I won’t forget her advice
I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago. Her husband died of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insights（见解）with us.
The class was nearly over. She said, “Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you an important thought.”
“Each of us is put here on Earth to learn, share, love, enjoy and give all by ourselves. We must make the best of every single day.”
Her eyes were beginning to water and she went on, “So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn’t have to be something you see — it could be a nice smell — perhaps of freshly baked bread, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly blowing the leaves in the trees.”
“Please look for these things, and love them. For, although it may seem common, these things are the stuff（素材）of life. They are the little things we are put here on Earth to enjoy. They are the things we often take for granted. We must make it a point to notice them, for at any time it can all be taken away.”
The class was completely quiet. We picked up our books and went out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole term.
I usually think of that teacher and try to enjoy all of those things that we sometimes overlook (忽略).
Take notice of something special you see during your lunch hour today. Walk barefoot along the beach at sunset. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we regret（后悔）, but the things we didn’t do.
【小题1】What happened to the teacher’s husband?

In 2013, China chose “中国梦,”which means “Chinese dream,” as the Character of the Year to symbolize the overall feeling of the past 366 days. It’s easy to see why the word “dream” would be chosen as so many Chinese dreams have been recently realized: space exploration, a China-made aircraft carrier and a Nobel Prize-winning author.

Finishing national dreams makes us proud, but realizing personal dreams makes us worthy in our own eyes. Though the media would try to convince you, there is no set of “approved” dreams that we should all go after. Some may strive for money, fame and power, but others have more humble dreams that are just as important: learn English, study abroad, achieve inner peace, and be of service to humanity. It’s normal for people to create lofty New Year’s resolutions and just as normal to start strong and give up a few weeks later on our goals. How do we make sure that we achieve our dreams? Make your resolutions SMART and they’ll come true.
S — specific, detailed goals are easier to accomplish.
M— measurable goals enable you to complete a fixed amount of something.
A— achievable goals are possible, not ones that would take magic or miracles to accomplish.
R— relevant goals are meaningful to you.
T— time bound goals have an ending date. They’re not infinite. You know when you’re done.
Trip Bethel, a local college professor suggests that all goals should be positive and future-focused. “You can’t make a goal about being perfect. You’ll always disappoint yourself. But you can make a goal about perfecting your process. Then, you’re always on the way to a better life.”
Trip says many people write endless lists, but he just writes his resolutions once. He states them simply on a piece of paper and then puts the paper away for a year. “Often, when I look at the paper a year later, I’ve accomplished everything, or gotten close. There is something about writing things down that makes goals real and the opportunities to achieve them will come into your life.”
【小题1】In 2013, China chose “__________” as the Character of the Year?

根据短文内容，用方框中所给单词的适当形式填空。每词限用一次。

On my way home I knocked into a stranger as he passed by. “Oh. I'm terribly sorry,” I said. “That’s all right. Please excuse me too. I wasn't even  15  you. I wish I didn’t hurt you,” said the man.
We were very    16  . We said good-bye and went on our way.
But at home we often    17   our loved ones in a different way.
Later that day, while I was cooking the evening meal, my daughter stood beside me very quietly. When I turned around, I nearly    18  her down. “Move out of the way, ” I shouted. She walked away, tears（眼泪）in her eyes.
While I lay awake in bed, I realized how   19   I’d spoken. So I decided to get up to say sorry to my daughter. On the way to her bedroom, to my surprise, I found some   20  by the door of the kitchen. At that time my tears began to fall. I quietly went and got down on my knees by her   21 . She woke up and put her arms around my neck when I kissed（接吻）her. Then I asked, “Did you pick these flowers for me?”
She smiled and said, “I found them out by the tree. I picked them   22    they're pretty like you. I knew you’d like them. I stood quietly in order to give you a surprise.” “Oh dear, I'm really sorry for the way I acted today. I shouldn’t have shouted at you,” I said.
“That’s OK, Mom. I   23   you anyway,” she said.
I suddenly realized what a clever way it is to explain the word   24   like this: Father And Mother, I Love You!

Mr. Johnson lives outside the town. He works in a post office. His wife is often ill and six children __26____ at school. He works hard but he is often short of __27____. In the end of every month his family are always__28____.

One afternoon, on his way home, it suddenly began to __29____. When he got home, he was wet through. He hurried to go __30____ after supper and his wife washed the clothes and shoes for him. __31____ she went to bed, she brought the clothes into the room but __32____ the shoes. The next morning Mr. Johnson couldn’t find his shoes. His wife found a pair of __33____ shoes under the bed for him. Then he went to __34____ and told the policeman about it.

“I __35____ ten dollars for my shoes, sir,” said the man. “Look! I have to __36____ such a pair of worn-out shoes!”

Several days later the police __37____ a thief and found the shoes. They were as worn-out as the __38____ which Mr. Johnson was wearing.

“You’ve fooled us, Mr. Johnson,” said a policeman. “The shopkeeper told me a pair of new shoes like them __39____ only seven dollars!”

“You’re right, ,sir,” said Mr. Johnson. “I’ve __40____ them for five years and I had them mended six times. And I paid three dollars to the shoemaker for mending them!”