At age 14, 15 and 16, the way we looked was the most important thing in the world to us. My friends and I wanted nothing less than perfection.
In high school, we joined the gymnastics team, and our became even more important to us. We had no fat, only muscle. On the weekends, we would go to the beach, of our flat stomachs.
One summer day, all my friends were at my house . At one point, I was running back to the pool. I on a bee, and while it was dying under my foot, it stung (蛰) me. I instantly started to feel . That night, I began to run a high fever and my leg and foot were red, hot and swollen. I couldn’t walk. I could barely .
When my foot started to go numb, everyone became more . My foot was not getting enough blood. I had to go to the , and my leg hurt as if it were badly broken. I couldn’t move. All I could do was think about how soft my middle was becoming. That me more than any concern over my leg.
That would all when I heard the doctors mention possibly cutting off my foot. It was still not getting the supply it needed. The doctors would have to speed up their treatment.
Never before did I have such great for my foot. And walking seemed like a from the gods. Less and less would I want to hear my friends talk about and who was wearing what. More and more I expected visits from other kids in the hospital, who were quickly becoming my friends.
One girl came to visit me . Every time she came, she brought flowers. She was recovering from cancer and felt she should come back and the other patients.
She still had no hair, and she was swollen from medications she had been taking. I would not have given this girl a second before. I now loved every inch of her and looked forward to her .
Finally, I was improving and soon I went home. My leg was still swollen, I was walking, and I had my foot! When I would go back to the hospital, I often saw my friend. She was still visiting people and good cheer. I thought if even there was an angel on this earth, it had to be her.
A．grades B．brains C．bodies D．clothes
A．ashamed B．proud C．sure D．tired
A．dancing B．chatting C．jogging D．swimming
A．stepped B．focused C．held D．took
A．upset B．fearful C．sick D．anxious
A．jump B．run C．stand D．rest
A．concerned B．relieved C．surprised D．interested
A．beach B．hospital C．gym D．school
A．blamed B．impressed C．shocked D．troubled
A．change B．bother C．help D．happen
A．nutrition B．blood C．time D．air
A．observation B．devotion C．appreciation D．evaluation
A．gift B．hand C．promise D．treat
A．homework B．appointment C．movies D．gymnastics
A．suddenly B．regularly C．eventually D．recently
A．advise B．encourage C．serve D．instruct
A．choice B．thought C．glance D．chance
A．words B．ideas C．flowers D．visits
A．but B．then C．so D．for
A．enjoying B．gaining C．discovering D．spreading
The family had just moved to Rhode Island, and the young woman was feeling a little depressed on that Sunday in May. After all, it was Mother's Day—and 800 miles her from her parents in Ohio.
She had called them that morning, to wish her a happy Mother's Day and her mother had how colorful their backyard was spring had arrived. Later, she told her husband how she those lilacs in her parents' yard. “I know where we can find some,” he said. “Get the and come on.” So off they went.
Some time later, they stopped at a hill and there were lilacs all round. The young woman rushed up to the nearest and buried her face in the flowers. Carefully, she some．
Finally, they returned to their car for the home. The woman sat smiling, surrounded by her .
When they were near home, she shouted “stop,” got off quickly and to a nearby nursing home. She went to the end of the porch (门廊), where a(n) patient was sitting in her wheelchair, and put the flowers into her lap. The two , bursting into laughter now and then. Later the young woman turned and ran back to her . As the car pulled away, the woman in the wheelchair with a smile, and held the lilacs .
“Mom,” the kids asked, “ did you give her our flowers?” “It is Mother's Day, and she seems so while I have all of you. And anyone would be by flowers.”
This satisfied the kids, but not the husband. The next day he some young lilacs around their yard.
I was the husband. Now, every May, our yard is full of lilacs. Every Mother's Day our kids purple lilacs. And every year I remember that smile of the lonely old woman.
A．moved B．kept C．separated D．made
A．learned B．mentioned C．imagined D．realized
A．as if B．so that C．now that D．even if
A．grew B．missed C．watered D．showed
A．cars B．kids C．clothes D．lilacs
A．yard B．hill C．bush D．door
A．bought B．picked C．set D．raised
A．break B．holiday C．trip D．dinner
A．friends B．memory C．honor D．flowers
A．responded B．pointed C．drove D．hurried
A．elderly B．loving C．serious D．sensitive
A．hesitated B．waited C．chatted D．sat
A．family B．mother C．path D．home
A．nodded B．left C．waved D．continued
A．sadly B．politely C．quickly D．tightly
A．why B．when C．how D．where
A．lonely B．confused C．alone D．patient
A．calmed B．persuaded C．disappointed D．cheered
A．arranged B．planted C．dried D．hid
A．find B．gather C．receive D．sell
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
The famous composer（作曲家）, Albert Roussel, didn’t have a good start in this career．However, he achieved a great deal of success as a result of a ．
Roussel’s parents died when he was eight and he went to live with his ．As a little boy, he fell in love with music and himself about it by reading through the family collection that his mother kept, which there were a lot of related books．
Three years later, Roussel’s grandfather died, and his mother’s sister decided to him．Her husband was a kind man and for young Roussel’s music lessons．One summer vacation at a Belgian seaside added a second to his life—the sea．Then he studied to be a naval cadet（海军学员），but still made time to study ．
In the French Navy, he and two friends found the time to a band, playing the works of Beethoven and other ．Roussel also began composing．On Christmas day 1892, he had his first chance to as a composer, which turned out to be a success．
That success Roussel to write a wedding march（婚礼进行曲），and one of his navy friends to show it to a famous conductor, Edouard Colonne．When Roussel’s friend with the manuscript（手稿）, he reported that Colonne had advised Roussel to his naval career and devote his life to music．
Not long , at the age of 25, Roussel decided to Edouard Colonne’s advice．He gave his heart and soul to his composing and a major force in twentieth century French music．Because of Eduoard Colonne’s inspiring , Roussel devoted his life to music—but Rousssel’s friend later admitted that he had made it up．He said he had never even shown Roussel’s manuscript to the famous conductor．
A．joke B．lie C．guess D．hope
A．neighbor B．aunt C．teacher D．grandfather
A．taught B．chose C．improved D．asked
A．among B．between C．within D．before
A．miss B．catch C．raise D．leave
A．paid B．applied C．looked D．waited
A．page B．love C．wish D．job
A．art B．English C．dance D．music
A．deal with B．make for C．set up D．take away
A．teachers B．professors C．composers D．singers
A．perform B．produce C．study D．publish
A．found B．encouraged C．forbade D．wanted
A．came B．brought C．refused D．offered
A．went B．returned C．left D．ran
A．give up B．keep to C．begin with D．focus on
A．however B．therefore C．afterwards D．then
A．repeat B．change C．correct D．follow
A．became B．replaced C．improved D．grasped
A．will B．request C．order D．advice
A．school B．navy C．music D．work
I was tired and hungry after a long day of work. When I walked into the living-room, my 12-year-old son looked at me and said “I love you.” I didn’t know what to say. several seconds all I could do was to stand there and down at him. My first thought was he must need while doing his homework he was trying to prepare me for some . Finally, I asked, “What was that all about?” “ .” He said, “My teacher said we should tell our parents that we love them and see what they say. It’s an . ”
The next day I his teacher at my office to find out more about this “experiment” and how the other parents had responded . “ Basically , most of the fathers had the same reaction as you did.” The teacher said, “When I first we try this, I asked the children what they thought their parents would say. Some of them thought their parents would have heart trouble. The point is,” the teacher explained, “feeling is an important part of . It’s something all human beings . What I’m trying to tell the children is that it’s too that we don’t express those feelings. A boy should be able to tell his dad that he loves him. ” The teacher, a middle-aged man, understands how difficult it is for some of us to say the things that would be good for us to say. When my son came to me , I held on to him for an extra second. And just he pulled away, I said in my deepest, most manly voice, “Hey, I love you. ”
I didn’t know if saying that would make of us healthier, but we did feel pretty . Maybe time when one of my children says “I love you”, it would not take me a whole to think of the right answer.
A．down B．away C．out D．up
A．After B．For C．In D．On
A．glare B．get C．stare D．knock
A．money . B．time C．help D．paper
A．or B．but C．when D．while
A．money B．news C．test D．explanation
A．Anything B．Nothing C．Important D．Interesting
A．experiment B．experience C．excuse D．expert
A．advised B．told C．called D．informed
A．allowed B．agreed C．suggested D．planned
A．loved B．helpful C．interested D．trusted
A．body B．work C．study D．health
A．agree B．understand C．know D．require
A．bad B．good C．easy D．hard
A．that day B．that moment C．that evening D．that morning
A．before B．after C．because D．as
A．neither B．either C．most D．few
A．terrible B．disappointed C．bad D．good
A．next B．last C．each D．every
A．afternoon B．morning C．day D．week
Maybe you never opened that account(账户). But someone else ______—someone who used your name, your credit card number or your
_______ (person) information to commit fraud (造假) without letting you know,
______ is actually a crime, pure and simple.
The biggest problem is probably that you may not know that someone has taken away your identity ______ you notice that something is wrong：you may get bills for
________ credit card account you never opened，your credit report may include debts you never knew you had,
________ you may see charges on your bills that you didn’t sign for，and even don’t know anything about it.
If your identity has really________ (steal) like that, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suggests that you
_______ (take) at least two actions immediately.
________, contact the fraud departments of the major credit offices and ask them
_______copies of your credit reports. Then, review your reports carefully to check your corrections and changes.