I am a team leader in an insurance company.   We are going through a lot of changes right now which is __1__ much stress for all of us. A few weeks ago I was having a day so __2__ that I even doubted if I had the ability to do this challenging work, and was about ready to change to a less stressful job __3__. Something happened that day to change my way of __4__ and I am so appreciative of this young lady. I want to let her know that the small act __5__.

On the top of my cubicle(工作隔间)I have a small collection of lighthouses(灯塔)to let people know where I am sitting __6__ my team members have to find me for emergencies.

That day I came into the office and was about to get the day __7__ when Crystal came over. I asked if she needed anything. She said，“I __8__ you something.  I looked at her   ”with a __9__ look  and said，“Well，thank you, but why __10__ you buy me anything？”I had never spoke to this young lady __11__. She said，“Every day I stand up and look across the __12__ and see your light houses. Then I feel I am not alone and I encourage myself that there are always __13__ things in life. I saw this on the way to work and thought __14__ would like it. I wish it would have the same __15__ as your lighthouses do. ”In her hand she had a small globe with a lighthouse and a ship on it. I gave her a hug and __16__ her.   I don't think she knows how much that small act of __17__ changed my day：I remained __18__ the rest of the day.

For anyone that reads this，I hope you remember，no matter what the __19__ is，you could change someone's day, __20__ even his views on life.

1. A. preventing　B. reducing　C. causing　　D. suffering

2. A. funny      B. nice      C. bad       D. dull

3. A. everywhere  B. elsewhere  C. anywhere  D. nowhere

4. A. working     B. behaving  C. speaking  D. thinking

5. A. broke my heart   B. touched my heart

C. lost my heart     D. tore my heart

6. A. in case      B. so that  C. as if   D. even though

7. A. ended      B. started  C. changed   D. avoided

8. A. borrowed  B. lent  C. sold  D. bought

9. A. delighted  B. puzzled  C. thankful  D. worried

10. A. might  B. dare  C. could  D. would

11. A. before  B. then  C. since  D. after

12. A. dorm  B. office  C. ship  D. tower

13. A. bright       B. challenging

C. bad         D. stressful

14. A. colleagues  B. leaders  C. you  D. I

15. A. opinion  B. cause  C. expectation  D. effect

16. A. praised  B. thanked  C. scolded  D. refused

17. A. justice  B. courage  C. kindness  D. tolerance

18. A. careful      B. encouraged

C. tired         D. alone

19. A. present  B. work  C. gesture  D. intention

20. A. so       B. for  C. or      D. nor

I felt gloomy (沮丧的) the other day. The weather had been dark and rainy, and I just didn’t feel so   1  .

    As I was sitting at my desk, I   2   it was the birthday of a dear long-time friend — a single, middle-aged woman who has devoted the past 30 years to nursing and loves her   3  .

Knowing that she doesn’t have family in town, I   4  to give her a call. Sure enough, she was on B-shift,    5    to work late into the evening, and wouldn’t have  6     of a birthday this year. As always,    7   , she sounded cheerful and was happy that I   8   .

    After I hung up, I couldn’t   9   the feeling that she would really appreciate a little attention on her special day.    10    feeling a little gloomy myself, I tried to put it out of my mind, but as the day passed I couldn’t shake the thought. I   11   gave in, and that evening set off to the hospital with a card, a cheese cake, and some balloons. My friend’s grateful smile and joyful surprise   12   me I’d done the right thing and were a generous   13   for the little effort it had taken.

    When I got home, I realized that not only had I cheered up a   14   friend on her birthday, but my own gloomy feelings had also disappeared. Making her day had   15    my own!

Isn’t that the way it is   16   we take the time and make the   17   to do something for someone else? It’s like the little saying, “Loving kindness is twice blessed; it blesses him who gives, and him who   18   .”

    Cheering up people on their birthdays isn’t the only thing we can do to make their day. Life constantly presents us with   19   to take an extra step or do a kind deed that will make a difference to   20   . And the wonderful thing is that as we do, it changes things for the better for us too.

1. A. special           B. positive         C. nervous          D. proud

2. A. explained     B. complained           C. remembered       D. informed

3. A. family            B. training         C. work             D. school

4. A. decided       B. continued            C. agreed               D. refused

5. A. surprised     B. disappointed     C. bored                D. prepared

6. A. much          B. many             C. little               D. few

7. A. though            B. besides          C. therefore            D. otherwise

8. A. admitted      B. called               C. succeeded            D. apologized

9. A. experience        B. imagine          C. shake                D. understand

10. A. Almost           B. Even             C. Never                D. Still

11. A. luckily          B. finally              C. unhappily            D. hardly

12. A. convinced        B. advised          C. promised         D. reminded

13. A. response     B. contribution     C. reward               D. share

14. A. careless     B. lonely               C. weak             D. curious

15. A. troubled     B. taken                C. wasted               D. made

16. A. when         B. where                C. why              D. how

17. A. suggestion       B. friend               C. effort               D. call

18. A. tries            B. receives         C. expects          D. cares

19. A. opportunities    B. dreams           C. choices          D. regrets

20.A. someone       B. something            C. everyone         D. Everything

I woke up the other day to find that 10 inches of freshly fallen snow was waiting for me outside my door. The flakes were still __36__ heavily too. I didn’t want my little dogs __37__ in it, so I reluctantly __38__ on my heavy coat and grabbed the snow shovel to make a __39__. I had only gotten a bit done, however, _40_ the handle of my old snow shovel __41__ with a “snap”. Laughing and shaking my head, I _42_ to wait out the storm for a while.
It was late in the afternoon when the snow finally __43__ and I trudged(跋涉) over to my Dad’s house to borrow his shovel and _44__ again. By then the 10 inches of snow had turned into a foot and a half. I started out slow setting a steady __45__ and stopping to rest whenever my back started to ache. After a while, though, the __46__ finally broke and the sun peeked out to __47__ me on. The work seemed a lot easier then even though it was still __48__. I even sang a few Christmas carols and __49__ while I cleared out the drives, cleaned off the cars, and shoveled out the paths. After an hour of hard work the job was finally done. _50_, I let the child that still lives __51__ of me fall back into the snow and _52_ a snow angel for the angels in Heaven to see. It felt good walking back to my house after a job well done. It felt even better _53__ around at this wonderful world of white.
I don’t know why life sometimes gives us spring days and sometimes dumps a ton of snow in us. I do know, __54_, that we can pray, laugh, love, and choose _55__ through it all.

I truly learned what a best friend is in my first year in high school. Kate and I were good friends and we were inseparable. We spent every day together and always had a good   36  .
Then basketball started and we were on the  37   team. After a few games,  38   , Kate got moved up to the Rose Cup full-time. I wouldn't admit it then, but actually I envied（嫉妒） her. Having  39  practice times, we started to see less of each other. Soon I started to hear that she was talking   40  my back.
One night, I called Kate to tell her about my new   41  .To my   42  , the next day at school she told everyone I   43    her style because she had told me she wanted to get hers cut like this. At noon she handed me a letter and walked away   44     talking with me. I couldn't accept the   45  words on the paper. In great __46__ , I wrote right back to her.
Over the next week, we exchange（交换） more  47   notes. I cried myself to sleep every night,   48     our friendship was over. One night my mom took me to Kate's home. Our moms looked at each other  49 . Kate's mom asked us questions but __50 _ of us responded(反应) .At last I let everything out. The huge burden in my mind was slowly lifted as we each talked about ___51____ we were feeling. It was all out. Suddenly Kate  52  from her seat, crossed the room and hugged me with tears. I will never forget that.
It has been five months  53  we broke with each other. Last weekend we were out together again. It makes me happy that we are  54   to care about each other more. I now know that  55 I am asked about my friends, Kate will be at the top of the list.
【小题1】  

A．joy

B．surprise

C．pleasure

D．sorrow

I grew up poor – living with six brothers, my father and a wonderful mother．We had   26  money and few worldly goods, but plenty of love and attention．I was   27   and energetic．I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could   28   afford a dream．
My dream was to be a   29 ．When I was sixteen, I could crush a baseball, throw a ninety – mile – per – hour fastball．I was also   30  : my high – school coach was Ollie Jarvis, who   31  me the difference between having a dream and showing strong belief．One particular   32  with him changed my life forever．
It was a summer and a friend recommended me for a summer 33 ．This meant a chance for my first income – cash for a new bike and new clothes, and the   34  of savings for a house for my mother．The opportunity was attracting, and I wanted to   35   at it．
Then I realized I would have to   36   summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing．I was   37   about this．
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as  38  as I expected him to be．“You have your whole life to work,” he said．“Your   39  days are limited．You can’t afford to waste them．”
I stood before him with my head   40  , trying to think of how to explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth  41   his disappointment in me．
“How much are you going to make at this job?” he demanded．
“$ 3．25 an hour,” I replied．
“Well, is $ 3．25 an hour the price of a   42  ?” he asked．
That   43  laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal．I devoted myself to   44   that summer, and within the year I was offered a $ 20,000 contract．I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $ 1．7 million, and bought my mother the   45  of my dreams．