When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California. Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you.”
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., your angry feelings won’t amount to much.
I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye.” He gave me something to treasure forever.
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.
1.According to the passage, we know that ____.
A. Jim kept to himself B. Jim did very well in his studies
C. Jim’s parents were patient with him D. Jim failed to finish his high school
2.The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 means ____.
A. annoying B. aggressive C. impatient D. thrilling
3.By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the author intends to ____.
A. mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident
B. remind people to be cautious of motorcycles
C. advise people to take the chance to express their love in time
D. appreciate more of life than ever before
4.What can be the best title of the passage?
A. Love Your Family. B. Do It Today.
C. Walk with Pride. D. Appreciate Smiles.
阅读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Kate Chin, like many renters, is tired of renting. One reason is that her __1__ rent goes up like clockwork. Every year her landlord raises the rent by five percent. Another reason is her __2__. “New neighbors always seem to be more __3__ than the ones who moved out,” she said. “My first neighbor would __4__ his door very heavily. I __5__ knew when he came home or left home. __6__ he moved out, a saxophonist moved in. A saxophonist! He practiced two hours a day. On Saturday his friends would come __7__ and I had to __8__ to a whole band. I called the police, but they said saxophone playing is permitted in __9__ for up to four hours a day, because saxophone playing is job-related. They told me I was __10__ that the guy was only playing two hours a day!”
There are many unhappy renters, __11__ there are also happy renters. “I’ve been lucky my whole life,” said Karl Leen, a middle-aged man. “My neighbors couldn’t have been any __12__ if I had picked them myself. One neighbor was a cook. He’d bring me the best __13__ in the world. Another neighbor was a pianist. She played the most __14__ music. Another neighbor was a __15__ who did my tune-ups and changed the oil in my car. My __16__ neighbor is a birder; and we go __17__ every weekend with our telescopes.”
Different persons have different attitudes. Kate saw the saxophone player as __18__, yet Karl saw the __19__ player as delightful. Millions of people would be happy just to have a roof over their head. Yet there are millions who would __20__ that their roof is the wrong color.
1.A. weekly B. monthly C. daily D. annual
2.A. children B. colleagues C. neighbors D. servants
3.A. inconsiderate B. considerate C. careful D. foolish
4.A. knock B. lock C. shut D. clean
5.A. always B. occasionally C. never D. sometimes
6.A. Before B. Since C. From D. After
7.A. up B. over C. down D. on
8.A. dance B. listen C. turn D. look
9.A. departments B. apartments C. offices D. bedrooms
10.A. unfortunate B. unlucky C. lucky D. pleased
11.A. and B. so C. but D. for
12.A. worse B. sadder C. better D. happier
13.A. books B. clothes C. CDs D. leftovers
14.A. sorrowful B. heavy C. delightful D. light
15.A. artist B. cook C. barber D. mechanic
16.A. former B. latest C. latter D. previous
17.A. shopping B. boating C. hiking D. birding
18.A. amusing B. pleasing C. hating D. annoying
19.A. saxophone B. violin C. piano D. guitar
20.A. find B. remember C. praise D. complain
____ most children nowadays are the only chidren, they tend to be more self-centered.
A. Ever since B. Now that C. Only if D. Even though
—It’s a long journey. My car couldn’t make it.
—You can drive my car. It’s quite old, but it’s still pretty ____.
A. reliable B. convenient C. supportive D. available
The black furnishings in his house provide an interesting ____ to the white walls.
A. comparison B. contrast C. opposition D. difference
—What happened to the young trees we planted last week?
—The trees ____ well, but I ____ them.
A. might grow; hadn’t watered B. needn’t have grown; didn’t water
C. would have grown; didn’t water D. would grow; hadn’t watered
