I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people _______I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a _______person.
I think my _______started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my_______and be left alone. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, so I hardly ever_______to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really _______.It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So I tried a（n）_______.I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I _______to help. That was really a big _______for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of __________ are still my best friends today.
A bigger cause of my new __________,however, came when I took a part-time job at Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer's disease became my __________.Every time I came into her room, she was so __________because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never __________her,so I took her place. She let me __________that making others feel good made me feel good too. When she died, I was __________,but I was also very grateful to her.
I think I am a much__________person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not__________ these experiences. They have __________me to care about other people more than about myself. I __________who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.
1.A. since B. before C. when D. unless
2.A. famous B. simple C. different D. skilled
3.A. education B. career C. tour D. change
4.A. balance B. homework C. degree D. interest
5.A. talked B. wrote C. lied D. reported
6.A. careful B. lonely C. curious D. guilty
7.A. argument B. game C. experiment D. defense
8.A. dared B. offered C. hesitated D. happened
9.A. dream B. problem C. duty D. step
10.A. us B. which C. them D. whom
11.A. attitude B. hobby C. hope D. luck
12.A. friend B. partner C. guide D. guest
13.A. polite B. happy C. strange D. confident
14.A. bothered B. answered C. visited D. trusted
15.A. explain B. guess C. declare D. see
16.A. homeless B. heartbroken C. bad-tempered D. hopeless
17.A. quieter B. busier C. better D. richer
18.A. forget B. face C. improve D. analyze
19.A. forced B. preferred C. ordered D. taught
20.A. miss B. like C. wonder D. expect
Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life． Every waking moment， the eyes are working to see the world around us． Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight， but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes． Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight：
Schedule yearly exams．1.Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check． The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment， including eye- glasses．
Protect against UV rays． Long-term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes． No matter what the season is， it's extremely important to wear sunglasses．2.
Give your eyes a break． Two-thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products．3.Experts recommend that people practice the 20/20/20 rule： every 20 minutes， take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away．
4.As part of a healthy diet， eat more fruits and vegetables each day． Vitamins C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health．
Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses （隐形眼镜）． Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight． While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses， many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk．5.Otherwise， you may have problems such as red eyes， pain in the eyes， or a more serious condition．
A．Eat your greens．
B．Eye care should begin early in life．
C．They can properly protect your eyes．
D．Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins．
E．Parents usually don't care about their own eyesight．
F．Always follow the doctor's advice for appropriate wear．
G．This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness．
If feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation，it turns into an argument．We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly，my mother will push the conversation into World War？She'll talk about my lack of a bright future because I don't plan to be a doctor．And much to her disappointment，I don't want to do any job related to science，either．In fact，when I was pushed to say that I planned to major （主修） in English and communications，she nearly had a heart attack．
"Why can't you be like my coworker's son？"she bemoans all the time．Her coworker's son received a four year scholarship and is now earning 70，000 dollars a year as an engineer．I don't know what to answer except that I simply can't be like Mr Perfect as I've called the unnamed coworker's son．I can't be like him．I'm the type of person who loves to help out in the community，write until the sun goes down，and most of all，wants to achieve a career because I love it，not because of fame （名声） or salary．
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major．I've seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours．She leaves the house around 6：30 am and usually comes home around 5 pm or even 6 pm．However，I want her to know that by becoming a doctor，it doesn't mean I'll be successful．I'd rather follow my dreams and create my own future．
1.Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about？ ______
A. The writer's studies． B. The writer's future job．
C. Dinner plans． D. Wars around the world．
2.We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer's mother ______ ．
A. doesn't want the writer to major in English
B. doesn't think the writer should be a doctor
C. gets along very well with the writer
D. doesn't think working in the science field is a good idea
3.The underlined word"bemoans"in Paragraph 2most probably means" ______ "．
A. agrees B. shouts
C. complains D. smiles
4.Which of the following statements is probably TRUE about the writer？ ______
A. He wants to be like his mother's coworker's son．
B. He wants to find a job in his community in the future．
C. He doesn't think his mother's coworker's son is perfect．
D. He wants to do something he really likes in the future．
There are some very good things about open education. This way of teaching allows the students to grow as people, and to develop their own interests in many subjects. Open education allows students to be responsible for their own education, as they are responsible for what they do in life. Some students do badly in a traditional classroom. The open classroom may allow them to enjoy learning. Some students will be happier in an open education school. They will not have to worry about grades or rules. For students who worry about these things a lot, it is a good idea to be in an open classroom.
But many students will not do well in an open classroom. For some students, there are too few rules. These students will do little in school. They will not make good use of open education. Because open education is so different from traditional education, these students may have a problem getting used to making so many choices. For many students it is important to have some rules in the classroom. They worry about the rules even when there are no rules. Even a few rules will help this kind of students. The last point about open education is that some traditional teachers do not like it. Many teachers do not believe in open education. Teachers who want to have an open classroom may have many problems at their schools.
You now know what open education is. Some of its good points and bad points have been explained. You may have your own opinion about open education. The writer thinks that open education is a good idea, but only in theory. In actual fact, it may not work very well in a real class or school. The writer believes that most students, but of course not all students, want some structure in their classes. They want and need to have rules. In some cases, they must be made to study some subjects. Many students are pleased to find subjects they have to study interesting. They would not study those subjects if they did not have to.
1.Open education allows the students to ______ .
A. grow as the educated
B. be responsible for their future
C. develop their own interests
D. discover subjects outside class
2.Open education may be a good idea for the students who ______ .
A. enjoy learning
B. do well in a traditional classroom
C. worry about grades
D. are responsible for what they do in life
3.Some students will do little in an open classroom because ______.
A. they worry about the rules
B. there are too few rules
C. they hate activities
D. open education is similar to the traditional education
4.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage？ ______
A. Some traditional teachers do not like it
B. Many teachers do not believe in open education
C. The teacher's feelings and attitudes are important to the students
D. Teachers may have problems in open classrooms
What makes a gift special？Is it the price you see on the gift receipt？Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value？What gift is worth the most？
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father．My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything．I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked．The message was from my father．My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming，and underneath a poem by William Blake．The flower，a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky，inspired me．My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid．That may even be the reason why I love writing．I decided that those words would be my gift to my father．
I called back．I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift．I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it．As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind．The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe； my dad recited it as much as he did the other．I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it．The poem was focused around dreaming，and after searching I found the perfect picture．The image was painted with blues and greens and purples，twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream．As I watched both poems passing through the printer，the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood．I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate．
Christmas soon arrived．The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame，I knew I had given the perfect gift．
1.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was ______ ．
A. doing shopping B. having a debate
C. reading a message D. leaving for Wyoming
2.The author's inspiration for the gift came from ______ ．
A. a photo of a flower B. a story about a kid
C. a call from the mother D. a text about Christmas
3.The author made the gift by ______ ．
A. searching for the poems online
B. drawing the background by hand
C. painting the letters in three colors
D. matching the words with pictures
I felt excited, curious and nervous at the same time. I was excited because I would be skipping（跳级）two grades. I was curious because I didn't know how high school students were taught.
However, I was most nervous at the idea that I would be doing high school homework. I had just walked into the class when the bell rang. This wasn't a good start. But the kid in front of me looked very friendly. Luckily, since it was the first day of school, my teacher talked for about half of the period and we just had the rest of the period to start the class. I didn't know what he was saying at first, but when I saw the problems on the paper, I knew what to do. The next day, the kid said hi and I said hi back. We got into a conversation. It seemed that whenever I was talking to my friend, everyone stopped staring at me. Then the class started. It was easy. But I was still uncomfortable because I couldn't look around without meeting others' eyes, so I just kept my eyes on the whiteboard and on my textbook. However, my friend didn't show up the next day, and the eighth graders just kept on staring at me. I didn't know why.
The next day everything changed. My friend was back to school. I was praised for my homework. Everyone stared at me less. Some started to be a little friendlier towards me. I felt at home at last here. My teachers also seemed pretty nice.
1.If the author didn't skip, he should study in ______ .
A. the sixth grade B. the fourth grade
C. the seventh grade D. the eighth grade
2.What may make the author curious? ______
A. What his old friends are doing
B. What the eighth graders' homework is
C. How he will do his high school homework
D. How high school students study
3.Why did the author always keep his eyes on the whiteboard and the textbook? ______
A. To pay attention to his teachers
B. To avoid meeting others' eyes
C. To follow his teachers' teaching
D. To attract his teachers' attention
4.According to the passage, we know that the author ______.
A. got along well with his new class very soon
B. felt sorry about having skipped two grades
C. had one friend in his class all the time
D. got used to others' stares in the classroom
