Several years ago, while attending a communication course, I experienced a most unusual process．The instructor asked us to list 1 in our past that we felt 2 of, regretted, or incomplete about and read our lists aloud．
This seemed like a very 3 process, but there's always some 4 soul in the crowd who will volunteer．The instructor then 5 that we find ways to 6 people, or take some action to right any wrong doings．I was seriously wondering how this could ever 7 my communication．
Then the man next to me raised his hand and volunteered this story：“Making my 8 , I remembered an incident from high school．I grew up in a small town．There was a Sheriff 9 of us kids liked．One night, my two buddies and I decided to play a 10 on him．
After drinking a few beers, we climbed the tall water tank in the middle of the town, and wrote on the tank in bright red paint：Sheriff Brown is a s．o．b．(畜生)．The next day, almost the whole town saw our glorious 11 ．Within two hours, Sheriff Brown had us in his office．My friends told the truth but I lied．No one 12 found out．”
“Nearly 20 years later, Sheriff Brown's name 13 on my list．I didn't even know if he was still 14 ．Last weekend, I dialed the information in my hometown and found there was a Roger Brown still listed．I tried his number．After a few 15 , I heard, “Hello?” I said, “Sheriff Brown?” Paused．“Yes．” “Well, this is Jimmy Calkins．”
“And I want you to know that I did it!” Paused．“I knew it!” he yelled back．We had a good laugh and a 16 discussion．His closing words were：“Jimmy, I always felt bad for you 17 your buddies got it off their chest, but you were carrying it 18 all these years．I want to thank you for calling me…for your sake．”
Jimmy inspired me to 19 all 101 items on my list within two years, and I always remember what I learned from the course：It's never too late to 20 the past wrongdoings．
As my wife greeted me one evening, her voice came through the door,“Guess what?”
I always take a deep 1 on this very leading question．“What?”I asked．
“I just won a sales contest at work and the 2 is dinner for two at the new fancy restaurant down by the river-front!”
She was so 3 ．We knew the restaurant was extremely good．“See?I told you there would be a 4 for me to wear my new spring outfit,”she shyly reminded me．
“ 5 can play at that game,”I responded．“I will wear my gray suit, my Borsalino imported straw hat and a new silk tie．We will be well 6 ．”
It was early 7 and nearing dusk as the waiter took us to a table by a window, with a(n) 8 of the river．And the table was 9 set, with a smoke-gray tablecloth and bright colored napkins．
A delicious meal 10 in such an atmosphere should be remembered a long time．As it 11 , this will probably never be forgotten．
As the shadows lengthened, the 12 rocking by the riverbank, I murmured,“Why not take a walk?”
Hand in hand, we walked by the stores．People smiled and nodded．“I 13 realized there were so many 14 people as we have seen this evening, dear,”I observed．
“Probably your new straw hat or your 15 ,”she said．
After receiving many smiles, we 16 ourselves back at the restaurant, looking at ourselves in the 17 ．It was then that I saw the 18 for all the smiles．
Caught in the fly of my trousers and 19 down for all to see was a bright red 20 from the restaurant!
(1)
[ ]
A．
sigh
B．
breath
C．
surprise
D．
thought
(2)
[ ]
A．
chance
B．
choice
C．
praise
D．
prize
(3)
[ ]
A．
nervous
B．
interested
C．
excited
D．
serious
(4)
[ ]
A．
restaurant
B．
place
C．
time
D．
condition
(5)
[ ]
A．
Two
B．
Four
C．
Everyone
D．
Nobody
(6)
[ ]
A．
mannered
B．
built
C．
dressed
D．
fed
(7)
[ ]
A．
spring
B．
summer
C．
autumn
D．
winter
(8)
[ ]
A．
appearance
B．
expression
C．
picture
D．
view
(9)
[ ]
A．
orderly
B．
strictly
C．
beautifully
D．
cleanly
(10)
[ ]
A．
tasted
B．
enjoyed
C．
served
D．
prepared
(11)
[ ]
A．
turned out
B．
worked out
C．
came out
D．
figured out
(12)
[ ]
A．
lights
B．
chairs
C．
trees
D．
boats
(13)
[ ]
A．
almost
B．
surely
C．
never
D．
seldom
(14)
[ ]
A．
humorous
B．
joking
C．
funny
D．
friendly
(15)
[ ]
A．
kindness
B．
handsomeness
C．
strangeness
D．
carelessness
(16)
[ ]
A．
found
B．
saw
C．
took
D．
slowed
(17)
[ ]
A．
glasses
B．
plates
C．
picture
D．
window
(18)
[ ]
A．
answer
B．
expression
C．
reason
D．
effect
(19)
[ ]
A．
running
B．
hanging
C．
looking
D．
falling
(20)
[ ]
A．
napkin
B．
tablecloth
C．
cup
D．
fork
完形填空。
The film starts out as a normal day at a typical American high school．Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football．
But there's a big surprise when the movie 1 with two students going crazy in the 2 shooting and killing people．
This is“Elephant”．Filmed in just 20 days, it stars real high school kids．American 3 Gus Van Sant had no ready made lines(台词)．The student actors 4 their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own 5 ．
6 it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palmed' Or(金棕榈奖)for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes 7 festival in France on May 25．
The film is based on the 8 at a high school in the US, where two boys 9 13 people and then themselves in 1999．
The title of the 10 refers to the old expression about a 11 that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house．
The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims(受害者)and the 12 ．It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone－fun and friendly, or hard and 13 ．
In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary 14 ．But, there are hints(暗示)of the 15 they feel inside．One of the boys is bullied at school．The other plays violent 16 games．But Van Sant isn't 17 their killings on either bullying or violent video games．In fact, the film doesn't offer any 18 for why school violence happens．
“I didn't want to 19 anything．It's up to the audience to draw its own 20 ,”said the 51-year-old director．
