“Scotty!” Mr. Brown, my Year 11 English teacher, called me by my nickname (绰号) across the classroom. His eyes were bright and a secret 36 was half hidden behind the beard.
Once he finished joking over my unbearable 37 , I realized he was going to read my story aloud to the class. I turned red, feeling at once both embarrassed and 38 . I had my very 39 reading audience! Though my classmates were a ‘passive audience’, it didn’t weaken my feeling of being 40 .
After that, I came to 41 those Year 11 English classes. Throughout school I had always studied hard and achieved well in my school subjects. But creative 42 was a passion, and it was not an assignment, but a way of understanding the world and of 43 my thoughts and feelings about events and attitudes.
Mr. Brown was the first to 44 me for my writing so openly. My scores were always 19/20 or 20/20. My stories were often read out to the class. He even 45 one with the respected Head of English teachers, which was the most 46 part that is impressed on my memory. But 47 that, he offered a belief in me that no other teacher had.
My school 48 often stated, ‘Candice is a quiet achiever.’ I thought it was meant as a(n) 49 for being hard-working. I was someone that no one really 50 before, but Mr. Brown managed to 51 all that by bringing me to the attention of the world. Though it was the relatively 52 world of school, it put the seed of belief in myself that some day I could be an 53 person rather than the person who faded into the background.
I 54 touch with my teacher long ago, as we do when we move away from the school system and enter life. I wish I could tell him now how much he 55 me.
1.A. trick B. fear C. surprise D. smile
2.A. sadness B. shyness C. weakness D. kindness
3.A. ashamed B. calm C. thrilled D. depressed
4.A. unfriendly B. devoted C. small D. first
5.A. special B. intelligent C. famous D. diligent
6.A. love B. hate C. attend D. miss
7.A. thinking B. reading C. writing D. speaking
8.A. organizing B. collecting C. expressing D. hiding
9.A. train B. recommend C. criticize D. acknowledge
10.A. compared B. shared C. composed D. exchanged
11.A. interesting B. shocking C. challenging D. exciting
12.A. more than B. other than C. instead of D. in spite of
13.A. days B. efforts C. books D. reports
14.A. praise B. urge C. reason D. competition
15.A. believed B. noticed C. supported D. respected
16.A. forget B. compensate C. change D. prove
17.A. developed B. limited C. preserved D. disturbed
18.A. important B. educated C. honest D. optimistic
19.A. sought B. regained C. lost D. ignored
20.A. owed B. influenced C. satisfied D. attracted
— I’ve studied your program, Peter. Could I make some suggestions?
— _________. I am all ears.
A. By no means B. Take it easy C. Go right ahead D. With pleasure
Generally, senior citizens enjoy their freedom and they prefer to live on their own _________ they can.
A. as long as B. as far as C. now that D. even though
In the English language, sentence stress is like word stress and is _________ gives English its rhythm.
A. when B. why C. that D. what
— Hello, Tom. This is Mary speaking.
— What a coincidence! I __________ about you.
A. was just thinking B. just thought
C. have just thought D. would just think
I need complete quietness when I am writing. A little noise from the outside _________ my inspiration will go.
A. otherwise B. but C. and D. while