The small town of Rjukan in Norway is situated between several mountains and does not get direct sunlight from late September to mid-March- _______ six months out of the year.
“Of course, we _______ it when the sun is shining,” says Karin Ro, who works for the town’s tourism office. “We see the sky is _______, but down in the valley it’s darker — it’s like on a _______ day.”
But that _______ when a system of high-tech _______ was introduced to reflect sunlight from neighboring peaks(山峰) into the valley below. Wednesday, residents(居民) of Rjukan _______ their very first ray of winter sunshine: A row of reflective boards on a nearby mountainside were put to _______. The mirrors are controlled by a computer that _______ them to turn along with the sun throughout the ________ and to close during windy weather. They reflect a concentrated beam(束) of light onto the town’s central ________, creating an area of sunlight roughly 600 square meters. When the light ________, Rjukan residents gathered together.
“People have been ________ there and standing there and taking ________ of each other,” Ro says. “The town square was totally ________. I think almost all the people in the town were there.” The 3,500 residents cannot all ________ the sunshine at the same time. ________, the new light feels like more than enough for the town’s ________ residents.
“It’s not very ________,” she says, “but it is enough when we are ________.”
1.A.only B.obviously C.nearly D.precisely
2.A.fear B.believe C.hear D.notice
3.A.empty B.blue C.high D.wide
4.A.cloudy B.normal C.different D.warm
5.A.helped B.changed C.happened D.mattered
6.A.computers B.telescopes C.mirrors D.cameras
7.A.remembered B.forecasted C.received D.imagined
8.A.repair B.risk C.rest D.use
9.A.forbids B.directs C.predicts D.follows
10.A.day B.night C.month D.year
11.A.library B.hall C.square D.street
12.A.appeared B.returned C.faded D.stopped
13.A.driving B.hiding C.camping D.sitting
14.A.pictures B.notes C.care D.hold
15.A.new B.full C.flat D.silent
16.A.block B.avoid C.enjoy D.store
17.A.Instead B.However C.Gradually D.Similarly
18.A.nature-loving B.energy-saving C.weather-beaten D.sun-starved
19.A.big B.clear C.cold D.easy
20.A.trying B.waiting C.watching D.sharing
My kids and I were heading into the supermarket over the weekend. On the way, we spotted a man holding a piece of paper that said, “_______ my job. Family to Feed.”
At this store, a _______ like this is not normal. My 10-year-old noticed him and make a _________ on how bad it must be to have to stand _________ in the cold wind.
In the store, I asked each of my kids to _______ something they thought our “friend” there would _________. They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17-year-old suggested giving him a _________. I thought about it. We were _______ on cash ourselves, but… well, sometimes _______ from our need instead of our abundance is ________ what we need to do! All the kids __________ something they could do away with for the week.
When we handed him the bag of ________, he lit up and thanked us with ________ eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for __________ his family might need, he burst into tears.
This has been a wonderful ________ for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can ________! Things would have played out so __________ if I had simply said, “No, we really don’t have __________ to give more.” Stepping out not only helped a brother in ________, it also gave my kids the __________ taste of helping others. It’ll go a long way with them.
1.A.Lost B.Changed C.Quit D.Finished
2.A.condition B.place C.sight D.show
3.A.suggestion B.comment C.decision D.call
4.A.outside B.proudly C.by D.angrily
5.A.draw B.say C.arrange D.pick
6.A.order B.supply C.appreciate D.discover
7.A.dollar B.job C.hot meal D.gift card
8.A.easy B.low C.soft D.loose
9.A.giving B.saving C.spending D.begging
10.A.yet B.even C.still D.just
11.A.declared B.shared C.ignored D.expected
12.A.toys B.medicine C.food D.clothes
13.A.sleepy B.watery C.curious D.sharp
14.A.whoever B.whatever C.whichever D.whenever
15.A.experience B.example C.message D.adventure
16.A.rely on B.respect C.learn from D.help
17.A.suddenly B.vividly C.differently D.perfectly
18.A.time B.power C.patience D.money
19.A.fear B.love C.need D.memory
20.A.strong B.sweet C.strange D.simple
One of the easiest things in the world is to become a fault-finder. However, life can be _______ when you are not busy finding fault with it.
Several years ago I _______ a letter from seventeen-year-old Kerry, who described herself as a world-class fault-finder, almost always _______ by things. People were always doing things that annoyed her, and _______ was ever good enough. She was highly self-critical and also found fault with her friends. She became a really _______ person.
Unfortunately, it took a horrible accident to change her _______. Her best friend was seriously hurt in a car crash. What made it almost _______ to deal with was that the day before the _______, Kerry had visited her friend and had spent the whole time criticizing her _______ of boyfriends, the way she was living, the way she related to her mother, and various other things she felt she needed to ________. It wasn’t until her friend was badly hurt that Kerry became ________ her habit of finding fault. Very quickly, she learned to appreciate life rather than to ________ everything so harshly(刻薄). She was able to transfer her new wisdom to other parts of her ________ as well.
Perhaps most of us aren’t as extreme at fault-finding, ________ when we’re honest, we can be sharply ________ of the world. I’m not suggesting you ________ problems, or that you pretend things are ________ than they are, but simply that you learn to allow things to be as they are — ________ most of the time, and especially when it’s not a really big ________.
Train yourself to ＂bite your tongue＂, and with a little ________, you’ll get really good at letting things go. And when you do, you’ll get back your enthusiasm and love for life.
1.A.lonely B.great C.quiet D.uneasy
2.A.received B.answered C.expected D.rejected
3.A.threatened B.interrupted C.bothered D.spoiled
4.A.anything B.everything C.something D.nothing
5.A.caring B.boring C.interesting D.surprising
6.A.attitude B.plan C.measure D.explanation
7.A.urgent B.unnecessary C.certain D.impossible
8.A.occasion B.event C.accident D.adventure
9.A.memory B.notice C.evidence D.choice
10.A.hear B.contribute C.express D.admit
11.A.aware of B.afraid of C.curious about D.confused about
12.A.discuss B.realize C.judge D.settle
13.A.family B.life C.career D.education
14.A.so B.or C.but D.for
15.A.proud B.sure C.hopeful D.critical
16.A.face B.create C.solve D.ignore
17.A.rarer B.better C.stranger D.worse
18.A.at least B.at last C.by far D.so far
19.A.task B.deal C.result D.duty
20.A.practice B.speech C.rest D.pity
When Alice was sixteen, I was the one who wanted to run away from home. It was____to see the changes coming over her. She skipped school, and refused to communicate. I tried being firm, but it didn‘t____I saw a dark future for my once sweet daughter.
One school day Alice returned home very late. With a quarrel in view. I was surprised to see Alice was____
“I hope I did the right thing, Mom,”“Alice said. I saw a cat, all bloody but alive. I____it to the vet’s(宠物医院), and was asked to make payment____As I couldn’t reach anyone at the phone number on the cat’s tag(标牌), I had to pay the bill.”
In the following days, the owner still couldn’t be____Alice paid the vet to continue treatment. I grew____: what if the family had simply left the cat behind?
A week went by. A woman called to speak to Alice.
“She is at school,” I said.
“You have a____daughter,” she said, apparently in tears.
Her family had just returned from abroad, and got a (n)____from the vet. Their cat was recovering, thanks to Alice’s____“We can’t wait to hug Cuddles again,” she sobbed.
Upon her return home, Alice was filled with____at the news. So was I. I learned through another woman’s eyes that my daughter was still a good person despite her____teenage years. Her warm heart would surely guide her in the right direction.
1.A. pleasant B. painful C. unwise D. inspiring
2.A. remain B. match C. appear D. work
3.A. annoyed B. amused C. worried D. interested
4.A. carried B. followed C. returned D. guided
5.A. monthly B. honestly C. generously D. immediately
6.A. trusted B. contacted C. persuaded D. satisfied
7.A. active B. rude C. anxious D. proud
8.A. pretty B. grateful C. wonderful D. curious
9.A. apology B. invitation C. message D. reply
10.A. suggestion B. donation C. encouragement D. help
11.A. love B. anger C. regret D. joy
12.A. troubled B. long C. boring D. quiet
My fiance (未婚夫）and I were excited about shopping for our first home. But our funds (资金) were _______, and none of the houses in our price range seemed satisfactory.
One agent (代理人)_______ a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was _______ our range, so we declined (拒绝). But she kept urging (催促) us to have a look _______.
We finally did and it was _______ at first sight. It was Our Home, small and charming, overlooking a quiet lake. Walking through the rooms and talking with the owners, a nice elderly couple, we felt the warmth and _______ of the marriage within that home. As perfect as it was, the price remained too high for us. But every day, we would sit by the lake, looking at the house and dreaming of _______ it would be like to live there.
Days later, we made a(n)_______ —far below the asking price. Surprisingly, they didn’t _______ us. They renewed their offer ________. It was also much more than we could afford but far ________ than the original asking price.
The next day, we got a ________ message that another buyer had offered a much higher price. Even so, we decided to talk with the ________ directly. We made our final offer, which ________ was thousands of dollars less than the other buyer’s bid. We knew it,________ we had to try.
“Sold!” said the owner. Then he ________: He’d seen us sitting by the lake all those times; he knew how much we loved the place and that we’d ________ the years of work they had put into their home; he realized he would take a ________ by selling it to us, but it was worthwhile; we were the people they wanted to live there. He told us to consider the ________ in the price as “an early wedding present.”
That’s how we found our home and how I learned that when people are ________ they are not strangers, only friends we haven’t yet met.
1.A.needed B.limited C.enough D.large
2.A.recommended (推荐) B.decorated C.sold D.rented
3.A.below B.within C.beyond D.between
4.A.at least B.at most C.at times D.at band
5.A.relief B.concern C.love D.curiosity
6.A.pride B.happiness C.challenge D.desire
7.A.which B.why C.that D.what
8.A.effort B.offer C.promise D.profit
9.A.come across B.look after C.depend on D.laugh at
10.A.instead B.indeed C.aside D.apart
11.A.worse B.better C.less D.higher
12.A.relaxing B.disappointing C.pleasant D.regular
13.A.agents B.buyers C.managers D.owners
14.A.already B.still C.generally D.ever
15.A.so B.or C.for D.but
16.A.apologized B.complained C.criticized D.explained
17.A.check B.analyze C.appreciate D.ignore
18.A.loss B.risk C.chance D.lead
19.A.increase B.difference C.interest D.average
20.A.kind B.polite C.smart D.energetic
Dad had a green comb. He bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would hand me his ____ and say, “Good girl, help Daddy clean it, OK?”
I was ____ to do it. At age five, this dull task brought me such ____. I would excitedly turn the tap ____ and brush the comb carefully. Satisfied that I’d done a good job, I would happily return the comb to Dad. He would ____ affectionately at me and place the comb on his wallet.
Two years later, Dad started his own ____, which wasn’t doing so well. That was when things started to ____. Dad didn’t come home as early and as much as he used to. Mum and I became ____ with him for placing our family in trouble. With ____, an uncomfortable silence grew between us.
After my graduation, Dad’s business was getting back on track. On my 28th birthday, Dad came home ____. As usual, helped him carry his bags into his study. When I turned to leave, he said, “Hey, would you help me ____ my comb?” I looked at him a while, then ____ the comb and headed to the sink.
It hit me then: why, as a child, ____ Dad clean his comb was such a pleasure. That routine（习惯）meant Dad was home early to ____ the evening with Mum and me. It ____ a happy and loving family.
I passed the clean comb back to Dad. He smiled at me and ____ placed his comb on his wallet. But this time, I noticed something ____. Dad had aged. He had wrinkles next to his eyes when he smiled, ____ his smile was still as ____ as before, the smile of a father who just wanted a good ____ for his family.
1.A. bag B. wallet C. comb D. brush
2.A. annoyed B. relieved C. ashamed D. pleased
3.A. joy B. sadness C. courage D. pain
4.A. out B. over C. in D. on
5.A. stare B. smile C. shout D. laugh
6.A. family B. business C. task D. journey
7.A. progress B. change C. improve D. form
8.A. satisfied B. delighted C. mad D. strict
9.A. time B. patience C. speed D. ease
10.A. occasionally B. early C. frequently D. rarely
11.A. sharpen B. repair C. clean D. keep
12.A. dropped B. took C. handed D. threw
13.A. watching B. letting C. helping D. hearing
14.A. find B. lose C. waste D. spend
15.A. affected B. broke C. meant D. supported
16.A. firmly B. hurriedly C. casually D. carefully
17.A. different B. exciting C. interesting D. urgent
18.A. for B. or C. so D. yet
19.A. convincing B. heartwarming C. cautious D. innocent
20.A. origin B. life C. reputation D. education
