The most important lesson I learned in high school had nothing to do with maths or American history．It came at graduation, several minutes before I left Miramonte High School．
I was rather shy back then, content to around with my few friends and to concentrate on my I was doing so well that by the end of senior year I had perfect scores and enough to go to college．
But my good record soon became a to my well-being．In early June of senior year, the headmaster called me into his office．He asked me to give a leave-taking speech at graduation．I looked at him, my heart fast．This was the for my hard work? I said something, but not very clearly, and hurried away from the office．
I was about the decision, finally agreeing to compromise．I wasn't the only speaker—I would the honor with five other students．Still, it was doubtful whether the task was me．How in the world would I give a speech to hundreds of people?
Graduation day soon arrived and, as ．I was nervous．I'd been practicing my speech for days, and I had it ．But I had never been so in my life．The first half hour of the ceremony passed, and then my came．My name was announced．I managed to reach the platform without falling down．But within minutes, I was , heading back to my seat．
Now I still have the of that speech．My voice trembled a little, but it was clear and strong．I'm proud of that tape．I achieved something I'd never I spoke in front of hundreds of people． I didn't realize it at the time, the successful completion of that speech gave me the to participate in class at college, to give oral reports, and to eventually break free of my .
I never would have chosen to give a speech at graduation．But I'm glad I did．I know it may well turn out to be one of my shining moments．
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阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
One Sunday, a mother took her son and little daughter to watch a circus．In the of the circus, the little girl, Jenny, fell in her mother’s lap(大腿)．The brother, Jack, who was six, stayed awake, and the latter half with his mother．When it was over, the mother Jenny in her arms and carried her to the bus station．It was that night, so she took off her scarf and gently Jenny’s head with it．
When they arrived home, the mother carried Jenny into the bedroom and her to sleep．After Jack had changed his clothes, his mother lay down next to him to talk about the evening together． , when the mother asked what he liked most, there was no on his part．She was a little ．He used to speak non-stop whenever something exciting happened．
She was that something was wrong: he had been so on the way home and while getting ready for bed． She hearing nothing from him．
Suddenly Jack on his side, facing the wall．She why and got up to see his eyes welling up with tears．
“What is , honey? ”
He turned back．She could sense he was feeling some for the tears although he wiped away the tears right away．
“Mom, if I were cold, would you put your scarf around me, too?”
Of all the of that special evening out together, the most important for Jack was a little of affection—a momentary, unconscious showing of her love to his little sister．
In relationships, little things matter the most.a
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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中（A、B、C和D），选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Eventually all suns will their fuel, explode and then become cold and dark．Matter itself will disappear and the universe will become for the rest of time．
This was the general drift of my thoughts as my wife and I my eldest son as a freshman at college．That moment at the dorm is at the kindergarten door, at the gates of summer camp, at every occasion of parting and ．But it comes surprising, taking what you most．
Our ancestors thought this parting should take place ．In many societies adolescents were sent away to live with friends or relatives right after adolescence．This was supposed to the conflicts that come from teenagers and their parents very near．
Eighteen years is not enough．The days pass uncounted, until they ．The adjustment is upsetting．My son is on the side --- observant, thoughtful, a practitioner of companionable silence．I know this is hard on him as well．He will be homesick．Among the greatest of college students is they won’t have a room at home to return to．
But with due respect to my son’s feelings, I have the of parting．I know something he doesn’t --- incomprehensible to the young．He is experiencing the that come with beginnings．His life is starting for real．I have begun the long letting go．Put another way: He has a wonderful future in which my part decreases．
I’m sure my father realized it at a(n) moment．And I certainly didn’t notice or understand．At first, he was a giant who held my hand and my sky．Then a middle-aged man who paid my bills．Now, decades after his passing, a much-loved ．But I can remember the last time I hugged him in his home, where I always had a room．I can only hope to leave my son the same．
My son, those days have been the greatest wonder and of my life．And there will always be a for you．
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阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
There Was a Greek shopkeeper in a small corner shop in London．She taught me about the ____ of an act of kindness, which has motivated me to give．
On the day I went to that shop．I was ____ with a very high fever．I had been off work for days and I had ____out of food．Because I had been working so hard since I had ____to town, I also had no friends who could help．
So I went out to get some food．____ ,1 would have gone to the supermarket, but on this ____, I went into the Greek shop because it was closer．I ____ a few things, from the looks of which revealed （透露） the ____ that I lived alone．Then I ____ them to the shopkeeper, who told me, "You are unwell．" I ____ rather shyly．She pointed at the things I was buying and ____ ．"I can make you a sandwich, so you don't have to do it yourself．
So, she made the sandwich and asked me to ____ a moment．She went in the back room and reappeared with a container of hot soup．"It will ____ you up," she said with a smile．
What really warmed me up, ____ ,was not the soup．It was her ____that told me she cared．Her kindness made me feel cared for when I was particularly ____ ．
And it ____me．It made me want to be as ____as the shopkeeper．I had been quite shy, but from that day on, I did not let shyness prevent me from ____ random acts of kindness．
I was determined to ____the joy．and I haven't felt lonely since!
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阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Joe Simpson and Simon Yates were the first people to climb the West Face of the Siula Grande in the Andes mountains．They reached the top ______，but on their way back conditions were very _____．Joe fell and broke his leg．They both knew that if Simon ______ alone，he would probably get back ______．But Simon decided to risk his _____ and try to lower Joe down the mountain on a rope．
As they _____ down，the weather got worse．Then another ______ occurred．They couldn’t see or hear each other and，_____，Simon lowered his friend over the edge of a precipice(绝壁)．It was ______ for Joe to climb back or for Simon to pull him up．Joe’s _____ was pulling Simon slowly towards the precipice．______，after more than an hour in the dark and the icy cold，Simon had to ______．In tears，he cut the rope．Joe ______ into a large crevasse(裂缝)in the ice below．He had no food or water and he was in terrible pain．He couldn’t walk，but he _____ to get out of the crevasse and started to ______ towards their camp，nearly ten kilometers ______．
Simon had ___ the camp at the foot of the mountain．He thought that Joe must be _____，but he didn’t want to leave ______．Three days later，in the middle of the night，he heard Joe’s voice．He couldn’t ______ it．Joe was there，a few meters from their tent，still alive．
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For a long time I saw happiness as a huge banner (旗帜) across the finish line of a long race．I felt that only when I____certain things could I finally be happy in my life．Most of the time I felt like a tortoise believing that being slow and___would win the race．At other times I would____like a rabbit trying different side roads at a dangerous ____hoping to reach that banner a little faster．____，I began to see that no matter how long I raced towards it，the banner was never any____．I finally decided to___and take a break．It was then that I saw my____sitting beside me．
It had been with me as I____hard to support my family，as I played with my children and heard their____and even when I was ____with my wife at my side looking after me．It had been with me as I raced towards that stupid banner．I just didn’t have the____to see it．
There is an old Chinese proverb that says，“Tension is who you think you should be．____is who you are．”Perhaps we all should stop our race towards the____life we think we should have and ____the life we have now．Happiness will never be found under some banner far away．It will be found____your own heart，soul and mind． It will be found when you___that others love you just as you do．
Don’t be a tortoise or a rabbit when it comes to your happiness．Be a playful puppy and carry your stick of____with you everywhere you go．____yourself out of the race and realize that when it comes to love and happiness，you are____there．
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