibit its .
As the children grew, the toys more practical presents, but the envelope lost its temptation. The story doesn’t end there.
We lost Mike due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was in . But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, three more it. Each of our , had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand further with our grandchildren standing around the tree as their fathers take down the envelope with expectation. Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.
A．decided B．urged C．struggled D．declared
A．story B．Christmas C．inspiration D．affection
A．after B．before C．during D．on
A．ruins B．styles C．chains D．rags
A．apart B．forever C．together D．around
A．nodded B．shook C．waved D．turned
A．word B．note C．envelop D．present
A．shoes B．shoestrings C．gifts D．sports
A．house B．school C．church D．store
A．inside B．outside C．between D．nearby
A．refused B．imagined C．followed D．missed
A．best B．first C．worst D．last
A．comfort B．patience C．satisfaction D．expectation
A．concepts B．contents C．shadows D．shapes
A．gave way to B．keep up with C．get away with D．fit in with
A．once B．never C．ever D．seldom
A．anger B．shock C．sadness D．annoyance
A．attended B．entered C．placed D．joined
A．grandchildren B．children C．friends D．relatives
A．watching B．singing C．smiling D．crying
A businesswoman got into a taxi in midtown. As it was the rush hour and she was in a ____ to catch a train, she ____ a quick way to reach it. “I have been a taxi driver for 15 years！” the driver said ____. “You don't think I know the best way to go？”
The woman tried to explain that she hadn't ____to annoy him, but the driver kept ____. She finally realized that he was too annoyed to be ____， so she changed her ____. “You know, you are right，” she told him. “It must seem_____ for me not to think you know the best way ____the city.”
____， the driver glanced at his ____ in the rearview mirror（后视镜）, turned down the street she wanted and got her to the train on time. “He didn't say another word the rest of the ride，” she said. “_ ____I got out and paid him. Then he thanked me.”
When you find yourself ____with people like the taxi driver, you will always try to ____ your idea. It can lead to longer arguments, lose job chances or ____ marriages. I have discovered one simple ____extremely unlikely method that can prevent the disagreement or other difficult situations from ____in a disaster.
The ____is to put yourself in the other person's shoes and look for the ____in what that person is saying. Find a way to ____， and the result may surprise you.
A．moment B．rush C．hurry D．way
A．Suggested B．made C．found D．chose
A．jokingly B．angrily C．anxiously D．curiously
A．supposed B．expected C．decided D．meant
A．apologizing B．driving C．Shouting D．asking
A．normal . B．thoughtful C．reasonable D．practical
A．road B．direction C．mind D．manner
A．strange B．stupid C．terrible D．wrong
A．through B．in C．across D．along
A．Annoyed B．Worried C．Surprised D．Disappointed
A．speaker B．rider C．helper D．comer
A．after B．until C．because D．since
A．faced B．concerned C．crowded D．satisfied
A．give up B．turn down C．point out D．stick to
A．destroy B．combine C．suffer D．divide
A．and B．that C．though D．but
A．lying B．leading C．setting D．resulting
A．problem B．key C．importance D．reply
A．fact B．truth C．expression D．meaning
A．explain B．argue C．agree D．escape
What would life be like without television？Would you spend more time __ _，reading，or studying？Well，now it's your chance to turn off your TV and ___ __！TVTurnoff Week is here.
The goal of TVTurnoff Week is to let people leave their TV sets ____ ___ and participate in activities ___ __ drawing to biking.The event was founded by TVTurnoff Network，a nonprofit organization which started the event in 1995.In the ____ __，only a few thousand people took part. Last year more than 7.6 million people participated，__ ___ people in every state in America and in more than 12 other countries！This is the 14th year in which ___ ___are asking people to “turn off the TV and turn on ___ __.”
According to the TVTurnoff Network，the average ____ _ in the US spend ___ __ time in front of the TV (about 1,023 hours per year) than they do in school (about 900 hours per year)．Too much TV ___ ___ has made many kids grow fat.___ __，in 2001's TVTurnoff Week, US Surgeon General David Satcher said，“We are raising the most __ ___ generation of youngsters in American history. This week is about saving lives.”
Over the years，studies have shown that watching a lot of TV ____ ___ poor eating habits，too little exercise，and violence. Frank Vespe of the TVTurnoff Network said that turning off the TV “is or ____ __，part of a healthy lifestyle”．
“One of the great lessons of ____ ___TVTurnoff Week is the realization that ___ __ I turn on the TV，I'm deciding not to do something else，”Vespe said.
TVTurnoff Week seems to be making a ____ ___.Recent US Census(人口普查) data____ ___ that about 72 percent of kids under 12 have a limit on their TV time. That's ____ ___ about 63 percent ten years ago.
A．drinking B．sleeping C．washing D．playing outside
A．find out B．go out C．look out D．keep out
A．away B．off C．on D．beside
A．like B．as C．from D．such as
A．end B．event C．beginning D．total
A．besides B．except for C．including D．except
A．governments B．parents C．organizers D．businessmen
A．the light B．the radio C．life D．the Internet
A．grownups B．kids C．clerks D．parents
A．less B．enough C．little D．more
A．programs B．screen C．hours D．watching
A．However B．On the contrary C．In fact D．As a result
A．overweight B．overeaten C．overgrown D．overseen
A．leads to B．results from C．develops D．keeps away
A．will be B．should be C．may be D．could be
A．organizing B．taking part in C．participating D．asking for
A．wherever B．every day C．every time D．this time
A．living B．choice C．difference D．sense
A．shows B．says C．reads D．writes
A．rising B．down from C．up to D．up from
Things have been kind of tough lately for Shannon Baker and her little family. They have each other’s parents and young daughter and for that they are . But she and her husband are both currently . And their car is in great need of . And then there is the matter of their second child, who is soon. So things are a little tense for the Baker family these days.
When Shannon and her daughter were walking through a store lot recently, Shannon picked up an envelope from the ground that $4,000 in cash. There were a of different interpretations (explanations) that could be considered. Was this a kind of good ? Could it be an attempt by the universe to balance everything? Could it be simply a gift from God? Shannon didn’t know. The only thing she knew was that the cash in that envelope to someone else. Oh, and one other thing she knew: Her young daughter was . “My kid was standing right there I found it,” Shannon told WLS-TV in Chicago. “So basically I wanted to teach my daughter how to be . And for me that was enough.”
Never mind the bills that were , or the car that needed to be fixed, or the baby that would come soon. And forget that when she the money over to the police she was told that there was actually nothing illegal if she it.
The police were able to return the money to the person who it: an old woman. And one can imagine the and relief she felt when the police handed the lost envelop back to her. “She came to my house and she was almost in tears, me,” Shannon said. “She gave me a hug and an envelope with a small in it. But the amount, large or small, wasn’t . What was important was the opportunity to teach my daughter honesty.”
A．restricted B．grateful C．sensitive D．upset
A．disappointed B．appreciated C．unemployed D．removed
A．cash B．protection C．repair D．sale
A．sick B．due C．desperate D．dull
A．parking B．gathering C．cleaning D．begging
A．participated B．contained C．charged D．paid
A．number B．deal C．handful D．flood
A．expense B．prize C．hope D．luck
A．pointed B．reacted C．responded D．belonged
A．watching B．urging C．laughing D．affecting
A．before B．though C．because D．when
A．honest B．loyal C．ripe D．humorous
A．passing by B．giving away C．showing off D．piling up
A．watched B．turned C．got D．collected
A．checked B．made C．kept D．promoted
A．sent B．disliked C．lost D．generated
A．respect B．anxiety C．tension D．joy
A．comforting B．congratulating C．offending D．thanking
A．amount B．present C．envelope D．option
A．important B．necessary C．evident D．Essential
“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 24 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