Although I love my life, it hasn’t been a lot of fun as I’ve been ill for 28 years.

Music has always been a great love of mine and, in my 20s, when my ? ?  was more manageable , I ? ?? ten years as a professional singer in restaurants, playing and singing folk songs. ? ??   it was years ago and times have changed. ? ?  I live with mother on a country farm.

Two years ago, I decided that I would need to have some kind of extra work to make up for my disability pension (残疾抚恤金). ? ?  I needed to sleep in the afternoons, I was limited(限制) in my choices. I decided that I would consider ? ?  to singing in restaurants.

My family are all musicians, so I was ? ?  when I went into our local music store. I explained that I wanted to sing again but using recorded karaoke music. I knew that discs were very expensive and I really didn’t have a lot of ? ?   to get started. And often you find only three to four songs out of ten on a disc that you can ? ? use.

When I told the owner of the shop about my ? ? , he gave me a long thoughtful        . “This means a lot to you, doesn’t it?” he said. “Come with me.”

He led me ? ?  the crowded shop and to a bench with a large professional karaoke box on it. He placed his large hand ? ? on his treasure(财宝) and said, “I have 800 karaoke songs in here. You can take your pick and I’ll record them for you. That should get you started.”

I could have cried. Thanking him, I made a time with him to listen to all the songs and choose    ?  that I could sing. I have come full circle with his help.

His     still warms my heart and makes me do just that bit extra, when I have the chance.

1.A. loneliness  ????????????? B. sadness          ? C. tiredness            D. sickness

2.A. set       ????????????? ??? B. enjoyed??? ????????????? C. kept    ????????????? ??? D. shared

3.A. Gladly           ????????????? B. Finally        ?? C. Unfortunately    D. Surprisingly

4.A. Now             B. Then??  ????? C. Sometime          ????????????? D. Meanwhile

5.A. If                   ????????????? B. As         ????????????? ??? C. Though        ????????????? D. Before

6.A. reaching out    B. living up     ????????????? C. getting on????????????? ??? D. going back

7.A. recognized    B. interviewed   ????????????? C. found      ????????????? ??? D. invited

8.A. money          ????????????? B. time          ? ????????????? C. energy            ????????????? D. knowledge

9.A. actually       ????????????? B. hardly            ????????????? C. nearly         ????????????? D. mainly

10.A. job                B. family                C. idea             ????????????? D. offer

11.A. face        ????????????? B. view             ????????????? C. look                 ????????????? D. sight

12.A. over              ????????????? B. along               ????????????? C. towards            ????????????? D. through

13.A. unhappily     B. lovingly     ????????????? ??? C. pitifully         ????????????? D. gratefully

14.A. more        ????????????? B. the ones    ???? C. few            ????????????? D. the rest

15.A. courage         B happiness            C. kindness       ????????????? D. trust 

Yesterday my grandfather told me about his early days.        he left school, he found a job in a post office. He worked hard there. Soon he had more money than his friends because of his hard work. It seemed that he would have a        future.

When he was 25 years old, however, he began to be        his job. He wanted a more exciting one, so he left the post office. Two months       , he found a new job in a big       . Workers in this company        traveled a lot. At first he really enjoyed the traveling. But after a year, he began to        it. He had to move around and he was always in a car or on a train. The        thing was that he couldn’t make any new friends. Even so, his boss was not satisfied with him. Two years later he        the company.

He was so        at that time that he sold his house. He had to accept a part-time job in a         shop. He was surprised to find that he loved it! He made new friends every day and he        reading books. Three years later, he        the shop owner's daughter. Soon they had their first child. In the next ten years, they had another three        and four more book shops! He became very rich indeed.

“Life is wonderful,” he told me. “The most        thing is that you should always try your best. Never give up!”

1.A. While                           B. When                     C. Until                                 D. If

2.A. bad                         B. bright                       C. coming                            D. interesting

3.A. tired of                         B. crazy about                      C. interested in          D. afraid of

4.A. ago                          B. before                     C. later                                 D. afterwards

5.A. factory                          B. shop                                  C. school                               D. company

6.A. hardly                          B. usually                             C. seldom                            D. never

7.A. like                           B. prefer                                C. hate                                  D. practise

8.A. worst                   B. happiest                           C. best                                   D. strangest

9.A. reached                        B. called                                C. left                                    D. started

10.A. happy                        B. energetic                       C. rich                                 D. poor

11.A. cloth                           B. fruit                                 C. book                      D. dress

12.A. enjoyed                B. finished                    C. began                               D. forgot

13.A. married                    B. knew                     C. met                                 D. visited

14.A. sisters                        B. brothers                      C. cousins                            D. children

15.A. difficult             B. important                         C. amazing                            D. Boring

My friends and I had just finished lunch at a hotel when it started to rain heavily. When it became lighter, I decided to get my   1  which was parked at my office three streets away.

My friends   2  that I shouldn’t go, mainly because I was seven months pregnant (怀孕的) then. I promised that I’d be very   3 . One of them wanted to come with me but I insisted that she stayed with another friend who needed help   4  her baby.

I walked out of the hotel and started making my way to the car. At the crossing, a van stopped and a man came out with an umbrella. Before I knew what was happening, he walked right   5  me and told me he’d escort (护送) me. Although I refused, he insisted that he would.

During our walk, he kept telling me to walk slower, as the ground was   6 . When we got to the car-park, I thanked him and he went away. I did not get his name and can   7  recognize (认出) him now. Did he stop for me? I’ll never know.

So how did I pay it forward? I was at home when I noticed two Indian workers   8  in the heavy rain. They were probably on their way to the working place near my home. I went out and passed them my   9 , telling them they should take and keep it. They were surprised by my action. They were very grateful to me, probably   10  why a stranger was offering such kindness. I was so relaxed and happy that day.

1.                A．money         B．bag            C．car  D．raincoat

2.                A．argued         B．received        C．calmed   D．disliked

3.                A．brave          B．careful         C．proud    D．helpful

4.                A．for            B．about          C．with D．on

5.                A．through        B．past            C．below    D．beside

6.                A．wet            B．dry            C．tough    D．crowded

7.                A．often          B．even           C．hardly    D．nearly

8.                A．fighting         B．playing         C．working  D．walking

9.                A．umbrella        B．coat           C．love D．kindness

10.               A．trained         B．wondered      C．talked D．refused

There are many kinds of heroes. Even animals can be heroes. This passage tells about three amazing animals. Each one is a hero!
Thumper, the Dog

Thumper was a dog that lived with a family which had a three-year-old son named Benjamin. One day Benjamin wandered(闲逛) into a large field. The grass in the field was taller than he was, so he could not find his way out. Hundreds of people began to search for Benjamin. When they found him, they saw Thumper stayed with Benjamin and kept him warm. So Benjamin had stayed safe.
Lulu, the Pig

The Altsmans had a pet pig named Lulu. One summer the couple went camping and took Lulu with them. The husband went fishing one morning. The wife didn’t feel well, so she and Lulu stayed in the camper. Suddenly Mrs. Altsman fell to the floor. Lulu pushed the camper door open and climbed out for help. When a car came by, she lay down in front of it. When the driver got out, Lulu led him back to the camper. The man called for help and Mrs. Altsman was taken to hospital.
Sugar, the Cat

Sugar was a beautiful cat. Three years ago she wandered onto the Woods’ farm in California and Mrs. Woods began feeding her. Mrs. Woods noticed something wrong with the cat’s left leg, but this didn’t make Sugar any less special. Mrs. Woods loved Sugar. Later the couple moved to a new farm in Oklahoma. They gave Sugar to a neighbor who would take good care of her, because they knew she wouldn’t like riding in cars for days. However, Sugar walked across deserts and mountains and traveled more than 1,500 miles to the Woods’ new farm! Mr. and Mrs. Woods could hardly believe their eyes. No one knows how Sugar found her way to Oklahoma.
【小题1】How did Thumper help Benjamin?