10 years after my parents got married, my dad went to work in the oil fields, and soon accepted a job working overseas. The money was great, but the fact that we only saw him every other month disappointed me. My mom stayed home with her five children, raising us alone. We had a place in the country with horses, dogs, chickens and a few head of cattle. Mom was very busy, but always made time for us. Of course, lots of mothers did things like that. But Mom’s greatest achievement was yet to come.
When the oil business declined(衰退) in the 1980s, my dad and most of his friends lost their jobs. The wives were at a loss to know how to manage without large monthly paychecks. But my mom was different. She helped out by working part-time jobs and she learned to drive a semi-truck, so she could help my dad make more miles at his new job. But with three teenagers at home, she couldn't spend time on the road with him. so he decided to find a different kind of job.
Mom found an ad for the International Air Academy in Vancouver, Washington. She had always dreamed of working as a flight attendant but had chosen a family over a career. She was fascinated by the idea that she might be able to work in the travel field after all. Having no idea how she would pay for the schooling, or even if she’d get a job, she took a leap of faith(冒险一试) and dialed the number.
It wasn’t easy, but she passed the entrance exam and was admitted to the three-month training course. That was only half the battle, though, as she still needed the tuition. She finally got a loan( 借款) to cover some of the expenses, and the president of the school gave her a personal loan to cover the rest.
As she read her welcome packet, she realized there was a strict dress code( 着装要求), requiring professional dress each day. This was not something she had. And she also needed to see an eye doctor. Her older brother sent her enough money to buy the clothes she needed and test her eyes. And then she took her two youngest － daughters my sister and me to Vancouver, where there was an apartment waiting for her in the family housing section.
In the first day of class, she was so nervous. I can remember her taking deep breaths and trying to calm herself before leaving. She was forty-five years old, and that made it a little intimidating to walk into a classroom full of twenty-year-olds and try to hold her own. But she stood by her commitment and graduated at the top of her class.
Her first job as a travel agent was with a large agency in Aurora, Colorado. She felt great about her achievement and proud of the beautiful high-rise building she worked in. I was so proud of what she had done. She’d found a way to rise above the curveball( 弧线球) life had thrown at her. Instead of quitting as many of her friends had, she charged ahead and created a brand new career.
1.Why did the author’s mother decide not to drive the semi-truck any more?
A. Because the payment was not high enough.
B. Because she was too tired to help the author's father.
C. Because she needed to look after the children.
D. Because she wanted to work full-time is a flight attendant.
2.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The author’s mother was good at playing baseball.
B. The author’s mother got her dream job through hard-work.
C. The author’s mother was no longer concerned about the future of the family.
D. The author’s mother managed to overcome the difficulties in life.
Next week, strangers with a truck will ______ everything we own, except the clothes on our backs, the car we will drive, and as much stuff as we can pack into it.
It’s called ______ . Some people do it often. For others, like me, it's a rare experience. In all my adult years, I've moved only ___ .
My first husband and I moved into our first house with a bed, our clothes and a few gifts. That was ____ ago. Over the years, I filled that house with three children, a few dogs and enough stuff to reach the ceiling(天花板).
Then the kids grew up, I lost my ___ to cancer, and I began to learn about ___ .
First, I let go of the idea of being ______. Life isn’t about being in charge of what happens; it's about being in charge of what we do with it.
Next, I let go of _______ the things I care most about. I began to put important things first like keeping in touch with the people that mean the most to me.
I let go of the people whose lives are about anger or hatred( 憎恨), and tried instead to __________ myself with those who shine with ____ .
Finally, I let go of being ___ － I remarried.
I eventually moved to a new city with my new husband, and after that move, I promised I’d stop collecting meaningless things. But 12 years later, here I am, still learning about letting go. Yesterday while cleaning out a dresser, I found a box filled with old keepsakes(纪念品). Nothing in that box may mean much to anyone, except me. They are treasures for me which _______ me of the _______ they preserve. We finally decided to hold onto to them and never let them go.
We’ll all move someday from this world to the next, but we won’t need a truck to do it. We’ll take nothing with us and but ________ a memory of the life we lived, the mistakes we made, and all the love and kindness we tried to show That memory might not be a treasure, but ______ , someone will keep it and hold it close and never let it go.
1.A. pick up B. take away C. drop off D. bring in
2.A. travelling B. conveying C. loading D. moving
3.A. once B. twice C. three times D. four times
4.A. a lifetime B. a decade C. five years D. a century
5.A. daughter B. son C. grandfather D. husband
6.A. holding on B. letting go C. going ahead D. giving in
7.A. in control B. in preparation C. in need D. in store
8.A. putting off B. splitting up C. speeding up D. going after
9.A. provide B. equip C. surround D. compare
10.A. optimism B. ambition C. generosity D. kindness
11.A. considerate B. independent C. alone D. narrow-minded
12.A. inform B. remind C. occur to D. recall
13.A. childhood B. sources C. details D. memories
14.A. bring about B. leave behind C. get rid of D. put away
15.A. hopefully B. eventually C. gradually D. unbelievably
--- Jim lost his job. Then somebody stole his car.
--- . We should lend him a hand.
A. The grass is always greener on the other side B. A miss is as good as a mile
C. It never rains but pours D. Every dog has its day
The Chinese women’s volleyball team won the gold medal at the Rio Olympics, which is the third time the team Olympic gold.
A. claimed B. has claimed
C. has been claiming D. had claimed
Carrying a light load on your bicycle makes it more difficult to control.
A. more than B. not more than
C. less than D. no more than
Although the scientist is claiming a major breakthrough in the fight against cancer, I am about his chances of curing the patients.
A. curious B. anxious
C. sceptical D. optimistic
