Last Christmas while staying with my parents, I across some old love letters that my parents wrote to each other. These letters were all pilled up in a basket, dirty and With dust. to read and sort them, I asked them if I could take the letters back to my Illinois home. They agreed.
As I carefully opened each letter, all of them delicate with age, I discovered a new page unknown to me in this private chapter of my parents’ lives.
My father used to in the army. So his letters were full of frontline of the things about the war. Each of my mother’s letters was marked her 1944 dark red lipstick kiss. I was to these letters like a magnet (磁铁).
Just six weeks after our Christmas visit, Daddy became very . and was hospitalized. This time, he was fighting a kind of war. As I sat by his bedside, we discussed the . He told me how much receiving those lipstick-kissed letters had to him when he had been so far from home.
It so happened that the next day would he February 14. From the letters I chose the card my father had sent Mother in 1944 and brought it to my father’s bedside.
At his bedside, I joked with him, saying , “Today is Valentine’s Day, don’t you want to send Mother a present?” He became more when I handed him the old . He carefully opened it and took out the card, and when he it, his eyes were filled with tears.
My father, in a voice tight with read the loving he’d sent to my mother fifty-six years earlier. And this time, he could read it to her .
A．came B．hit C．drew D．fell
A．hidden B．covered C．buried D．filled
A．Pretending B．Suggesting C．Preferring D．Deciding
A．recently B．occasionally C．previously D．usually
A．work B．study C．serve D．report
A．accounts B．documents C．introductions D．occupations
A．with B．for C．of D．as
A．devoted B．abandoned C．thrown D．drawn
A．depressed B．dead C．dangerous D．ill
A．typical B．traditional C．different D．familiar
A．wars B．illnesses C．letters D．prescriptions
A．meant B．intended C．planned D．said
A．divided B．sorted C．separated D．updated
A．sadly B．angrily C．softly D．loudly
A．curious B．enthusiastic C．fantastic D．positive
A．Christmas card B．envelope C．basket D．lipstick
A．found B．wrote C．recognized D．missed
A．astonishment B．sorrow C．sickness D．emotion
A．story B．message C．speech D．motto
A．in brief B．in private C．in danger D．in person
I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a yard in Atlantic City and landing on my head.Now I am thirtytwo.I can ____ remember the brightness of sunshine and what red color is.It would be wonderful to see again, ____ a disaster can do strange things to people.
It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to ____ life as I do if I hadn't been blind. I believe in life now.I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply, ____. I don't mean that I would prefer to go without my eyes. I simply mean that the loss of them made me ____ the more what I had left.
The hardest lesson 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 for the rest of my life.When I say ____ in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of selfconfidence that helps me down a(n) ____ staircase alone.That is part of it.But I mean something ____ than that: an assurance that there is a special place where I can make myself fit.
It took me years to discover and ____ this assurance.It had to start with the most elementary things.Once a man gave me an indoor baseball, I thought he was laughing at me and I was ____.“I can't use this，” “I said. Take it with you；” he ____ me.“and roll it around.” The words ____ in my head. “Roll it around！” By rolling the ball I could ____ where 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 ____ a successful variation of baseball. We called it ground ball.
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of ____ and then tried to reach them, one at a time.I had to learn my ____. It was no good trying for something I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of failure. I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made ____.
A．entirely B．nearly C．vaguely D．simply
A．and B．but C．so D．for
A．assess B．fear C．enrich D．love
A．otherwise B．therefore C．however D．besides
A．understand B．appreciate C．possess D．accept
A．enough B．specific C．tough D．basic
A．survived B．escaped C．collapsed D．sacrificed
A．hope B．power C．courage D．belief
A．unfamiliar B．unbelievable C．unexpected D．uncomfortable
A．harder B．bigger C．warmer D．heavier
A．weaken B．strengthen C．sharpen D．brighten
A．upset B．flattered C．ashamed D．hurt
A．urged B．promised C．convinced D．advised
A．flashed B．appeared C．stuck D．crowded
A．notice B．hear C．smell D．touch
A．impossible B．important C．imaginary D．impressive
A．produced B．imitated C．invented D．spotted
A．goals B．efforts C．directions D．barriers
A．challenges B．strengths C．situations D．limitations
A．history B．change C．progress D．sense
Last November, Nick heard a disorder at a party. A group of people had ____ outside, pointing at something floating in the Bay. As he ran to ____， he soon saw what was wrong: Two kids in a boat were caught in the ____ and being pulled out to sea.
Tim and Jack had climbed into a boat anchored nearby and had rowed out to ____ a football. Reaching beyond the calm waters, the ____ fitted to the boat caught the wind and pulled it into open water. They tried to row back. But they were no ____ for the wind and turned around in circles. Nick dashed to the farthest of land. The boat was already just a ____ on the sea. He knew that the ____ boat would soon be overtaken by the huge waves, and that it was 2 degrees. Nick jumped into the ____ cold water. Every 90 yards, he raised his head to assess his ____. At one point, he considered turning back before managing to yell to them, “Take down the umbrella！”
Tim battled with the ropes holding the umbrella. Finally he loosened the ropes and ____ the umbrella. Then Nick caught up, but soon waves crashed over the boat, which began to sink. Nick ____ it would be faster to pull them toward the nearest bank. They ____ wore life jackets , which Nick held in one hand, swimming ____.“Are we there？” they asked repeatedly. “Yes，” Nick ____ them each time. It was 30 minutes before they got to the bank and stayed as close as possible for ____. Worn out, Nick had hardly arrived when he ____.It was an hour later when he found himself in a hospital that he came to. Asked what it took him to make the ____ move, he replied:
It is ____ to step out of the comfort zone. Being an onlooker is a cautious existence, but ____ we should never be stuck in. Stand by or stand up.
A．played B．gathered C．laughed D．cried
A．investigate B．find C．ask D．join
A．sands B．rain C．waves D．sun
A．kick B．borrow C．buy D．recover
A．life jacket B．umbrella C．rope D．anchor
A．match B．strength C．power D．force
A．ball B．dot C．line D．light
A．lost B．delicate C．old D．damaged
A．bitterly B．absolutely C．fairly D．helplessly
A．progress B．weather C．strength D．energy
A．threw B．opened C．closed D．freed
A．decided B．said C．declared D．recognized
A．awkwardly B．carefully C．slowly D．easily
A．hopefully B．cautiously C．continuously D．desperately
A．told B．comforted C．discouraged D．supported
A．food B．pleasure C．warmth D．help
A．passed out B．passed away C．passed off D．passed by
A．warm B．generous C．proud D．brave
A．easy B．tough C．interesting D．dull
A．which B．that C．one D．it
All of us go through some difficult times as we approach teenage years. It's the age when we have to deal with the most ____ in our life. This transition (过渡) from childhood to adulthood is ____ for some, but rough for others. The most important thing about being a teenager is ____. When we are teenagers, we would get blamed or even punished for anything wrong we do.
It's all not so ___ about being a teenager though. We don't have to have our ____ take us to somewhere we want to go or we couldn't go before. We can have ____ with friends or even alone, which we couldn't have because we were too ___ to know what pleasure is! It's a very enjoyable time of life. During this age, we are old enough to ____ what is good for us, and make decisions without ____ others.
But like the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end, but all bad things can continue ___.” During this period, we are having much ____ for our studies. If we don't pass, we won't get jobs, and things will take a turn for the ____. With the present world economy in ___， we have to do really, really well in our ____ for a job. Adults say that their ____ is the hardest part of life. But I think the transition from a kid to an adult is much ____ than being already an adult. What we do in our teenage years will ____ what we become and how we lead our life in the future.
In conclusion, it is quite ____ that parents put much pressure on an already stressed out teenager. If they realized that, living condition for teenagers would be much better. ____ for the teens ourselves we should get to know what is best for us. What's more, we should understand the right ____ of life we choose at this age can make us happy for the rest of our existence.
A．chances B．changes C．feelings D．expectations
A．smooth B．practical C．demanding D．necessary
A．knowledge B．independence C．confidence D．responsibility
A．easy B．strange C．bad D．interesting
A．guides B．partners C．parents D．friends
A．fun B．trouble C．relation D．business
A．proud B．young C．smart D．mature
A．predict B．remember C．imagine D．understand
A．guiding B．helping C．inviting D．consulting
A．occasionally B．briefly C．forever D．naturally
A．pressure B．passion C．motivation D．panic
A．better B．worse C．fewer D．more
A．decline B．hope C．increase D．debt
A．contribution B．education C．application D．qualification
A．promotion B．work C．experience D．age
A．harder B．happier C．easier D．lighter
A．reflect B．confirm C．determine D．identify
A．vital B．urgent C．common D．unnecessary
A．Or B．Otherwise C．But D．Because
A．experience B．way C．condition D．power
Peter Wiggins grew up in a poor family. He worked diligently at his ____ job as teaching assistant in a private kindergarten and put in three more hours at night as a parttime cashier at a ___. By the time Peter walked home with slow and heavy steps every day，it was often close to ____.
Peter worked very hard in order to ____ his aged parents who had retired as restroom cleaners with ____ savings left after putting Peter and his sister through school. Peter was the only ___， for his sister, Beth, was often in poor health.
One day, as Peter was walking home from ACE Supermarket where he ____， he stumbled(绊脚) upon a small brown packet on the pavement. The package was slightly ____.
So he picked it up to examine it more closely. To his ____， it contained fiftydollar bills. Peter knew it was not his to keep and that the ____ might urgently need the money.
Without ____， Peter walked quickly to the nearest police station and handed it over to Mr. Roberts who was the police officer ____ for that night. Surprised to see someone hand in such a large amount of cash ____，the police officer said that Peter was indeed a role model others could ____.
“It's nothing really...I was doing what ____ would have done，” Peter's face turned red as the officer continued to ask for his name and contact number so that the owner could ____ thank him. The next day, Peter received a ____. The owner of the lost money was none other than Peter's ____ at the ACE Supermarket! He had found out about Peter from Roberts and had decided to ____ Peter to the position of manager with a handsome increase in salary. He had also decided to pay for Beth's ___.Peter was overjoyed.
A．anytime B．shorttime C．daytime D．nighttime
A．supermarket B．night school C．restaurant D．hotel
A．morning B．noon C．evening D．midnight
A．settle B．impress C．support D．treat
A．more B．some C．little D．much
A．son B．breadwinner C．one D．assistant
A．stayed B．shopped C．worked D．visited
A．old B．torn C．familiar D．heavy
A．joy B．disappointment C．shock D．relief
A．leader B．assistant C．boss D．owner
A．success B．fear C．hesitation D．doubt
A．on behalf B．on duty C．on watch D．on purpose
A．unfinished B．unused C．untouched D．unexpected
A．look at B．look up to C．look down on D．look forward to
A．few B．none C．anybody D．policemen
A．independently B．personally C．cautiously D．regularly
A．letter B．notice C．call D．packet
A．colleague B．boss C．consumer D．enemy
A．introduce B．expose C．promote D．lead
A．university education B．travel costs C．holiday parties D．medical treatment
Music to My Ears
Robby was 10 for his first piano lesson in my class. Much as he tried, he ____ even the basic rhythm. However, he dutifully reviewed the pieces that I required.
Over the months he tried and tried while I ____ and encouraged him. At the end of each lesson he'd always say, “My mom's going to hear me play some day.” ____ it seemed hopeless.
I only knew his mother from a ____ as she waited in her aged car to pick him up. Then one day Robby stopped coming. I was secretly ____ that he stopped because of his lack of ability.
Weeks later I informed the students, including Robby, of the coming recital(独奏). To my ____， Robby asked me if he could be included. I told him he really did not qualify because he had ____ out. He said his mom had been sick and unable to take him to lessons but he was still ____ .
“I've just got to play！” he ____. Something inside me let me allow him to.
Then came the recital night. The gym was ____ with parents. I put Robby up ____， thinking that I could save his poor performance through my “curtain closer(谢幕)．”
The recital went off smoothly. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair was ____. “Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night？” I thought.
Robby pulled out the piano bench and began. I was not ____ for what I heard next. His fingers were ____ on the keys. Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people of his age. After he ended, everyone was ____ their feet in wild applause.
In ____ I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby. “I've never heard you play like that, Robby! How did you ____ it？”
Robby explained, “Well, Miss Hondorf…remember I told you my mom was sick? …____ she had cancer and passed away yesterday. She was born deaf, so tonight she could hear me play in heaven. I wanted to make it special.”
There wasn't a ____ eye in the house. That night I felt he was the teacher and I was the pupil, for it was he who taught me the meaning of perseverance and ____.
A．lacked B．had C．showed D．got
A．listened B．learned C．checked D．played
A．And B．But C．So D．Or
A．conversation B．performance C．distance D．picture
A．guilty B．sad C．anxious D．glad
A．relief B．surprise C．pleasure D．satisfaction
A．stepped B．worn C．run D．dropped
A．acting B．performing C．practicing D．recording
A．insisted B．suggested C．complained D．threatened
A．lined B．packed C．piled D．covered
A．least B．most C．first D．last
A．messy B．cool C．neat D．dull
A．eager B．concerned C．prepared D．grateful
A．hesitating B．dancing C．touching D．crawling
A．over B．under C．in D．on
A．chaos B．tears C．silence D．return
A．find B．feel C．make D．like
A．Gradually B．Suddenly C．Frequently D．Actually
A．dry B．curious C．bright D．wet
A．regret B．talent C．love D．courage