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From my second grade on, there was one event I feared every year: the piano recital(独奏演唱会). A recital I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers. Each year I would ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”. And each year he would shake his head, saying something about building and working toward a goal.
One recent Sunday I stood in church, video camera in hand, and my 68-year-old father play the piano in his very first recital.
My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor and couldn’t lessons. He could have gone on regretting it, too many of us do. But he wasn’t stuck in the past. When he retired three years ago, he his church music director to take him as .
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he stared down at his fingers. Has he forgotten the ? I worried. But then came the beautiful melody (旋律). And I he had been doing what music teachers always stress: the notes and pretend the others aren’t there.
“I’m of him for starting something new at his age,” I said to my son Jeff.
“Yeah, and doing it so ,” Jeff added.
With his first recital, my father taught me more about self-confidence and the life goal than all the words he used those 30-plus years ago.
1.A. reflected B. meant C. explained D. proved
2.A. self-confidence B. self-control C. self-defense D. self-discipline
3.A. kept B. sent C. watched D. felt
4.A. miss B. afford C. select D. understand
5.A. as B. once C. if D. while
6.A. allowed B. invited C. inspired D. persuaded
7.A. a teacher B. an old man C. a student D. a singer
8.A. words B. videos C. notes D. lessons
9.A. predicted B. realized C. imagined D. insisted
10.A. pass over B . turn up C. bring in D. concentrate on
11.A. ashamed B. aware C. tired D. proud
12.A. nicely B. anxiously C. casually D. frequently
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From my second grade on, there was one event I feared every year: the piano recital(独奏演唱会). A recital _____I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers. Each year I _____ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”. And each year he would shake his head, muttering(嘀咕) _________about build self-confidence and working toward a ________.
So it was with really great______that I stood in church one recent Sunday, video camera in hand, and ______my 68-year-old father sweating in his shirt ______rising to play the piano in his very first recital.
My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor and couldn’t _________lessons. He could have gone on regretting it, _______too many of us do. But though he was rooted in his past, he wasn’t ________there. When he retired three years ago, he _____ his church music director to take him as a student.
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he ______stared down at his fingers. Has he forgotten the ______? I worried, remembering those split seconds______ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would _______. But then came the beautiful melody(旋律)，from the _____fingers that once baited(装饵于) my fishing lines. And I______he had been doing what music teachers always stress:___ _____the music and pretend the others aren’t there.
“I’m ________of him for starting something new at his age,” I said to my son Jeff.
“Yeah, and doing it so______,” Jeff added.
With his first recital, my father taught me more about courage and determination than all the words he used those 30-plus years ago.
1.A. reflected B. explained C. meant D. proved
2.A. would B. could C. might D. should
3.A. nothing B. everything C. anything D. something
4.A. goal B. stage C. journey D. chance
5.A. trouble B. satisfaction C. strength D. disappointment
6.A. kept B. sent C. watched D. felt
7.A. through B. from C. against D. before
8.A. miss B. afford C. select D. understand
9.A. as B. once C. if D. while
10.A. educated B. protected C. stuck D. spoilt
11.A. allowed B. invited C. inspired D. persuaded
12.A. roughly B. simply C. merrily D. curiously
13.A. words B. videos C. notes D. lessons
14.A. decades B. weeks C. hours D. moments
15.A. play B. freeze C. click D. adjust
16.A. same B. warm C. different D. dirty
17. A. predicted B. realized C. imagined D. insisted
18.A. pass over B. turn up C. bring in D. concentrate on
19.A. ashamed B. aware C. tired D. proud
20.A. casually B. anxiously C. nicely D. frequently
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From my second grade on，there was one event I feared every year：the piano recital(独奏会)．A recital____I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers．Each year I___ ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”．And each year he’d shake his head，muttering(嘀咕) about building self-confidence and working towards a ．
So it was with really great that I stood in church one recent Sunday，video camera in hand，and my 68-year-old father sweating in his shirt rising to play the piano in his very first recital．
My father had longed to play music since childhood，but his family was poor and couldn’t lessons．He could have gone on regretting it， too many of us do．But though he was rooted in his past，he wasn’t there．When he retired three years ago，he his church music director to take him as a student．
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard，he stared down at his fingers．
Has he forgotten the ? I worried，remembering those split seconds ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would ．But then came the beautiful melody(旋律)，from the fingers that once baited(装饵于)my fishing lines．And I he had been doing what music teachers always stress： the music and pretend the others aren’t there．
“I'm of him for starting something new at his age，”I said to my son Jeff．
“Yeah，and doing it so ，”Jeff added．
With his first recital，my father taught me more about courage and determination than all the words he used those 30-plus years ago．
1.A．reflected B．explained C．meant D．proved
2.A．would B．could C．might D．should
3.A．nothing B．everything C．anything D．something
4.A．goal B．stage C．journey D．chance
5.A．trouble B．satisfaction C．strength D．disappointment
6.A．kept B．sent C．watched D．felt
7.A．through B．from C．against D．before
8.A．miss B．afford C．select D．understand
9.A．as B．once C．if D．while
10.A．educated B．protected C．stuck D. spoiled
11.A．allowed B．invited C．inspired D．persuaded
12.A．roughly B．simply C．merrily D．curiously
13.A．words B．videos C．notes D．lessons
14.A．decades B．weeks C．hours D．moments
15.A．play B．freeze C．click D．adjust
16.A．same B．warm C．different D．dirty
17.A．predicted B．realized C．imagined D．insisted
18.A．pass over B．turn up C．concentrate on D．bring in
19.A．ashamed B．aware C．tired D．proud
20.A．casually B．anxiously C．nicely D．frequently
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Every school has an ugly girl. In my primary school, it was me.
From first grade through fourth, I had to wear heavy orthopedic(整形外科的)shoes because of my weak ankles. I sounded like overweight elephant wearing bricks whenever I took a single step.
“Hey, Bigfoot！”
“Geez, you're going to start an earthquake！”
Then in sixth grade I had to start wearing glasses. Mom asked for the least expensive ones and that made me look like a fool.
“Four eyes！”
“Couldn't you cover up more of your faces? Why stop at the eyes？”
In Seventh, I started competing on the city swim team, thinking that if I got a killer body, nobody would notice my face. Wrong again. I loved being fast and winning ribbons now and then, but now I had red, wet eyes from the chlorine(氯) in the pool. I also did not develop a killer body.
I changed my strategy at Eighth grade, the last year of middle school. I offered my help to anyone who needs. I worked for other girls, so they could hang out with their friends. My new program began to work. People who would never have acknowledged my existence before were suddenly seeking me out.
I'd been feeling pretty good until one day I went to Christine's house to help her fill envelopes. Going into each envelope was invitation to Christine's birthday party; it was a big event at a fancy hotel. Complete with dinner. She asked me to help her address these envelopes. There was no envelope for me.
My heart was broken. I tried to escape from all the eyes. High school had to be better, right? Yes and no. Now that I'm here, I know there are still lots of shallow people judging you on what you're wearing or how cool your hair is, but there are also kids who talk to you because they liked your answers or just as you're kind, honest, and a good friend.
I still do kind things because I like the feeling I get when I am helping people. I, with my friends, went to children's hospital, playing games and reading to the sick kids.
I still had wet red and not a smart look, but you cannot tell me I am not beautiful. Every time I visit hospital, fiveyearold Terry grasps my hand, “Morri, you are so nice. I want to grow up to be just like you.”
1.Why was Morri laughed at by her classmates when she was in primary school?
A．She had weak ankles and eyesight.
B．Her glasses couldn't cover up her face.
C．She couldn't get along well with them.
D．She looked like an overweight elephant.
2.Which of the following is the real reason for Morri competing on the city swim team?
A．To win more ribbons.
B．To shift others' attention from her face.
C．To develop a killer body.
D．To have red wet eyes.
3.From what Morri experienced in the last year of middle school, we can learn that ________.
A．her classmates thought highly of her
B．she was popular among her classmates
C．she was often cheated by her classmates
D．her classmates just took advantage of her
4.The passage is intended to encourage people to ________.
A．address as many as invitation envelopes as possible
B．take more sport activities including swimming
C．take others' comments into careful consideration
D．take positive attitude towards disadvantages in life
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Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered to my house. No card came with it Calls to the flower-shop were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s name and just delighted in the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged these imaginings. She’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man across the street whose mail I’d delivered during the winter. As a girl, though, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I had run into.
One month before my graduation, my father died. I felt so sad that I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation dance, and I didn’t care if I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth, my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia-lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery(神秘)
My mother died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.
1.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．A childhood Dream. B．A Mother’s Love.
C．A Graduation Party. D．A Special Birthday.
2.The mother insisted that her daughter go to the graduation dance because _________.
A．she could take care of things herself
B．she hoped she would find a boyfriend
C．she wanted her to be happy and strong
D．she thought education was most important
3.Who was the sender of the flower?
A．A boy the writer had run into. B．One of the writer’s neighbors.
C．One of the writer’s classmates. D．The writer’s mother.
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Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned twelve, a white gardenia(栀子花) was delivered to my house. No card or note came with it. 1to the flower shop were always useless－it was a cash 2. After a while I stopped trying to 3who the sender was and just delighted in the beauty and perfume of the white flower. But I never 4imagining who the sender might be. Some of my 5moments were spent daydreaming about it.
My mother asked me whether there was someone for whom I had done a(n)6kindness who might be showing 7. Perhaps the neighbor I helped when she was 8a car full of groceries (杂货). Or maybe it was the old man 9the street whose mail I helped to get during the 10so he wouldn’t have to venture down his icy steps. As a teenager, 11, I had more fun guessing that it might be a 12who had noticed me 13I didn’t know him.
One month before my high school graduation, my father died of a heart attack. He was 14some of the most important events in my life. I became completely 15in my upcoming graduation and the dance. When my father died, I 16the dance and the dress for it. The day before the dance, I found a dress on the sofa. I didn’t 17if I had a new dress or not, but my mother did.
She wanted her children to feel 18and lovable, imaginative, believing that there was a magic in the world and 19in the face of hard times. Actually mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia－lovable, 20and perfect. The gardenia stopped coming when my mother died. (304)
1.A.Calls B. Quarrels C.Messages D. Letters
2.A. service B.deal C.bargain D.offer
3.A. recognize B.imagine C.wonder D.discover
4.A.failed B.stopped C.succeeded D.enjoyed
5.A.saddest B.painful C.happiest D.loneliest
6.A .special B.common C.valuable D.important
7.A .concern B.attitude C.interest Dappreciation
8.A. repairing B.washing C.unloading D.starting
9.A .across B.through C.from D.onto
10.A .spring B.summer C.autumn D.winter
11.A .though B.anyway C.therefore D.indeed
12.A. friend B.superman C.teacher D.boy
13.A.as if B.even though C.in case D.so that
14.A.considering B.expecting C.missing D.preparing
15.A.disappointed B.uninterested C.discouraged D.concentrated
16.A. forgot B.lost C.hated D.expected
17.A.wonder B.believe C.care D.know
18.A. contented B.respected C.thanked D.loved
19.A.. trouble B.beauty C.difficulty D.love
20.A.strong B.beautiful C.smell D.lucky
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Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned twelve, a white gardenia (栀子花) was delivered to my house. No card or note came with it. 1to the flower shop were always useless – it was a cash 2. After a while I stopped trying to 3who the sender was and just delighted in the beauty and perfume of the white flower. But I never 4imagining who the sender might be. Some of my 5moments were spent daydreaming about it.
My mother asked me whether there was someone for whom I had done a(n)6kindness who might be showing 7. Perhaps the neighbor I helped when she was 8a car full of groceries. Or maybe it was the old man 9the street whose mail I helped to get during the 10so he wouldn’t have to venture down his icy step. 11a teenager, though, I had more fun guessing that it might be a 12who had noticed me 13I didn’t know him.
One month before my high school graduation, my father died of a heart attack. He was14some of the most important events in my life. I became completely 15in my upcoming graduation and the dance. When my father died, I 16the dance and the dress for it. The next day before the dance, I found a dress on the sofa. I didn’t17if I had a new dress or not, but my mother did.
She wanted her children to feel 18and lovable, imaginative, believing that there was a magic in the world and 19in the face of hard times. Actually mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia-loveable, 20and perfect. The gardenia stopped coming when my mother died.
1.A．Calls B．Quarrels C．Messages D．Letters
2.A．service B．deal C．bargain D．offer
3.A．recognize B．imagine C．wonder D．discover
4.A．failed B．stopped C．succeeded D．enjoyed
5.A．saddest B．painful C．happiest D．loneliest
6.A．special B．common C．valuable D．important
7.A．concern B．attitude C．interest D．appreciation
8.A．repairing B．washing C．unloading D．starting
9.A．across B．through C．from D．onto
10.A．spring B．summer C．autumn D．winter
11.A．As B．Like C．Be D．With
12.A．friend B．superman C．teacher D．boy
13.A．as if B．even though C．in case D．so that
14.A．considering B．expecting C．missing D．preparing
15.A．disappointed B．uninterested C．discouraged D．concentrated
16.A．forgot B．lost C．hated D．expected
17.A．wonder B．believe C．care D．know
18.A．contented B．respected C．thanked D．loved
19.A．trouble B．beauty C．difficulty D．love
20.A．strong B．beautiful C．smelly D．lucky
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These days my work is mostly on the Internet. However, there is one ______ that I use nearly every day. And I learned it from my dad almost 40 years ago in a very different ______.
My father ran a plumbing(水管) shop. I had to ______ him with his work. One day, I was asked to work ______ a concrete floor. It wasn’t the kind of work I ______. The work was physical work which involved ______ a chisel(凿子) and swinging a five- pound hammer at it really ______. Often, my aim was bad ______ the hammer missed the chisel and ______ my wrist. After ten minutes, my dad came, expecting to find the job completed. Actually, it wasn’t. He asked, “Son, have you been doing it all the time?”“Well dad,” I told him ______, “I figure out a good way to do this more ______. I just tap the chisel and move it. I’m generating a circle of shock wave down into the concrete. That way, it’ll break along the lines and I won’t hurt my wrist again.” Dad gave me a ______ look. He said, “Son, just hit the thing.” Then Dad ______ me his hand. I saw many scars on it .He told me, “If you stick to the work, you’ll ______ it sooner. “ Well, I did hit it then. And the job only took five more minutes to finish. ______ enough, even though I hammered my ______ two or three times, I was proud that I’d just done it.
Today, nearly 40 years later, when I ______ any difficulty in work I still hear my father’s voice, “Son just hit the thing.”I feel ______ because I know he’s still urging me to take action, go ahead, get the job done, and never ______ the scars. And that’s not a bad ______ to carry through life.
1.A. reason B. principle C. measure D. plan
2.A. life B. moment C. job D. occasion
3.A. help B. leave C. bother D. provide
4.A. sweeping B. building C. designing D. breaking
5.A. enjoyed B. heard C. found D. avoided
6.A. finding B. making C. holding D. choosing
7.A. frequently B. fast C. exactly D. hard
8.A. so B. but C. or D. when
9.A. missed B. destroyed C. hit D. pressed
10.A. sadly B. proudly C. rapidly D. loudly
11.A. safely B. quickly C. normally D. funnily
12.A. satisfied B. tired C. funny D. serious
13.A. gave B. lent C. posted D. showed
14.A. repeat B. improve C. finish D. know
15.A. Lucky B. Strange C. Peaceful D. Happy
16.A. face B. foot C. leg D. hand
17.A. get on B. make up C. meet with D. find out
18.A. hesitant B. worried C. comfortable D. encouraged
19.A. check B. mind C. develop D. put
20.A. lesson B. arrangement C. attitude D. situation
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On my way back from the city, I was in the underground. A couple,1.child was young, came in on one of the stops. The young man opposite to me got up and sat somewhere else. There were many seats available2.no three seats were together, so he left his place willingly so that the family could sit together.
Seeing that, I thought 3.I should do was show my gratitude, so I reached for one of my little “shine” cards and wrote at the back “You are kind. Thank you”. I gave the card to the young man 4.a smile. He accepted it and said “Thank you.”
He was sure to feel5. (delight), because I noticed that the card6.(keep) in his hands for a while we were travelling together in silence. Later before 7.(get) off the underground, he came closer and, with a bigger smile, 8.(say) “Thank you very much for this. Have a lovely day.”
9.through this experience did I have a deeper understanding of the true meaning of kindness. Sometimes just a small thing can make a big difference, bringing convenience and 10. (warm) to people around us.
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I was ready to pay for my bananas at the grocery one night, when fear seized me. My wallet was gone. I could only have left it on the G9 bus, which was now speeding in the dark to some _____________ station.
The _________ moment was quickly followed by mental math. How much time and money would it cost to replace the ___________ of that little wallet? The credit cards, the driver’s license, the cash, all lost to the bus.
Two hours later, back at my house, I heard a knock on the door. My husband _____________ it while I was on the phone in the dining room. “Does Jennifer live here?” I heard a lady say. In my husband’s hand was my wallet, with not a penny ___________. She left before I could _________ make it to the door to offer my thanks.
After sharing the story online, I heard from someone, who _________ the lady as Erin Smith. Without _______, I called to thank her. She said she _________ my wallet on a bus seat. She ______________ that going to a stranger’s house was a ____________ move, but she decided to take the chance. “If I were in that ____________, I would want someone to try to find me,” she said.
This one stranger responded beautifully to my small ____________, but she actually wasn’t the only one. Right after Erin ____________ my wallet on the bus, she posted a picture of my driver’s license to an online forum(论坛), trying to see ____________ anyone knew me. No sooner did she leave my doorstep than I had emails from two women whose kids go to my son’s nursery and who recognized my face. I’ve never ____________ words with those moms beyond small talk, but they wanted to help. I read that people are more divided than ever, but that’s not how the people I ______________ tend to act.
__________, I feel blessed someone had wanted to help a stranger. Erin had gone ____________ what almost anyone would have done, finding my house on a bitterly cold night, and for that I was extremely ____________.
1.A.accessible B.hidden C.unknown D.convenient
2.A.face-saving B.brain-washing C.eye-catching D.heart-stopping
3.A.parts B.contents C.details D.ingredients
4.A.ignored B.answered C.examined D.interrupted
5.A.missing B.returned C.remaining D.abandoned
6.A.still B.ever C.yet D.even
7.A.selected B.appointed C.identified D.defined
8.A.delay B.alarm C.regret D.invitation
9.A.moved B.placed C.opened D.spotted
10.A.disagreed B.complained C.calculated D.recommended
11.A.selfless B.risky C.slow D.personal
12.A.site B.direction C.situation D.atmosphere
13.A.crisis B.danger C.threat D.failure
14.A.got rid of B.made use of C.had control of D.took possession of
15.A.if B.where C.how D.when
16.A.recalled B.exchanged C.repeated D.whispered
17.A.encounter B.follow C.consult D.accompany
18.A.Going away B.Turning around C.Looking back D.Coming along
19.A.into B.against C.over D.beyond
20.A.longing B.enthusiastic C.concerned D.grateful
