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
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1—20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
I was required to read one of Bernie Siegel’s books in college and was hooked on his positivity from that moment on. The stories of his unconventional _______ and the exceptional patients he wrote about were so_______to me and had such a big_______on how I saw life from then on. Who knew that so many years later I would look to Dr. Bernie and his CDs again to _______my own Cancer experience?
I’m an ambitious _______, and when I started going through chemo(化疗)，even though I’m a very _______ person, I lost my drive to write. I was just too tired and not in the _______. One day, while waiting to go in for _______, I had one of Dr. Bernie’s books in hand. Another patient _______what I was reading and struck up a conversation with me________he had one of his books with me as well. It________that among other things, he was an eighty-year-old writer. He was________a published author, and he was currently________on a new book.
We would see each other at various times and________friends. Sometimes he wore a duck hat, and I would tell myself, he was definitely a (n)________of Dr. Berline. He really put a _________on my face. He unfortunately ________last year due to his cancer, ________ he left a deep impression on me and gave me the ________ to pick up my pen again. I ________ to myself, “If he can do it, then so can I.”
1.A.ideas B.tastes C.notes D.memories
2.A.amazing B.shocking C.amusing D.strange
3.A.strike B.push C.challenge D.impact
4.A.learn from B.get through C.go over D.refer to
5.A.reader B.writer C.editor D.doctor
6.A.honest B.agreeable C.humorous D.positive
7.A.state B.position C.mood D.way
8.A.advice B.reference C.protection D.treatment
9.A.viewed B.knew C.noticed D.wondered
10.A.because B.while C.although D.providing
11.A.came out B.turned out C.proved out D.worked out
12.A.naturally B.merely C.hopefully D.actually
13.A.deciding B.investing C.relying D.working
14.A.became B.helped C.missed D.visited
15.A.patient B.operator C.fan D.publisher
16.A.smile B.sign C.mark D.mask
17.A.showed up B.passed away C.fell down D.set off
18.A.since B.but C.so D.for
19.A.guidance B.trust C.opportunity D.inspiration
20.A.promised B.swore C.replied D.thought
A Welcome Gift
Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them _______ side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud _______ filled the room and made them feel very happy.
The next morning, _______, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a _______ under their door during the night. One of their neighbors had written to complain about the sound of the piano. Dario’s mother asked the building superintendent(管理员) if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all _______ people and he couldn’t imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested that they write a letter to their _______ and apologize for their playing.
“Maybe we could go and _______ everyone in person.” his mother said.
“What if we invited them to come here for a _______ instead?” Dario asked.
They both loved the _______. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts __________ their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers(彩带) and party lights.
Finally, the day of the party __________. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. Some even brought desserts to __________. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert, __________ Dario’s mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.
“I heard you playing the other night,” she said. “The sounds woke me out of bed. I __________ that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don’t think I disliked the playing.”
Dario’s mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. “I think maybe we __________ you an apology.” she said. “I didn’t __________ how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.”
“You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.” She pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not such __________ music.”
“These songs are beautiful music.” Dario’s mother said. “We will be __________ to play them in the evening.”
“And we won’t play so loud or late!” Dario said. He was already looking forward to __________ the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother’s face. It gave him a feeling of __________ and made him feel that they were home at last.
1.A.sat B.stood C.lay D.walked
2.A.voice B.ring C.music D.cry
3.A.therefore B.however C.otherwise D.instead
4.A.note B.poster C.bill D.report
5.A.proud B.rich C.lucky D.nice
6.A.neighbors B.friends C.relatives D.audience
7.A.blame B.instruct C.question D.visit
8.A.party B.concert C.show D.play
9.A.experience B.idea C.performance D.action
10.A.to B.with C.for D.from
11.A.continued B.arrived C.passed D.finished
12.A.order B.sell C.share D.advertise
13.A.treated B.presented C.helped D.served
14.A.promised B.admitted C.agreed D.worried
15.A.give B.send C.offer D.owe
16.A.realize B.remember C.understand D.accept
17.A.sweet B.strange C.funny D.loud
18.A.brave B.sorry C.happy D.afraid
19.A.changing B.practicing C.recording D.writing
20.A.equality B.freedom C.warmth D.sympathy
