We arrived at the hospital to find Dad exhausted and weak, but his smile was as sure as ever. My husband and I stayed with him for the weekend but had to return to our by Monday morning. Local relatives would ______that Dad got home from the hospital and look after him regularly and prepare his meals. ___ would make sure he got his daily ____and take him to his doctor appointments. But I wanted to let him know that we too, even when we weren’t with him.
Then I remembered a family ______ I started when our children were small. When ___ their grandparents’ home after a visit, each child would a love note in the house for their grandfather or grandmother to find after we were gone. For several days after our , their grandparents would smile as they these reminders of our love.
So as I tidied Dad’s kitchen and made up a ___ for him downstairs in the living room, I began writing notes. Some were ____. “Dad, I froze the food in the fridge so it would not go bad.” Some expressed my love. “Dad, I ______ you sleep well in your new bed.” _______ notes were downstairs where he would have to remain for weeks he regained strength, but one note I hid under this pillow. “Dad, if you have______this note, you must be feeling better. We are so glad!”
While others cared for Dad’s day—to–day needs, we, of course, would stay in touch by _____. But our notes were a reminder of our love and concern for him. Just like his medicines improved his health _____ , our notes would improve his spiritual health. Several weeks later, in one of our______phone calls, I asked Dad how he was doing. He said, “I will tell you how I’m doing. I just found your note under my upstairs pillow!”
A．power B．holiday C．jobs D．parents
A．know B．see C．think D．report
A．We B．They C．Others D．None
A．treatment B．examination C．work D．medicine
A．cared B．hurried C．changed D．suffered
A．story B．event C．party D．tradition
A．leaving B．reaching C．approaching D．cleaning
A．pick B．hide C．find D．drop
A．appointments B．preparation C．departure D．arrival
A．thought of B．looked for C．discovered D．understood
A．bed B．meal C．table D．plan
A．difficult B．imaginary C．practical D．interesting
A．let B．hope C．guess D．hear
A．All B．Most C．Some D．Few
A．until B．because C．though D．when
A．somewhere B．nearby C．outside D．upstairs
A．found B．missed C．remembered D．forgotten
A．note- writing B．e-mail C．post D．phone
A．thankfully B．academically C．physically D．professionally
A．urgent B．regular C．unexpected D．accidental
Communication is an important part of any relationship. Many of us are to share our experiences or emotions with our friends. But when it's our turn to lend a(n) ,we soon become bored or are short of idea on how to _ and offer advice.
That's because of what researchers call "listener burnout（倦怠）”．A friend might talk to us ,often complaining about the same problems. When we offer quick advice to the situation, we may be unconsciously trying to 0urselves from bumout. However, good listeners their natural tendency to solve the other's problems hurriedly and to keep the conversation brief.
To be a good__ ，you need to use "active listening". It starts with the real _ to help others and think through their feelings. Don't things. You can start by putting your phone__ and sitting close to your friend. Let your facial expressions 一what he or she is saying.__ you are able to fully understand,acknowledge the other person's by reflecting them back:"That must be really hard for you.”Use words or even sounds such as“yes”， "right”,and"hmm"”to the other person to continue.
0f course,a. can be extremely hard if the other person is too critical.But don't get defensive. Effective listeners don't negative criticism.Instead,they listen and understand what the person ls trying to convey responding.
A．afraid B．hesitant C．shy D．eager
A．shoulder B．hand C．ear D．eye
A．respond B．explain C．argue D．quit
A．aimlessly B．endlessly C．deliberately D．cautiously
A．difficult B．old C．acute D．sensitive
A．fix B．discuss C．create D．describe
A．forgive B．protect C．discourage D．prevent
A．follow B．display C．form D．overcome
A．reader B．partner C．listener D．speaker
A．demand B．habit C．desire D．ability
A．skip B．rush C．overlook D．postpone
A．away B．off C．out D．up
A．record B．restrict C．reflect D．replace
A．Whether B．Since C．While D．If
A．suggestions B．purposes C．responses D．feelings
A．big B．tough C．strong D．shone
A．force B．remind C．encourage D．convince
A．conversation B．suggestion C．problem D．lecture
A．give up B．make up C．leave out D．block out
A．after B．before C．while D．once
Long, long ago, in a dense forest there were thousands of tall and beautiful trees. They were happy, but____ of themselves. Among them there also a(an) ____ tree whose branches were badly twisted. All the trees made ______ of that ugly tree.
“How are you, hunchback?” the other ____ always shouted and their laughter made the ugly tree ____. The ugly tree thought, “I wish I were as ____ as the other trees. Why did God do this to me? Neither can I provide shade to the travelers. Nor can the ____ make their nests on me. Nobody needs me.”
One day, a woodcutter came to the____. He took a look at the trees and said, “These trees are lovely. I must ____ them.” As soon as he picked up his axe, the trees became ____. “Chop, Chop, Chop” went the woodcutter’s axe and one by one the trees started to fall.
“None of us is going to ____,” screamed one of the beautiful trees.
But when the woodcutter came near to the ugly tree. He had just raised his axe when suddenly he noticed how ____ the ugly tree was. “Hmm! This crooked tree seems to no ____ to me.”, he thought. Then he moved towards another beautiful tree. The ugly tree breathed a huge sigh of ____. He realized that by making him ugly, God had actually given him a boon. From that day on, the ugly tree never ____. He was happy with his crooked branches. He never forgot how he had escaped from the woodcutter’s axe, only because he was crooked and ugly.
A．proud B．short C．tired D．full
A．strong B．ugly C．thin D．straight
A．light B．fun C．sense D．use
A．directions B．persons C．trees D．animals
A．surprised B．angry C．sad D．moved
A．short B．long C．hard D．beautiful
A．fish B．pets C．hens D．birds
A．forest B．shop C．office D．hospital
A．cut B．put C．bring D．take
A．puzzled B．frightened C．amused D．satisfied
A．appear B．escape C．remove D．lie
A．soft B．flexible C．bent D．tall
A．doubt B．harm C．use D．way
A．desperation B．anger C．sorrow D．relief
A．complained B．grew C．spoke D．waited
We often see hitchhikers（搭便车的人）, standing by the side of the road, thumb sticking out, waiting for a lift. But it is getting nowadays. What killed hitchhiking? is often mentioned as a reason. Movies about murderous hitchhikers and real-life crime many drivers off picking up hitchhikers. no single women picked me up on my journey to Manchester reflects the safety fear: , strangely dressed man is seen as dangerous.
But the reason may be complex: hitchhiking happens where people don’t have cars and transport services are . Plenty of people hitchhike in Poland and Romania. Perhaps the rising level of car ownership in the UK means the few people lift hitchhiking are usually considered strange. Why can’t they cars? Why can’t they take the coach or the train?
Three-quarters of the UK population have a car; many of the will be quite old. The potential hitchhiking population is therefore small. my trip proves it’s still possible to hitchhike. The people who picked me up were very interesting lawyer, retired surgeon, tank commander, carpenter, man who live in an isolated farmhouse and a couple in the mountains. My conclusion is that only really interesting people are mad enough to pick up fat blokes(家伙) in red, spotted scarves. Most just wanted to do someone a good turn; a few said they were so surprised to see a hitchhiker that they couldn’t help .
The future of hitchhiking most lies with car-sharing organized over the Internet, via sites such as hitchhikers. org. But for now, you can still stick your thumb out (actually, I didn’t do much of that, just to hold up my destination sign) and people—wonderful, caring, sharing, unafraid people—will stop.
In the UK, with its cheap and reasonable rail service, I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it. But having enjoyed it so much, I’m ready now to do a big trip Europe and beyond. In the 1970s a female friend of my wife’s hitchhiked to India. How wonderful it would be to have another go, Afghanistan might be a challenge. I wish I’d got that tank commander’s mobile number.
A．valuable B．hardly C．rare D．little
A．Fear B．Safety C．Allowance D．Expense
A．has put B．had been put C．has been put D．have put
A．What B．Which C．Whether D．That
A．no more B．no need C．no reason D．no doubt
A．a short B．a clumsy C．a small D．a large
A．most B．more C．very D．much
A．poor B．heavy C．busy D．convenient
A．seldom B．always C．still D．never
A．afford B．offer C．affect D．offend
A．effect to B．effect on C．access in D．access to
A．remain B．rest C．pedestrians D．citizens
A．While B．When C．Yet D．Though
A．living up B．lived down C．was living up D．was living down
A．stopping B．but stop C．stop D．stopped
A．likely B．certainly C．positively D．actively
A．pretending B．preparing C．preferring D．defending
A．vehicles B．coaches C．cars D．helicopters
A．across B．through C．for D．over
A．as B．though C．because D．when
A new mother was anxious to see her newly-born baby. But she was when the baby was in her arms. The baby had been born without ears.
With time going on, it that the baby' s hearing was perfect. It was only his that was damaged. When he rushed home from school one day and himself into his mother' s arms, she sighed, that his life was to be misfortunate.
He grew up and became a with his classmates. He might have been class president, that. The boy’s s father the family physician in secret if he could do to help his son. "I believed I could on a pair of outer ears, if they could be got," the doctor answered. So the began for a person who would ears.
Two years went by. Then the father said, "You are going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will give the ears you need. it a s a secret," said the father. The operation was very , and a new person appeared. " But I must know!" he urged his father. " Who gave me _? I could never do enough for him. " "I do not believe you could. " said the father.
The secret was for years till he stood with his father over his mother' s coffin. Slowly and , his father raised his mother' s thick brown hair to that his mother had no outer ears. "Mother said she was she never let her hair be cut," he whispered gently . "and nobody ever thought she was less did they?"
A．angiy B．confused C．astonished D．curious
A．turned out B．turned over C．took out D．took over
A．figure B．face C．ear D．appearance
A．threw B．got C．sent D．took
A．persuading B．knowing C．doubting D．wondering
A．enemy B．favorite C．stranger D．friend
A．ever since B．even if C．but for D．as for
A．asked B．advised C．ordered D．convinced
A．something B．everything C．anything D．nothing
A．transplant B．operate C．set D．fix
A．operation B．interview C．search D．examination
A．donate B．operate C．treat D．recover
A．So B．And C．But D．Or
A．normal B．useful C．difficult D．successful
A．so much B．so many C．too much D．too many
A．discussed B．hidden C．spread D．kept
A．desperately B．tenderly C．sadly D．excitedly
A．know B．find C．show D．notice
A．guilty B．glad C．worried D．regretful
A．beautiful B．ugly C．careful D．Fashionable
In the doorway of my home, I looked closely at my 23-year-old son, Daniel. In a few hours he would be flying to France to a different life. It was a transitional（过渡的）time in Daniel's life. I wanted to him some words of significance. But nothing came from my lips, and this was not the time I had let such moments pass.
When Daniel was five, I took him to the bus stop on his first day of kindergarten. He asked, “What is it going to be like, Dad? Can I do it?” Then he walked the steps of the bus and disappeared inside. The bus drove away and I said nothing. A decade later, a similar played itself out. I drove him to college. As I started to leave, I tried to think of something to say to give him and confidence as he started this new stage of life. Again, words me.
Now, as I stood before him, I thought of those opportunities. How many times have I let such moments ? I don't find a quiet moment to tell him what they have to me. Or what he might to face in the years ahead. Maybe I thought it was not necessary to say anything.
What does it matter in the course of a lifetime if a father never tells a son what he really thinks of him? as I stood before Daniel, I knew that it did matter. My father and I loved each other. Yet, I always never hearing him put his into words. Now I could feel my palms sweat and my throat tighten. Why is it so to tell a son something from the heart?
My mouth turned dry, and I knew I would be able to get out only a few words clearly. “Daniel,” I said, “If I could have picked, I would have picked you.” That's all I could say. He hugged me. For a moment, the world , and there were just Daniel and me. He was saying something, but tears misted my eyes, and I couldn't understand what he was saying. All I was of was the stubble（短须）on his chin as his face pressed mine. What I had said to Daniel was . It was nothing. And yet, it was .
A．experience B．spend C．enjoy D．shape
A．show B．give C．leave D．instruct
A．last B．first C．very D．next
A．on B．into C．down D．up
A．sign B．scene C．scenery D．sight
A．interest B．instruction C．courage D．direction
A．failed B．discouraged C．struck D．troubled
A．future B．embarrassing C．obvious D．lost
A．last B．pass C．fly D．remain
A．counted B．meant C．valued D．eared
A．think B．want C．expect D．wish
A．But B．And C．Instead D．So
A．wondered B．regretted C．minded D．tried
A．views B．actions C．feelings D．attitudes
A．important B．essential C．hard D．complex
A．disappeared B．changed C．progressed D．advanced
A．sensitive B．convinced C．aware D．tired
A．by B．against C．on D．with
A．clumsy B．gentle C．clever D．moving
A．none B．all C．anything D．Everything