Growing trees in the concrete jungle of Los Angels brings neighbors benefits beyond beauty.
As the 36 of TreePeople, a nonprofit organization he founded in 1973, Andy, now 54, has inspired hundreds of thousands of volunteers to 37 plant more than two million trees throughout Southern California.
Tree People 38 tools, blueprints, planting demonstrations, and tree-care supervisors free to all the participants, 39 me. “You will need their support,” Andy said, referring to my neighbors. “ 40
the community behind you, the trees you plant will die in five years.” So I started knocking on doors, hoping to share 41 I’d learnt in Tree People’s seminar(培训班) about the critical role of trees in removing smog from the 42 , cooling our homes and preventing water runoff.
Strange 43 it may seem, some people are afraid of trees. “The roots destroy sidewalks,” one neighbor said, “ 44 will ruin my pipes. And I don’t want leaves.” 45 told me.
When I called Andy about the 46 I was getting from my neighbors, he encouraged me to keep trying. So my son and my wife delivered cookies while I went door to door. It 47 us half a year to sign permission forms from 16 neighbors for 21 trees.
When the big day arrived, I was excited and 48 . What if I threw a planting tree and 49 else came? But as I set out shovels(铁铲), my son and wife made cakes and doughnuts, 50 started to gather. Friends brought friends. Neighbors came with cousins and grandchildren. A local middle school even 51 with half the seventh grade. More than 300 people joined us.
Then Andy led us in a 52 : welcoming each tree into the world and 53 it name. After the ceremony, as I shook hands with volunteers and my neighbors, I 54 help but feel we’d accomplished 55 great. After all, trees need people, and people need trees.

On April 11 Lincoln, Mrs Lincoln and two friends were spending night in talk, when Lincoln suddenly began to discuss his dreams. “I had one the other night. About 10 days ago I went to bed very 36 . I had been up   37  for important letters from the White House for a long time. I could not have been   38  in bed when I fell into sleep. I soon began to   39 . There seemed to be a dead silence about me. Then I heard sobs(抽泣)， 40  a number of people were weeping. I thought I left my bed and   41 downstairs. There the silence was broken by some pitiful(令人可怜的) sobbing, but the mourners(送葬者)were   42 .I went from room to room, no living person was in sight; but the same mournful sounds of distress(悲痛) met me as I   43 along. It was light in all the rooms; 44  was well known to me，but   45 were all the people who were sobbing as if their hearts would   46 ? I was puzzled and frightened. What could be the   47  of all this? I kept on walking until I arrived at the East Room, which I   48 . Before me was a dead body. Around it were soldiers who were acting as   49 ; there were some people   50  pitifully. ‘‘Who is dead in the White House?” I asked.
“The president，” was the answer.
“It’s   51 !”I said to myself and was surprised. How did he die?”
“He was killed by an assassinator (暗杀者)!” was the answer.
“ 52  came a loud burst of crying from the crowd，which woke me from my dream. I slept   53 that night, and although it was 54  a dream I have been rather angry about it   55 .”

B．late

C．quickly

D．early

After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed.
During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌萎缩症). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.
I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”
Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:
Dear Dick,
My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can.
I told you someday that I would go to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I will never get to do that. However, I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me.
Your friend,
Matthew
【小题1】The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that_______.

A．the boy never complained about how unlucky he was to have this disease

B．the boy never complained about not being able to go to school

C．the boy never complained why the author had never come to see him before

D．the boy never complained about not gettig a medal

【小题2】From the passage we learn that ________.

A．Matthew was an athlete

B．Matthew was an optimistic and determined boy

C．The author used to have the same disease as Matthew had

D．Matthew became a champion before he died

【小题3】Matthew didn’t accepted the author’s medal because .

A．he thought it was too expensive

B．he was sure that he could win one in the future

C．he thought it was of no use to him as he would die soon

D．he would not be pitied by others

【小题4】 What would be the best title for this passage?

A．A sick boy.	B．A special friend.
C．A real champion.	D．A famous athlete.

Today I was at the mall waiting for friends, when a lady wearing a knit hat and a sweater came up to me and, shivering, said, “I’m homeless. Would you mind buying me some food?”
In that split second, everything I’d learned since kindergarten flashed through my mind. Don’t talk to strangers … Be a good citizen … People will take advantage of you … Treat others as you wish to be treated … The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return … I guess love won the debate. “Sure,” I said. “What would you like?”
She thought and then said, “I’d like to get Chinese food.” We headed upstairs. On the way she told me about when she was a teenager. She remembers taking pictures for the yearbook with her best friend. She was in the band and played basketball. She got good grades and was a good student.
She ordered soup, an egg roll, white rice, and pepper chicken. I would normally think that was a lot, but she had probably barely eaten in the last few days. I got my usual – lo mein and General Tso’s chicken.
As we ate, we got to know each other. She asked if I played any instruments. I replied that I played the violin, cello, and guitar. She told me she played the flute, piano, guitar, and violin. In the middle of our meal, I realized something. And she thought of it at exactly the same time.
“So, what’s your name?” she asked.
“I’m Claire,” I said, startled at our exact same thought. “What’s yours?”
“Joyce,” she said with a smile.
We continued talking, and she asked my favorite subjects in school and if I wanted to go to college. “Hopefully,” I replied. “I’m interested in nursing.”
“I went to college for nursing,” she said.
I was taken aback. How could we have so much in common? Was she pretending so I’d feel sympathy for her? But her eyes were genuine as she said this.
Meanwhile I was eating my lo mein, picking around the cabbage and the other vegetables. Joyce said, “If you don’t like it you can take it back.” I told her that I liked it, but was not fond of the vegetables. She broke into a big grin. “You don’t like vegetables, huh? Neither did I. But now I do.” I immediately felt guilty. How could I be picking at my food across from someone who barely gets to eat at all?
I tried my best to finish, but she seemed to sense my guilt and said, “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.” How could she know what I was feeling? I told her the dish was my favorite, but I just eat slowly.
She replied, “I used to like lo mein, but pepper chicken was my dad’s favorite, so I get that now.” Noticing that she used the word “was,” I assumed her dad had passed away. I found it sweet that she gave up her favorite in order to honor her dad.
She asked why I was at the mall.
“I’m waiting for friends. We’re going to see ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’” I replied, stumbling over the words a bit.
“‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’” she echoed in awe. “What’s that about?” I realized that she didn’t see commercials for movies.
I explained the basic plot and she chuckled. “A man who is born 80 years old and ages backwards! That sounds interesting.”
She got up to get a to-go box. “Would you like one?” she asked, but I refused. I realized that this food would probably last her for a few days, and I was glad she had ordered a lot.
“Would you like these?” I asked, gesturing at the food I had left untouched. “Oh, no, thank you,” she said. “This is enough.” I got up to throw my tray away, feeling guilty about wasting so much.
“I need to meet my friends now,” I explained. “It was so nice to meet you, Joyce.”
“You too, Claire,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you.”
I headed to the theater, and she went back downstairs. It sounds like a perfect coincidence, but I can’t help but think that some force compelled us to meet. I kept puzzling, Why is Joyce homeless? It seems so unfair. She shouldn’t need people to buy her dinner. She was a nurse. She got good grades. She took pictures for her yearbook. She was the person I hope to be in the future. What went wrong? How could such a good life be rewarded with horrible luck?
I feel lucky to have run into Joyce. She changed my outlook. She is still a wonderful person, despite what the world has done to her. I wish her the best, and can only hope that the force that brought us together will help her find what she deserves in life.
【小题1】From the second paragraph we know that the writer _________.