I practised religion in this district. I used to find notes left in the collection basket of the church, beautiful notes about my homilies (布道) and about the writer’s thoughts on the daily readings. The  31  attracted me. But it was a long time __32__I met the author of the notes.

One Sunday morning, I was  33  that someone was waiting for me in the office, a young woman who said she  34  all the notes. When I saw her I was  35 , since I had no idea that it was she who wrote the notes. She was sitting in a chair in the office. Her  36  was bowed and when she raised it to look at me, she could hardly  37  without pain. Her face was disfigured (畸形), so smiling was very  38  for her.

We  39  for a while that Sunday morning and agreed to meet for lunch later that week.

As it  40 , we went to lunch several times, and we shared things about our  41 . We spoke of authors we both had  42 , and it was easy to tell that  43  are a great love of hers.

She suffered from a disfigurement which cannot make her look  44 . I know that her condition  45

her deeply. Yet there was a beauty to her that had nothing to do with  46 . She was one to be listened to, whose words came from a wounded but  47  heart. She possessed a fine tuned sense of beauty. Her only

 48  in life was the loss of a friend.

The truth of her life was a desire to see beyond the  49  for a glimpse of what it is that matters. She found  50  and grace (優(yōu)雅) and they befriended her, and showed her what is real.

31. A. questions         B. words           C. answers          D. texts

32. A. since           B. after                   C. when            D. before

33. A. told                  B. warned               C. informed             D. showed

34. A. lost                     B. left                 C. dropped               D. collected

35. A. shocked              B. satisfied                   C. frightened            D. disappointed

36. A. hand                   B. arm                   C. head                  D. body

37. A. stand                 B. smile               C. say                      D. sit

38. A. pleasant                   B. bitter                C. ugly                  D. difficult

39. A. chatted                B. discussed           C. drank                 D. greeted

40. A. turned out           B. turned up          C. came out             D. came up

41. A. families             B. beliefs               C. hobbies                D. lives

42. A. realized              B. read                C. met                      D. heard

43. A. friends              B. churches           C. writings              D. books

44. A. friendly             B. happy              C. attractive              D. wonderful

45. A. hurt                         B. impressed          C. changed                    D. affected

46. A. fame                 B. wealth              C. interest               D. appearance

47. A. cheerful             B. interesting              C. loving                 D. exciting

48. A. defeat                B. wonder             C. fear                     D. defend

49. A. dream                B. surface              C. imagination        D. time

50. A. success             B. hope               C. beauty                 D. help

It was Mother’s Day, the day we do everything to celebrate for mothers. But I’ll __31___ that the Sunday in 2007 was bitter sweet for me. As a single mother I __32___ to think of my shortcomings—how many evenings I couldn’t spend with my children, and how many things I couldn’t __33___ my waitress’ salary to buy.

But what __34___ kids I had! My daughter Maria was a senior in college, and Denny was home visiting from his freshman year at Harvard University. They were __35___ impolite enough to complain(抱怨) , but there was so much more I __36___ I had done for them. I just hoped they __37___.

As I walked into the __38___ quietly to start breakfast, I was greeted by a vase __39___ a dozen red roses! When had Denny possibly slipped down to leave them? But even their delicate beauty was overshadowed by the note sitting beside them, in the quick, manly __40___ of an eighteen-year-old. It was about a story that happened between Denny and me long ago. It __41___:

She took a day off from her busy __42___ to take the boy to see his hero in the flesh at the stadium. It took 3.5 hours just to get there, and they had to be there early __43___ he could see his hero take batting(擊球) practice. __44___ their arrival, she took her hard-earned money to buy an overpriced T-shirt on which was __45___ his hero making a diving catch. After the game, of course he had to __46___ his hero’s signature, so she stayed with the little boy __47___ one in the morning…

It took me long enough to __48___ it, but I finally know who the __49___ hero is. Mom, I love you!

And suddenly, it was a __40___ Mother’s Day, after all.

31. A. admit          B. adopt          C. deny          D. refuse

32. A. intended        B. liked           C. tended        D. hesitated

33. A. stress          B. spare           C. strengthen      D. spend

34. A. poor           B. great           C. faithless        D. pretty

35. A. only           B. usually          C. never         D. often

36. A. wished         B. hoped           C. expected       D. desired

37. A. supported       B. understood       C. approved      D. disliked

38. A. living-room     B. kitchen           C. bedroom      D. study

39. A. including       B. containing        C. possessing     D. pinning

40. A. handwriting     B. description        C. tone          D. scratch

41. A. wrote          B. recorded          C. memorized     D. read

42. A. event          B. content            C. schedule      D. circumstance

43. A. or             B. for               C. but           D. so

44. A. At             B. In                C. On           D. By

45. A. impressed       B. printed            C. presented      D. pressed

46. A. buy            B. ban                  C. get           D. catch

47. A. before          B. until              C. after          D. when

48. A. see             B. hear              C. realize        D. tell

49. A. actual           B. true              C. imaginary     D. visual

50. A. sad             B. bitter             C. happy        D. exciting

I stepped out of the hospital. My heart was filled with sadness and regret. My former best friend, Faith, had just ___21____.

She was only 16. ____22___, she was diagnosed with a terrible cancer in her right breast. Before her last breath we, who were so ____23___ to her, gathered around her side, ____24___ to hold back our tears and ___25____ her. Everyone wanted to give her their last ___26___, but people were just so choked up.

After that moment of deep ___27___. I was asked to help go through Faith’s things. Arranging her drawers, I suddenly discovered an ___28____ letter with the title “ My last words”.

I opened it slowly, checked the date and began to read the letter. The happy girl we had been with us was___29__ not as optimistic as we thought. She kept ___30____ until she couldn’t hold it in any more. But she had a beautiful imagination and great ambition.

In her ___31____ letter, she mentioned her dreams, her family and her shock in finding the ___32___. From her words I could see that she had left us with too many words unsaid and too many deeds undone. I am __33___ that she would have reached her goals and achieved her dreams ___34____ only God had given her some more time. 

There is a saying that says fate is fair to everybody. But I just can’t help rejecting that ___35___. Faith, who had been a wonderful person and had great plans, had died before achieving her final dreams. It is time that ___36___ her from reaching her biggest moment. Why did ____37____ treat her unfairly？

Life is so short and precious that everyone should ____38____ it. Fate is unfair, which has become a motivation for me I have become bent on continuing my dreams and ___39____ never to give up. I will no longer waste ____40____ or complaint. I am going to get right down to working with all my strength.[

21. A. run away              B. passed away          C. gone by               D. walked away

22. A. Unfortunately          B. Unreasonably         C. Suddenly              D. Truly

23. A. thankful               B. polite               C. dear                  D. friendly

24. A. failing                B. tending              C. trying                D. deciding

25. A. educate        B. comfort             C. leave                  D. support

26. A. words         B. demands             C. instructions            D. wishes

27. A. silence           B. thought             C. feeling                 D. sorrow

28. A. unopened      B. unfinished           C. untouched             D. unlocked\

29. A. obviously      B. actually             C. simply                D. slightly

30.A.still              B. modest              C. calm                 D. silent

31.A.first             B. next                 C. last                   D. former

32.A. letter            B. danger               C. disease               D. problem

33.A. afraid            B. eager               C. anxious               D. sure

34.A.because           B. when               C. though                D. if

35.A.promise           B. dream               C. sentence               D. belief

36.A. discouraged       B. protected            C. stopped                D. held

37.A.history            B. fate                C. fact                   D. illness

38.A. value             B. mind               C. share                  D. hold

39.A. made             B. told                C. determined             D. promise

40.A. energy           B. strength            C. money                 D. time

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to find one more person in our world who is kind and caring. It was about 11:00 p.m.   16   my telephone rang. The caller ID showed the number of a Best Western Hotel.   17  , I would ignore this type of call. For some reason,   18  , I went ahead and answered.

The man on the other end asked if I knew Samual K. I   19  , as he is my 91 – year – old grandfather. Still not   20   why I was the one that had been called, the caller went on to tell me that I was the only   21   listed in the phone book. He said his name was Mason and that he was the   22   at the Best Western Hotel. The   23   was that grandpa had no money with him, and that he couldn’t   24   any phone numbers, so Mason called all over the state trying to get help.

Grandpa told me that he just wanted me to tell Mason that he is a (n)   25   guy and would pay the money once he got home. But the man in charge there was   26   because my grandfather seemed to be   27  . He had been going somewhere else when he got on the wrong bus and   28   100 miles from home.

Not wanting to turn him away and not wanting the police to   29   him to the police station, Mason,   30   any normal duty, not only took the time to   31   me, but also charged just $ 39 so that grandpa could   32   safely and comfortably overnight. (The rooms normally rent for about $ 140!) Besides, he had the staff of that hotel all   33   him until my uncle was able to drive the 100 miles to pick him up!

So, it’s just one more piece of   34   that proves that there are still good people out there; wherever you go, there is always one who   35  .

16．A．while       B．when C．a(chǎn)fter        D．before

17．A．Obviously B．Personally C．Actually   D．Generally

18．A．however   B．besides     C．otherwise  D．therefore

19．A．was   B．did    C．had   D．would

20．A．a(chǎn)dmitting  B．a(chǎn)ccepting  C．understanding   D．recognizing

21．A．neighbor   B．relative     C．colleague  D．friend

22．A．manager   B．waiter       C．mayor      D．guest

23．A．disadvantage    B．question    C．problem    D．pity

24．A．write B．remember C．repeat       D．keep

15．A．easy – going    B．generous   C．forgettable       D．okay

26．A．concerned B．disappointed     C．convinced D．surprised

27．A．hurt  B．moved      C．a(chǎn)nnoyed    D．lost

28．A．went up    B．a(chǎn)dded up   C．ended up   D．sent up

29．A．take  B．bring C．invite       D．carry

30．A．except      B．a(chǎn)gainst      C．beyond     D．from

31．A．contact     B．persuade   C．warn D．a(chǎn)pproach

32．A．leave B．live   C．a(chǎn)dapt D．stay

33．A．look for    B．watch over       C．care about D．a(chǎn)djust to

34．A．news B．information      C．a(chǎn)dvice      D．evidence

35．A．minds       B．cares C．sees   D．matters

The Best Holiday

I was unbelievably proud of my nine-year-old daughter. Emily   41  to buy a mountain bike. She’d been saving her pocket money all year,  42  doing small jobs to earn extra money.

By Thanksgiving, she had collected only $49. I said, “You  43  have your pick from my bicycle  44 .” “Thanks, Daddy. But your bikes are so old.” She was right. All my girls’ bikes were 1950s models, not the kind a kid today would   45   to choose.

As Christmas 46  near, Emily and I went bike shopping. As we left one store, she   47  a Salvation Army volunteer standing next to a big pot. “Can we give something, Daddy?” she asked.  “Sorry, Em, I’m out of  48  .”

Throughout December, Emily continued to   49 hard. Then one day, she made a  50__  announcement. “You know all the money I’ve been saving?” she said hesitantly. “I’m going to give it to the poor people.” So one cold morning before Christmas, Emily handed her total savings of $ 58 to a volunteer who was really very 51   .

  52 by Emily’s selflessness, I decided to contribute  53  of my old bicycles to a car dealer who was collecting used bikes for poor children.  54   I selected a shiny model from my collection, however, it seemed as if a second bike took on a glow(發(fā)光). Should I contribute two? No, one would be enough. But I couldn’t 55  the feeling that I should give a second bike. When I later 56  the bikes, the car dealer said, “You’re making two kids very 57  , sir. Here are your tickets. For each bicycle contributed, we’re   58   away one chance to win a girls’ mountain bike.”

Why wasn’t I surprised when that second ticket proved to be the  59   ? I like to think it was God’s way of 60   a little girl for a sacrifice beyond her years--- while giving her dad a lesson in the process.

When I come across a good article in reading newspapers, I often want to cut and keep it. But just as I am about to do so I find the article on the  26  side is as much interesting. It may be a discussion of the way to   27  in good health, or  28  about how to behave and conduct oneself in society. If I cut the front article, the opposite one is likely to   29  damage, leaving out half of it or keeping the text  30  the title. Therefore, the scissors would  31  before they start,  32  halfway done when I find out the  33  result.

Sometimes two things are to be done at the same time, both worth your  34 . You can only take up one of them, the other has to wait or be  35  up. But you know the future is unpredictable (不可預料) — the changed situation may not allow you to do what is left  36 . Thus you are  37  in a difficult posi­tion and feel sad. How  38  that nice chances and brilliant ideas should gather around all at once? It may happen that your life  39  greatly on your preference of one choice to the other.

In fact that is what  40  is like: we are often  41  with the two opposite sides of a thing which are both desirable like a newspaper cutting. It often occurs that our attention is drawn to one thing only  42  we get into another. The  43  may be more important than the latter and give rise to a divided mind. I  44  remember a philosopher’s remarks: “When one door shuts, another opens in life.” So a casual (不經(jīng)意)  45  may not be a bad one.

26. A. front            B. same                C. either               D. opposite

27. A. get             B. keep                C. lead          D. bring

28. A. advice          B. news                C. a theory             D. a report

29. A. suffer         B. reduce               C. prevent              D. cause

30. A. on            B. for                  C. without       D. off

31. A. use             B. handle               C. prepare              D. stay

32. A. or            B. but                 C. so             D. for

33. A. satisfying      B. regretful             C. surprising            D. impossible

34. A. courage         B. strength              C. attention      D. patience

35. A. given           B. held                 C. made          D. picked

36. A. near            B. alone                C. about                D. behind

37. A. filled           B. attracted             C. caught               D. struck

38. A. dares           B. comes               C. deals         D. does

39. A. improves        B. changes              C. progresses            D. goes

40. A. study           B. society              C. nature        D. life

41. A. faced            B. supplied         C. connected       D. fixed

42. A. before          B. after                C. until           D. as

43. A. following        B. next                C. above          D. former

44. A. still             B. also                C. once            D. almost

45. A. treatment        B. action           C. choice            D. remark

An old man who lived in a small back street of my hometown had to tolerate（忍受） the nuisance（討厭的人或事） of boys playing football and making a lot of noise outside his house at night.

One evening when the boys were particularly_41__，he went out to talk to them. He explained that he had just retired(退休) and was__42__when he could see or hear boys playing his_43_game，football. He would_44_ give them ￥25 each week to play in the street at night. The boys got_45_，for they could hardly believe_46_they were being paid to do something they__47_.

The first two weeks had passed，the boys came to the old man’s house，and went away__48__with their 25 Yuan. The third week when they came back，__49__，the old man said he hadn’t had much money__50__himself and sent them away with only 15 Yuan. The fourth week，the man said he had not yet  51  his paycheck from the government and gave them only 10 Yuan. The boys were very disappointed，but there was__52__much that they could do about it.

At the__53_of the fifth week，the boys came back and__54_at the old man’s door，waiting for their_55_.Slowly，the door opened and the old man appeared. He_56_that he could not afford to pay them 25 yuan_57_he had promised，but said he would give them  58  yuan each week without fail.

This was really too much for the boys. “You expect us to play seven days a week for only five yuan！” they yelled.“__59__！”

They stormed away and   60    played on the street again.

41．A. hot               B．noisy             C．troublesome          D．naughty

42．A. happiest          B．excited           C．encouraged           D．bored

43．A. interesting       B．a(chǎn)musing         C．a(chǎn)cceptable             D．favorite

44．A. more ever       B．therefore        C．willingly              D．forever

45．A. shouted          B．cried              C．excited                D．smiled

46．A. how              B．when             C．that                    D．what

47．A. expected        B．enjoyed          C．a(chǎn)dmired              D．respected

48．A. happily          B．thankfully      C．gratefully             D．tearfully

49．A. but               B．in addition      C．however              D．besides

50．A. earned           B．saved             C．remained             D．left

51．A. received         B．a(chǎn)ccepted         C．paid                   D．given

52．A. not               B．no                 C．so                        D．very

53．A. final             B．end                C．start                    D．beginning

54．A. kicked                  B．hit                 C．beat                    D．knocked

55．A. rewards          B．a(chǎn)wards           C．checks                D．wages

56．A. expressed        B．a(chǎn)pologized      C．stated                  D．expected

57．A. as                B．like                C．when                 D．though

58．A. 5                 B．10              C．15                     D．20

59．A. No way          B．No possible    C．No problem           D．No play

60． A. ever           B．never             C．still                    D．keep

Jerry is a popular manager of a restaurant. It was his attitude  36  made the waiters follow him. He was a natural motivator (鼓舞人心的人). If a(n)  37  was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling him/her how to look on the  38  side of the situation.

This attitude really made me  39 , so one day I asked him, “I don’t get it! No one can be a positive person  40 . How can you manage it?”

“Every time something bad happens, I can choose to  41  it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining and I can  42  the positive side of life. Why don’t we just do that later?” Jerry said.

Jerry told me an unusual story out of his experience. One day he left the back door of his restaurant  43  and was robbed by three men. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from  44 , slipped off the combination (開啟號碼的號碼組合). The robbers got angry and  45 him.

46 , Jerry was found quickly and taken to the hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of care, Jerry  47  with fragments (碎片) of the bullets (子彈) still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the  48 . I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. “Did you lose consciousness? Weren’t you  49 ?” I asked.

“No,” Jerry said, “ 50  when I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.”

“A nurse asked if I was allergic (過敏的) to anything. ‘Yes’ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped  51  as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘ 52 !’”

“Over the laughter, I told them, ‘Please  53  on me as if I am alive, not dead.’”

Jerry survived  54  the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. Attitude, after all, is  55 .

36. A. which                 B. that                          C. what                        D. why

37. A. adviser             B. performer                 C. actress                   D. employee

38. A. right                   B. dark                         C. same                        D. positive

39. A. regretful             B. curious                     C. bored                       D. content

40. A. up to now          B. all the time               C. now and then            D. sooner or later

41. A. insist on              B. get close to               C. refer to                    D. learn from

42. A. point out             B. pick up                    C. build up                   D. take up

43. A. open                   B. closed                      C. shut               D. locked

44. A. happiness            B. eagerness                  C. nervousness              D. anger

45. A. shot                    B. killed                             C. beat                         D. hit

46. A. Immediately        B. Fortunately            C. Obviously                D. Suddenly

47. A. died                   B. disappeared                     C. recovered                 D. escaped

48. A. robbery                     B. murder                     C. sickness                    D. meeting

49. A. astonished           B. delighted                  C. excited                     D. frightened

50. A. so                      B. and                          C. but                          D. or

51. A. to work                     B. working                   C. to talk                      D. talking

52. A. Pills                   B. Flowers                    C. Bullets                     D. Cakes

53. A. operate               B. focus                       C. rely                         D. carry

54. A. instead of            B. in spite of                 C. in place of                D. thanks to

55. A. something           B. none                        C. everything                D. any

It was in the hospital that I first saw Tommy.

He must have been crying a lot __31_  his chest was still heaving（起伏）as I __32_  the bed. I knew he was trying to __33_  his tears. I felt helpless, unable to __34_  the pain from the little boy. Suddenly an idea hit me. I wanted to __35_  him the ancient Hawaiian wisdom. __36_  over, I whispered, “Tommy , did you know our Hawaiian Lizards（蜥蜴）grow their tails back and little boys can grow their  __37_  back too?” Tommy’s eyes grew wide with  __38_  .

“They can?” he asked, obviously  __39_  .

“Yes!” I answered with  __40_ . “Close your eyes,” I said. He nodded with his eyes closed  __41_  .

“Tell your finger every day how much you love it and you need it to  __42_  the phone and to write your homework in school.” I paused, __43_  his little face focused in deep __44_  . “Now say, grow for me, finger. I love you. I need you so much.” __45_  later, Tommy opened his eyes. I told him, “Your finger will be perfectly fine. Let’s __46_  until it completely recovers.”

A year later, Tommy came to say good-bye to me. His broken finger was just the same as any other finger should be. Only a(n) __47_   scar（傷疤）remained.

Tommy remains forever in my heart and  __48_   me of the possibility of miracle（奇跡）. From him, I have learnt to __49_  failure. He inspires me to improve myself and to remember the ancient __50_  : Everything is possible if you truly believe.

31. A. so                   B. but                  C. because                    D. or

32. A. left                     B. approached             C. touched                 D. saw

33. A. flow out           B. wipe out                C. hold up                  D. hold back

34. A. remove             B. move                    C. stand                     D. suffer

35. A. amuse              B. teach                     C. inspire                  D. treat

36. A. Turning            B. Watching               C. Looking                D. Bending

37. A. hands               B. arms                      C. fingers                   D. feet

38. A. ease                        B. excitement             C. fright                     D. disappointment

39. A. tired                 B. confident               C. astonished              D. worried

40. A. certainty   B. pride                     C. honesty                 D. pleasure

41. A. slightly             B. firmly                    C. loosely                   D. straight

42. A. call                  B. answer                   C. dial                       D. receive

43. A. changing          B. noticing                 C. washing                 D. covering

44. A. sadness             B. fantasy                   C. regret                    D. attention

45. A. Years                B. Weeks                    C. Minutes                 D. Hours

46. A. stay                  B. stop                       C. wait                       D. rest

47. A. fine                  B. ugly                      C. terrible                  D. big

48. A. warns               B. reminds                 C. educates                 D. shows

49. A. forget               B. accept                    C. refuse                    D. challenge

50. A. game                B. lesson                    C. wisdom           D. truth

It was the day before Christmas, but I had to work. The only thing that brightened my    28   was a gift sent to me — a dozen beautiful     29    .

As I was cleaning my office, a lady in the front office urgently needed to talk to me. As I stepped out, I noticed a young,      30      woman with a baby in her arms.     31    , she explained that her husband, a prisoner, was my next patient. She told me she wasn’t     32     to visit her husband in prison, and that he had     33      seen his son. She wished to     34     the boy’s father sit in the waiting room with her as long as possible      35     I called him for his appointment. Since my schedule (日程安排) wasn’t full, I agreed.      36    , it was Christmas Eve.

A short time later, her husband arrived. The woman’s tired face     37     when her husband took a seat beside her. I kept peeking (偷看) out to watch them laugh and cry , and     38     their child.

After almost an hour, I     39      the prisoner to the office. The patient seemed like a gentle and humble（恭順的）man. I tried to make him as     40     as possible.

At last, I     41     him a Merry Christmas — a difficult thing to say to a man heading back to prison. He thanked me. He also said he felt     42     by the fact that he hadn’t been able to give his wife anything for Christmas.     43     hearing this, I came up with a wonderful     44     …

I’ll never forget the     45     on both their faces as the prisoner gave his wife the beautiful red roses. I am not     46     who experienced the most joy --- the husband in giving, the wife in receiving, or myself in having the opportunity to share in this special     47    .