I lost my sight when I was four years old when falling off a train to Atlantic City．But I was ．My parents and my teachers saw something in me -a potential to live, you might call it -which I didn't see, and they encouraged me to blindness． The hardest lesson I had to was to believe in myself．If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have walked with a stick for the rest of my life．When I say belief in myself I am not talking about the kind of self-confidence that helps me down an staircase alone．That is part Although imperfect in some aspect, I place where I can make myself fit．of it．But I mean something bigger than that．am a real! positive person．There is a special It took me years to discover and this self-confidence．It had to start with the most basic things．Once a man gave me an indoor baseball．I thought he was making fun of me and I was ．
“I can't use this," I responded．“Take 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 where it went． This gave me an how to achieve a goal I playing baseball．At Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the kind of baseball．We called it ground ball．
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to one by one．I also knew my limitations．It was no good trying something that I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only the bitterness of failure．I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made ．
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After the birth of my second child, I got a job at a restaurant. Having worked with an experienced for a few days. I was to wait tables on my own. All went that first week. When Saturday night came, I was luckily the tables not far from the kitchen. , I still felt it a little hard to carry the heavy trays(托盘).
Before I knew it, the was full of people. I moved slowly, every step. I remember how I was when I saw the tray stand near the tables; it looked different from the one I was on. It had nice handles, which made it to move around. I was pleased with everything and began to I was a natural at this job.
Then, an old man came to me and said, “Excuse me, dear, my wife and I loved you work. It seems your tray stand has been very to you, but we are getting ready to now, and my wife needs her back.”
At first his did not get across. “What was he talking about!” Then, I got it. I had set my trays on his wife’s orthopedic walker(助步器). I stood frozen as ice, but my face was . I wanted to get into a hole and .
Since then, I have learned from many mistakes such as the one I just . I have learned to be more and not to be too sure of myself.
A．manager B．assistant C．cook D．waitress
A．promised B．invited C．allowed D．advised
A．well B．quickly C．safely D．wrong
A．left B．given C．brought D．shown
A．Therefore B．However C．Otherwise D．Finally
A．kitchen B．street C．restaurant D．table
A．minding B．changing C．taking D．saving
A．angry B．calm C．sad D．happy
A．fixed B．trained C．loaded D．waited
A．slower B．lighter C．quieter D．easier
A．believe B．agree C．regret D．pretend
A．letting B．making C．watching D．having
A．useful B．familiar C．unusual D．interesting
A．rest B．order C．eat D．leave
A．bag B．walker C．tray D．coat
A．idea B．praise C．message D．need
A．cold B．full of joy C．pale D．on fire
A．lie B．hide C．defend D．stay
A．repeated B．discovered C．corrected D．described
A．careful B．patient C．honest D．practical
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填人空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
For most of my 15 years, my father usually said very little to my mother and me. He reading the newspaper or football matches on television to talking to his family.
Everything one morning. As soon as I came downstairs to breakfast, I could see that he wasn’t his reserved self. “Can’t wait! FIFA World Cup! Big match! Must see!” I quickly figured out what all the was about: Dad is a big football fan.
I had never been interested in football, Dad’s excitement that morning made me more and more curious. I had to why this sport was making my normally reserved father act like a five-year-old on his first to Disneyland.
Dad decided that we should all eat at a little German restaurant so that we watch the World Cup while eating. Secretly, I think he was hoping to Mum and me into football fans.
The match started a few after we entered the restaurant. As I was eating my meal, a loud noise came from the television. , I looked up at the TV: “Why is that man jumping up and down?” Dad explained: “That’s Papa Bouba Diop, my son. It’s normal for them to jump up and down after they’ve scored.”
Dad almost everything to me. His monosyllabic（单音节的）answers were a thing of the past. I loved the Dad! I watched the rest of the match, becoming more and more . When I told my father that I planned to watch matches with him, he smiled and gave me a wink（眨眼）. At long last we had something in .
has really helped Dad and me get closer and a stronger relationship with each other. Who says football is only about 22 men running after a silly ball?
A．liked B．Preferred C．enjoyed D．practiced
A．watching B．seeing C．looking D．finding
A．happened B．remained C．disappeared D．changed
A．formal B．rude C． usual D．varied
A．sound B．excitement C．worry D．noise
A．and B．though C．so D．but
A．look out B．get out C．find out D．take out
A．time B．trip C．ticket D．chance
A．could B．must C．Should D．would
A．become B．return C． turn D．invite
A．months B．minutes C． hours D．days
A．Surprised B．Disappointed C．Worried D．Frightened
A．angrily B．patiently C． unwillingly D．seriously
A．answered B．described C．expressed D．explained
A．new B．old C． cool D．kind
A．boring B．bored C． interesting D．interested
A．many B．fewer C．more D．few
A．fortune B．common C．identity D．brief
A．Television B．Football C．Music D．Match
A．form B．make C．keep D．live
The hardest arithmetic(算术) to master is how to count our blessings.
According to legend, a young man while crossing the desert a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was sweet that he filled his leather canteen he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.
After a four-day journey he the water to the old man who took a deep , smiled warmly and his student greatly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a heart.
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He , saying it was awful. It had become sour because of the old leather container.
The student his teacher: “Master, the water was . Why did you pretend to like it?”
The teacher replied, “You tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was only the container for an act of loving-kindness and could be sweeter.”
I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of from young children. it’s a greeting card or a bunch of flowers, the natural and proper is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we treasure the idea the gift.
Gratitude doesn’t always come . Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given the feeling reflected in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.
A．went through B．came across C．fell into D．watched over
A．very B．too C．enough D．so
A．so that B．for fear that C．in case D．on condition that
A．provided B．sent C．presented D．threw
A．drink B．bite C．look D．breath
A．comforted B．forgave C．blamed D．thanked
A．frightened B．satisfying C．happy D．grateful
A．drank it up B．let it out C．brought it up D．spat it out
A．apparently . B．probably C．immediately D．eventually
A．doubted B．replied C．challenged D．charged
A．delicious B．sweet C．terrible D．clear
A．obviously B．simply C．entirely D．certainly
A．anything B．something C．everything D．nothing
A．sympathy B．love C．respect D．care
A．Either B．Neither C．If D．Whether
A．response B．conduct C．behavior D．performance
A．beneath B．within C．beyond D．about
A．naturally B．normally C．commonly D．universally
A．other than B．rather than C．more than D．less than
A．expression B．attraction C．possession D．explanation
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
Americans prefer to try every way to have fun, for example, they drive their own cars, some even tow a small boat after vehicle. They start from Los Angeles, California under sun, through four or five hundred miles to go to La Fulin, Colorado to spend weekends while Chinese people are still with work, and have dinner at home together with families in weekends or time watching TV.
The difference is mainly due to cultural customs and traditions the two countries. It is said that Chinese people are living for others, while Americans are for . When Chinese people come to the United States, they fight for first, and then desperately make money after they are recognized by others. It seems that, the purpose to earn money is not to enjoy life, for their following generations sons and daughters and even grandchildren. Chinese people prefer to save money emergency, such as illness. Although Chinese people with in the United States don’t need to worry about their own social welfare and health insurance, they work still very hard, as they hope that they can more money.
Chinese people’s interest is in the amount on the passbook（存折）, so they spend money usually. Most of Chinese are very thrifty（节约的）, and they are to spend money, but there are exceptions. They are willing to spend money on their . Many Chinese people think that, they endure（容忍） many , so they wish that their children could live much better. Therefore, in the United States elementary schools, you can see that those who the best, with more pocket money are Chinese students. In contrast, American children dress very simply, with just a little pocket money.
Chinese, Americans believe in living for themselves. They do everything for their own. , they earn money to enjoy a life, and pursue a higher quality of life. As for their own parents or children, they think that parents have their own pension and social welfare, and children should live a(n) life when they are 18’ years old. So they could boldly spend money on themselves. , Americans save little money. In the street, it is easy for Chinese to take out 300-400 dollars, but it is hard to say for Americans.
A．running B．driving C．going D．walking
A．boring B．pleasant C．busy D．angry
A．spend B．take C．cost D．pay
A．through B．for C．among D．between
A．themselves B．theirs C．them D．others
A．survival B．remainder C．existence D．material
A．or B．nor C．but D．and
A．in possession of B．on account of C．in spite of D．in case of
A．identity B．force C．fame D．power
A．borrow B．give C．use D．save
A．large B．few C．much D．little
A．easy B．reluctant C．willing D．happy
A．children B．relatives C．parents D．friends
A．hardships B．problems C．difficulties D．sufferings
A．match B．decorate C．dress D．wear
A．Different from B．Interested in C．Similar to D．Thanks to
A．Otherwise B．However C．Therefore D．Since
A．better B．well C．good D．rich
A．single B．independent C．different D．comfortable
A．In that case B．As a whole C．In this way D．As a result
For many years, my parents had a fortune from a fortune cookie that , “You and your wife will be happy in your life together.” They it in a framed picture of themselves smiling near a beach in Cuba. I always enjoyed seeing the picture and the fortune; it gave me a of stability(稳定). I would say that they had a wonderful twenty-six-year . There were, of course, good times and times, but they were able to work together to make the life they wanted. In my opinion, there is not much more than one can ask .
When my mother was fifty-one, she got a cancer（癌症）on her tongue. Operating would have bad effects on her voice, and she would have been required to use a feeding tube for the of her life. She chose radiation treatment（化疗）. More than one year later she was forced to have a tracheotomy(气管切开术), which meant that she her voice and had to start using a tube. She decided with my father not to go through any more treatments and to at home. During this difficult time, I married my husband. We moved in with my parents to my father and to be with my mother. Five weeks after my wedding, my mother at home with the whole family present.
The day after her death, my family went out to – we really weren’t up to cooking a big family meal. My father chose a Vietnamese(越南) . We ate our dinner, talking about my mother and memories. It was a bittersweet . We had all loved her so much, but at the same me we were that her suffering was over. After dinner, we our fortune cookies. My husband’s fortune read, “You and your wife will be happy in your life together.” We .
A．wrote B．read C．told D．talked
A．kept B．left C．forgot D．liked
A．emotion B．safety C．sense D．happiness
A．life B．family C．home D．marriage
A．wonderful B．strange C．bad D．poor
A．for B．of C．with D．over
A．other B．last C．rest D．first
A．lost B．raised C．lowed D．started
A．flowing B．feeding C．medicine D．water
A．work B．lay C．stay D．arrive
A．possibly B．especially C．probably D．extremely
A．offer B．help C．command D．swap
A．recovered B．suffered C．died D．passed
A．walk B．picnic C．visit D．eat
A．hotel B．restaurant C．cinema D．museum
A．sharing B．remembering C．collecting D．packing
A．meal B．place C．moment D．dusk
A．sad B．upset C．determined D．glad
A．made B．found C．opened D．cooked
A．laughed B．smiled C．cried D．preferred