完形填空

　　Every year on my birthday, a white gardenia(栀子花)was 　　1　　 to my house．But no card or note came with it．Calls to the flower shop were always 　　2　　－it was a cash purchase．After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender's identity and just 　　3　　 in the beauty and heady perfume of that one magical, perfect white flower lying in soft pink paper．

　　But I never stopped 　　4　　 who the giver might be．My mother 　　5　　 to these imaginations．She asked me if there was someone for whom I had done a special kindness who might be showing 　　6　　．I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I fell in love with or one who had 　　7　　 me even though I didn't know him．

　　One month before my high-school graduation, my father died．My feelings 　　8　　 from sorrow to fear and 　　9　　：my dad was missing some of the most important events in my life．I became completely 　　10　　 in my coming graduation, the senior-class play and the ball．But my mother would not hear of my losing any of those things．Mother and I had gone shopping and found an impressive dress, but it was the 　　11　　 size．When my father died, I forgot about the dress．

　　The day before my ball, I found that dress－in the right size－hanging over the living room sofa．It was 　　12　　 to me so lovingly．I didn't 　　13　　 if I had a new dress or not．But my mother did．She wanted her children to feel 　　14　　, filled with a sense that there was a beauty even in the face of 　　15　　．

　　My mother died ten days after I was married．The following year the gardenia stopped coming．

完形填空

　　A young man who was very poor was traveling across the country, trying to make a new start for himself．Along the way he had completely run out of 　　1　　 and was forced to spend the night in his car．

　　This continued until one 　　2　　, after a week of sleeping in his car, he walked nervously into a 　　3　　 and ordered a big meal．　　4　　 eating his first good meal in weeks, he found himself 　　5　　 to the waiter, telling him he had lost his 　　6　　．The waiter, who was also the owner, walked behind the chair where the young man had been 　　7　　．

　　He bent down and came up with a ＄20 bill which looked 　　8　　 it had fallen on the floor．“Son, you must have 　　9　　 this,”the owner said．The young man couldn't 　　10　　 his luck!He 　　11　　 paid for the breakfast, left a tip, bought gas with the change, and 　　12　　 away．

　　On the way out of town, he thought to himself,“Maybe 　　13　　 dropped the money at all．Maybe the 　　14　　 just knew I was in trouble and he helped me in a way that didn't 　　15　　 me．I really need to thank him．And also I should 　　16　　 from him．Oh, Lord, if you put me in a position to help other people, I will 　　17　　 it．”

　　Now the man lives near Kansas City．Each year he 　　18　　 thousands of dollars．He is known as the“Secret Santa”, 　　19　　 at Christmas time each year, he personally hands money out to those in 　　20　　 on the street and at restaurants．In 2007, he gave more than ＄50, 000 away in Kansas City and New York City．

完形填空

　　One night I was sitting in my kitchen half-listening as my 15-year-old brother Tommy antagonized(招惹)my 12-year-old brother Kevin．I didn’t pay attention when Kevin 　　1　　 up the stairs with the hurt on his face．

　　About 20 minutes later, I heard Kevin crying inside the 　　2　　．I knocked on the door and asked, “Hey, Kev, do you want a talk?” No response．So, I grabbed some index(索引)cards and a pencil and wrote, “If you don’t want to 　　3　　, we can write notes to each other．”

　　An hour later I was still 　　4　　 on the floor outside the bathroom with two piles of index cards in front of me．One was 　　5　　 and one was cards from Kevin on which he had translated all his unpleasant feelings into words．　　6　　 I read one Kevin’s notes, tears came to my eyes．It said,“　　7　　 in this family cares about me．I’m not the youngest, and I’m not the oldest, and I’m not 　　8　　．Tommy thinks I can do nothing and Dad 　　9　　 he had the other Kevin as a(n)　　10　　 because he’s better at basketball．And you’re never around to even 　　1　　 me．”

　　It was 　　12　　 what he had said about me．I wrote back “I really do love you and I’m 　　13　　 I don’t always show it．I am here for you and you are 　　14　　 in this family．”

　　There was no 　　15　　 for a while, but then I heard a 　　16　　 sound coming from inside the bathroom．Kevin, who had 　　17　　 cards wrote on a torn-up paper cup, “Thanks．”

　　Since then, I try my best to never 　　18　　 half-notice my family members anymore．Kevin and I have a closer 　　19　　 now, and sometimes when one of us notices that the other is 　　20　　, we’ll smile and say “Write it on a paper cup．”