When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim had great difficulty in school. He was classified as educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.

Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you.”

        I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.

       When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., your angry feelings won’t amount to much. 

        I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye.” He gave me something to treasure forever. 

       If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care. 

According to the passage, we know that ________. 

A. Jim kept to himself

B. Jim did very well in his studies

C. Jim’s parents were patient with him

D. Jim failed to finish his high school.

The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 means _________.

A. annoying  B. aggressive   C. impatient    D. thrilling

By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the mother intends to ______________.

A. mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident

B. remind people to be cautious of motorcycles

C. advise people to take the chance to express their love in time

D. appreciate more of life than ever before

What can be the best title of the passage?

A. Love your Family             B. Do it Today

C. Walk with Pride              D. Appreciate Smiles

A Shelter for the Homeless
Last summer I was a volunteer (志愿者) at a shelter for the homeless, a place for homeless people to sleep at night. I wasn’t working that summer and was  36  only two classes in summer school, so I had some  37  time.
Three nights a week, I  38  in the kitchen of the shelter along with four other volunteers. We planned and  39  for 45 people hot meals  40  vegetables, chicken, fish and fruit. The homeless people  41  this good food because many of them usually didn’t eat well.
I  42  this volunteer work, making  43  with the four volunteers in the kitchen. One was a very nice elderly housewife, one a movie actor, another a young teacher, and the other a college student,   44  me.
I talked to a lot of the homeless people at the shelter. Their life stories  45  me with sympathy (同情). Some of them had  46  with alcohol (酒) or drugs while others only had bad  47 . One woman worked for almost 30 years for a small company, and  48  she lost her job. She looked for a  49  job,but couldn’t find one, for she was too  50  . She could do nothing but sell her furniture — sofas, chairs, and tables  51  she could pay for her food.The woman  52  on job hunting, but she 53 couldn’t find one.She had no money for her  54  and had to sleep in her car. Then she had to sell her car. Alone,   55  , and homeless, she finally came to the shelter.

【小题1】
A.studyingB.planningC.holdingD.taking
【小题2】
A.fullB.freeC.extraD.long
【小题3】
A.helpedB.waitedC.appearedD.washed
【小题4】
A.orderedB.boughtC.cookedD.finished
【小题5】
A.withB.fromC.byD.in
【小题6】
A.demandedB.neededC.collectedD.requested
【小题7】
A.wantedB.hadC.ownedD.enjoyed
【小题8】
A.decisionsB.wishesC.friendsD.changes
【小题9】
A.asB.likeC.exceptD.besides
【小题10】
A.struckB.filledC.seizedD.provided
【小题11】
A.habitsB.worriesC.difficultiesD.problems
【小题12】
A.luckB.painC.experienceD.loss
【小题13】
A.soB.againC.thenD.thus
【小题14】
A.goodB.freshC.skilledD.new
【小题15】
A.oldB.poorC.sickD.dull
【小题16】
A.ifB.becauseC.so thatD.in case
【小题17】
A.wentB.movedC.cameD.worked
【小题18】
A.alsoB.stillC.almostD.even
【小题19】
A.blockB.cottageC.buildingD.flat
【小题20】
A.afraidB.shyC.shockedD.mad

A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished, gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said,“You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide.” “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his words. “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t request you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘You don’t say’?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really’. It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.”
Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.
【小题1】A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because_________.

A.English idioms were not important
B.I had no interest in English learning
C.my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance of them
D.I cared little about the teacher’s instruction
【小题2】At first, on hearing “You don’t say”, I thought the foreigner meant_________.
A.I had talked too much
B.he was only interested in the Great Wall
C.he was not interested in the topic
D.I had to stop talking
【小题3】The underlined word “amusing” in paragraph 1 means_________.
A.funnyB.importantC.luckyD.terrible
【小题4】After the Englishman explained the idiom, _________.
A.I thought the Englishman had made me a fool
B.the Englishman became a real fool
C.I felt very silly
D.I became more careful in everything
【小题5】Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.The Englishman left china without seeing the Great Wall.
B.The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.
C.The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.
D.The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting.

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