Changing Bit by Bit A new contest challe...

    My neighbor Josie, a college professor, ran circles around women twenty years younger than her. For some reason, she took a(n) ____ to me and always chose to fit me into her days. She would call me to taste-test recipes, which was a _____. Her garden was a testament (证明) to Josie's green thumb. In some instances, I could not even ____ what was growing, but we had the freshest salads in the neighborhood all summer long!

Early each morning, Josie forced me to _____ her on her “daily constitutional”, as she liked to call it. I believe we were supposed to be walking, but it felt more like mini-sprints (running at full speed). I had my rules. If I couldn’t talk or _____, I would stop. I stopped every day at the end of our block. Josie would _____ a half hour later and make me breakfast as a _____ for making the attempt!

Each night around sunset, Josie and I would touch our base on our porches (门廊) before retiring for the evening. We would _____ back and forth, exchanging worldviews.

One evening, Josie was a “no-show.” I started over to her door when I _____ the ambulance and saw her husband and children _____ outside. Josie had suffered a stroke (中风).

When I next set eyes on her, she was leaning in a wheelchair. She looked smaller and older than I remembered, but her eyes were clear and her smile was _____bright. Her speech was ______, but her voice still had the lift I loved.

Josie’s world had changed overnight from travel destinations to the few rooms in her house. ______ it’s what she does with her surroundings that gives me pause and perspective.

When Josie feels well enough to ______, her husband brings her breakfast in bed. She calls it “dining out”. They listen to soft music and light candles. On days when Josie has some _____, her husband wheels her into the living room, and they watch old movies together. She calls it “date night.” When Josie is doing really well, her husband takes her for a(n) _____ outside in her wheelchair. She calls it “going on vacation”.

Despite the _____ that Josie is not expected to make a full recovery, she _____ to dine out, go to the movies and take lots of mini-vacations. She is grateful to smell a summer barbecue, to share a laugh with her favorite neighbor, and to be here for _____ day.

I am _____ for her simple life lesson. Find the positive, and you’ve found your reason to live.

1.A.opinion B.feeling C.chance D.liking

2.A.task B.matter C.pleasure D.burden

3.A.deliver B.identify C.assess D.compare

4.A.assist B.promote C.inspire D.join

5.A.wave B.cheer C.jump D.breathe

6.A.return B.disappear C.stretch D.practise

7.A.push B.reward C.response D.contribution

8.A.skip B.chat C.think D.swing

9.A.heard B.called C.left D.ignored

10.A.dining B.escaping C.running D.wandering

11.A.still B.ever C.once D.already

12.A.deeper B.longer C.clearer D.slower

13.A.For B.Or C.So D.But

14.A.eat B.speak C.relax D.sleep

15.A.space B.strength C.lessons D.worries

16.A.hike B.examination C.walk D.meeting

17.A.fact B.faith C.plan D.attempt

18.A.rejected B.continues C.postponed D.paused

19.A.either B.certain C.another D.neither

20.A.helpful B.pitiful C.thankful D.painful

阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

William Shakespeare was one of the famous English 1. (write). He mostly wrote plays and special poems. Those poems 2. (call) sonnets (十四行诗), and they have a unique pattern. Besides, they aren’t easy to write. That didn’t stop scientists, though. One team just trained a computer to write poetry like Shakespeare’s. They entered nearly 3,000 sonnets into their machine. Those included the 154 sonnets that Shakespeare created. After that, they used a special program. It emphasized the rules of poetry and made sure the machine followed 3. (they). Through AI, the computer is able to put out sonnets. They are so good that they 4. (fool) humans. Ordinary readers couldn’t tell whether a person or a machine wrote them. That doesn't mean they are perfect, though.

阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

How can horses find their way back from a strange environment? For most people, that would be impossible without a map. Horses have a special system in their brains, and it works just 1. GPS. It shows signs for trees and other objects in their home areas. It also takes notes of new things in new areas. 2. horses keep their attention on those signs, they know which directions 3. (go). Who needs a self-driving car when you can have a horse? You’ll always get home safe and sound.

阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

You are never too old to go after your dreams. Many people don’t let age stop them. If they want to do something, they just do it. For example, Gladys Burrill ran her first marathon at 86. She became famous when she 1. (finish) the Honolulu Marathon (檀香山马拉松). She was 92 then. Life is about change, so don’t be afraid to take your 2. (one) step. It is easy after you do that. So, stop 3. (think) about your dreams, and start doing something about them.

阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

I looked forward to a visit with my mom, who lived 2,000 miles from my home in California. Since Mom was 80 and suffered from Alzheimer’s (阿兹海默症), I realized how important it was to see her again soon.

Mom received loving care from the Sister Servants of Christ the King at a 40-bed, basic-care facility (场所) in Edgeley, North Dakota. She lived in a simple room, spent most of her day doing simple things, and seemed to be “all right, “considering that dementia (痴呆) had set in.

When Mom came in, I smiled, hugged and kissed her, and said, “Nice to see you, Mom.” She didn’t recognize who I was! I was shocked.

Stressed out, I spent several hours trying to connect with my mother—talking with her, walking around the grounds, looking at family pictures in her room, chatting with the nuns (修女) —doing whatever I could think of to help Mom recognize her son. I hoped for a recognition “wonder”. But nothing I said or did worked, I was very annoyed.

The next morning, I suddenly had an idea. I thought of something that might stir her memory (记忆).I thought of strawberry milkshake (草莓奶昔). Yes, strawberry milkshake in Edgeley, North Dakota. So I took Mom to the Edgeley Coffee Shop. I wanted to treat her here. While Mom was looking at the menu, I took Sandy, the waitress, aside, quietly told her of Mom’s dementia condition and my plan to recall her long-term memory, and ordered two strawberry milkshakes.

The first paragraph: When Sandy delivered the milkshakes, I was too nervous to say a word.

The second paragraph: There’s a simple explanation for Mom’s memory.

注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好。

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