A terrible earthquake happened in Wenchuan on May 12, 2008. 42 people lost their lives and homes. During those days, we could hear a lot of stories about 43. Here is 44 of them. After the earthquake, under a fallen building, some soldiers found that a 45 died in a very strange way. When they were ready to take her away, they were surprised to find that a baby in her arms was still 46. The baby was sleeping and 47 hurt(受伤) at all. Between the dead mother _48 the living baby, there was a cellphone (手机) with a short 49 on the screen, “My dear baby, if you can survive (幸存) , remember that I love you.” Everybody 50 when they read these words.
Besides this story, many other stories also moved (感动) us deeply. 51 these stories, we learn more about love.
You’re lucky if you’re loved by others. You’re great if you love others when you’re in danger.

After my husband died, my world crashed around me. My six children were ten, nine, eight, six, three and 18 months, and I was overwhelmed(不知所措的) with the responsibilities of earning a living, caring for the children and simply keeping my head above water.
I was lucky to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week, but from Friday nights to Monday mornings, the children and I were alone, and frankly(坦诚地) I was uneasy. Every unusual noise or any late-night phone call filled me with fear. I felt really alone.
One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd(牧羊犬) on our doorstep. It was obvious he wanted to make the house his home. The children took an instant liking to “German” and asked me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement(地下室) until the next day. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks.
The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner, but with no results. Saturday night he was still with us. 
On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case(以免) his owner came by, we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas at a local station, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. He stayed again Sunday night.  
Monday morning I let him out for a run while the children got ready for school. He didn’t come back. We thought we’d never see him again. On Friday evening, German was back again. We took him in, and again he stayed until Monday morning, when our housekeeper arrived. It went like this for almost 10 months. We looked forward to his coming. Each Monday morning he left home.
Each week, between German's visits, I grew a little braver, but every weekend I enjoyed being with him . Then one Monday morning we patted his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back. We never saw or heard from German again. I think of him often. He came when I needed him the most and stayed until I was strong enough to go on alone. I believe German was sent because he was needed, and because no matter how abandoned(被放弃的) and alone we feel, somehow, somewhere, someone knows and cares. We are never really alone.
【小题1】What does the underlined part “keeping my head above water” in the first paragraph mean?

A man died and was on his way to another world, either heaven (天堂) or hell (地狱). He saw an extremely grand palace half way and the owner of the palace asked him to stay and live in the palace.
The man said, “I have been working hard during my life and now I just want to eat and sleep without any work.”
The owner of the palace said, “If so, there is nowhere else better than here for you. There is plenty of seafood and delicacies (美味佳肴) in my palace, and you can eat whatever you like without anyone stopping you. And nothing needs to be done by you.” Then, the man settled down (安定) in the palace.
At the beginning, the man felt very happy at the cycle of eating and sleeping. But gradually, he felt a bit lonely and void. So he went to the palace owner and said, “It is very bored to live by just eating and sleeping every day. Now I show no interest in this kind of life any more. Could you help me find a job?”
The owner replied, “Sorry, there is no job here at all.”
After another several months, the man could not go on with the life and went to the palace owner again, “I really can not stand this kind of life any more. If you do not offer me a job, I would prefer to go to hell instead of living here.”
The owner of the palace smiled contemptuously (蔑视地), “Do you think it is heaven here? It is actually hell!”
根据短文内容，选择最佳选项。（10分）
【小题1】The man saw a really grand palace ______.