My husband Jeff and I moved into our new home in Scottsbluff last year just before Christmas. I did not have the 1 or energy to carry out my traditional Christmas decorating and baking activities. What was the point, anyway? It was going to be a 2 Christmas after all.

__3__, the neighborly nature of west Nebraska residents started to trickle (陆续来临) in.

There was a 4 on the door one evening. It was Jeff’s new colleague, John Smith, and his wife, Phyllis. The Smiths had stopped by to 5 us to town with a loaf of homemade bread. They pointed out a 6 on the porch (门廊). Apparently the doorbell wasn’t working in the cold snowy weather and we had 7 a visit from the Browns, our across-the-street neighbors, who brought us a Christmas card and more Christmas cookies.

The 8 feelings brought by these thoughtful gestures lasted longer than the food.

As Jeff and I were clearing pre-Christmas 9 from our driveway, Ernie Guzman came over from next door to 10 us to dig out.

Then, we received an invitation to 11 a Christmas Eve meal with our neighbors, Ernie and Nancy Sommer, and their 12 — a 90-year-old lady, who also had no family in the immediate area with whom to spend the holiday.

Our Christmas Eve was quite merry, thanks to our 13 . Our Christmas morning 14 was special, thanks to the Smiths’ gift of bread. I was so 15 for these gestures of welcome, especially during the holidays.

This year, we were again unable to be with our families for Christmas. The 16 and work schedules just made things too difficult. 17 that sense of Christmas isolation (孤立) all too well, we decided to try to round up some other folks who were 18 in the holidays.

Lonely people are all around us, but most of us 19 notice them. Just take a look around you. Sometimes, the smallest 20 gesture can make a world of difference.

1. A. chance　　　　　　 B. time　　　　　　 C. anxiety　　　　 D. ability

2. A. merry　　　　　　 B. free　　　　　　 C. lonely　　　　　 D. usual

3. A. Therefore　　　　　 B. Meanwhile　　　 C. Somehow　　　 D. However

4. A. card 　　　　　　 B. sign　　　　　　 C. knock　　　　　 D. note

5. A. welcome　　　　　 B. invite　　　　　　 C. drive　　　　　 D. send

6. A. tree　　　　　　　 B. package　　　　　 C. mail　　　　　　 D. flower

7. A. forgot　　　　　　 B. arranged　　　　 　C. received　　　　 D. missed

8. A. deep　　　　　　 B. true　　　　　　　 C. warm　　　　　 D. mixed

9. A. snow　　　　　　 B. rubbish　　　　　 C. dust　　　　　 D. leaves

10. A. teach　　　　　　 B. help　　　　　　　 C. urge　　　　　 D. forbid

11. A. share　　　　　　 B. prepare　　　　　 C. taste　　　　　 D. exchange

12. A. aunt　　　　　　 B. guest　　　　　　 C. maid　　　　　 D. partner

13. A. folks　　　　　　 B. relatives　　　　　 C. colleagues　　 D. neighbors

14. A. call　　　　 　　B. greeting　　　　　 C. breakfast　　　 D. meeting

15. A. sorry　　　　　　 B. eager　　　　　　 C. ready　　　　　 D. grateful

16. A. distance　　　　 B. expense　　　　　 C. season　　　　　 D. situation

17. A. Studying　　　　 B. Showing　　 　　C. Knowing　　　　 D. Discovering

18. A. alone　　　　　 B. busy　　　　　　 C. happy　　　　　 D. active

19. A. always　　　　　 B. seldom　　　　　　 C. finally　　　　　 D. usually

20. A. careful　　　　　 B. patient　　　　　　 C. vague　　　　 　D. kind

A Day of Design
Sunday, June 17,2010
9 a. m. ~ 4 p. m.
Thomas College Student Center
Join us for a free day of fun! A Day of Design will encourage those interested in flowers and design to get in touch with their creative side and get some tips from the experts – Jeff and Scott. Pleas see the schedule below for details about this wonderful opportunity!
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Registration (登记) for the day runs from 9 a.m. in the Student Center. Later guests will take a tour of the Thomas College campus before the day’s events.
10:30 a. m. ~ 12:00 p. m.
Jeff and Scott will design more than a dozen arrangements in a variety of sizes and colors and auction (拍卖) will be held and guests will have the opportunity to bid on the flower arrangements.
12:00 p. m. ~ 1:00 p. m.
A delightful boxed lunch will be served. During the lunch hour, Jeff and Scott will create a centerpiece for the holiday table and give tips for creating a beautiful centerpiece using things found in the home.
3:00 p. m. ~ 4:00 p. m.
A fitting way to end the day – guests are invited to enjoy a wine and cheese party. Jeff and Scott will be available to answer questions or just talk about flowers!
There is no charge for this event.
REGISTER NOW!
Space is limited to 45 guests.
64．What are guests supposed to do from 9:00 a. m. to 10:30 a. m.?
A．To design flower arrangements.    
B．To enjoy a wine and cheese party.
C．To learn how to create a centerpiece.    
D．To take a tour of the Thomas College campus. 
65．When will an auction be held?
A．9:00 a.m. ~ 10:30 a.m.   B．10:30 a.m. ~ 12:00 p.m.
C．1:00 p.m. ~ 3:00 p. m.    D．3:00 p. m. ~ 4:00 p. m.
66．The underlined word “centerpiece” is probably         .
A．a photo on the wall                       B．a picture that has been drawn
C．a decoration for the center of a table           D．a flower that is carved out of stone
67．We can learn from the passage that A Day of Design         .
A．lasts for eight hours                      B．is free of charge
C．is held annually in July                    D．is aimed at fashion designers

I'd been travelling for long hours on a lonely country road when I had a flat tire. So I had to stop and get the tools to  51 the problem. It certainly wasn’t  52 doing this with a white shirt and suit on.
Nightfall was approaching. Suddenly a car pulled  53 from behind me. A man got out and offered to  54 me. Seeing his unpleasant appearance and tattoos（纹身）on his arm, I became  55 as thoughts of robberies flashed through my mind. But  56 I could say anything he had already begun to take the tools to change the  57 . While watching him I happened to look back at his car and noticed someone sitting in the passenger seat. This had  58 me.
Then, without  59 , it began to rain. He suggested that I wait in his car because my car was unsafe. As the rain increased, getting us wet within seconds, I  60 agreed. When I settle into the back seat, a woman’s voice came from the front seat. “Are you all right?” She turned around to me. “Yes, I am.’’ I replied with much  61 when seeing an old woman there. It must be his Mom, I thought. To my  62 , the old woman was a neighbor of the man who was helping me. “Jeff insisted on stopping when he saw you  63 with the tire. ”“I am grateful for his help, ” I said. “Me, too!” she said with a smile. He helped drive her to see her husband twice a week in a nursing home. She also said that he  64 at the church and tutored disadvantaged students.
The rain stopped and Jeff and I changed me tire. I tried to offer him money and of course he  65 it. It was shameful that I judged people by the way they  66 . As we shook hands I began to apologize for my  67 . He said, ‘‘I experience that same  68 often. People who look like me don’t do nice things. I  69 thought about changing the way. But then I saw this as a chance to make a  70 . So I’ll leave you with the same question I ask everyone who takes time to know me. If Jesus returned tomorrow and walked among us again, would you recognize Him by what He wore or by what He did?’’

A Day of Design

Saturday, April 11, 2009

9 a．m．—4 p．m．

Thomas College Student Center

Join us for a free day of fun, flowers and food! A Day of Design will encourage those interested in flowers and design to get in touch with their creative side and get some tips from the experts—Jeff Karter and Scott O’Brien of Augusta Florist and Waterville Florist．Please see the schedule below for details about this wonderful opportunity!

Schedule of Events

9:00 a．m．—10:30 a．m． Registration/Campus Tour

Registration for the day begins at 9 a．m．in the Student Center．Guests will meet there to register and take a tour of the Thomas College campus before the day’s events．

10:30 a．m．—12:00 p．m． Design and Auction （拍卖）

Jeff and Scott will design more than a dozen arrangements in a variety of sizes and colors．Following the demonstration, an auction will be held and guests will have the opportunity to bid on the flower arrangements．

12:00 p．m．—1:00 p．m． Lunch and Demonstration

A delightful boxed lunch will be served．During the lunch hour, Jeff and Scott will create centerpieces for the holiday table and give tips for creating beautiful centerpieces using items found in the home．

1:00 p．m．—3:00 p．m． Design Class

Guests will learn how to create a centerpiece in a beautiful basket using fresh flowers．Flowers, baskets, supplies and tools will be provided．Jeff and Scott will guide guests through the design process．By the end of the day, guests will have a wonderful centerpiece to take home and use on their table．

3:00 p．m．—4:00 p．m． Wine and Cheese Social

A fitting way to end the day—guests are invited to enjoy a wine and cheese social．Jeff and Scott will be available to answer questions or just talk flowers!

There is no charge for this event．

REGISTER NOW!

Space is limited to 45 guests．

What are guests supposed to do from 1:00 p．m．to 3:00 p．m．?

      A．To design flower arrangements．  

       B．To enjoy a wine and cheese social．

      C．To learn how to create a centerpiece．        

       D．To take a tour of the Thomas College campus．

According to the text, when will an auction be held?

      A．3:00 p．m．—4:00 p．m．       B．12:00 p．m．—1:00 p．m．

      C．9:00 a．m．—10:30 a．m．      D．10:30 a．m．—12:00 p．m．

We can learn from the passage that A Day of Design _____．

      A．is free of charge                   B．lasts for eight hours

      C．is held annually in April               D．is aimed at fashion designers

According to the text, a centerpiece is probably _____．

      A．a work of art that is the best           B．a picture that has been auctioned 

       C．a flower that is carved out of stone      D．a decoration for the center of a table 

I'd been travelling for long hours on a lonely country road when I had a flat tire. So I had to stop and get the tools to  36 the problem. It certainly wasn’t  37 doing this with a white shirt and suit on.
Nightfall was approaching. Suddenly a car pulled  38 from behind me. A man got out and offered to  39 me. Seeing his unpleasant appearance and tattoos（纹身）on his arm, I became  40 as thoughts of robberies flashed through my mind. But  41 I could say anything he had already begun to take the tools to change the  42 . While watching him I happened to look back at his car and noticed someone sitting in the passenger seat. This had  43 me.
Then, without  44 , it began to rain. He suggested that I wait in his car because my car was unsafe. As the rain increased, getting us wet within seconds, I  45 agreed. When I settle into the back seat, a woman’s voice came from the front seat. “Are you all right?” She turned around to me. “Yes, I am.’’ I replied with much  46  when seeing an old woman there. It must be his Mom, I thought. To my  47 , the old woman was a neighbor of the man who was helping me. “Jeff insisted on stopping when he saw you  48 with the tire. ”“I am grateful for his help, ” I said. “Me, too!” she said with a smile. He helped drive her to see her husband twice a week in a nursing home. She also said that he  49 at the church and tutored disadvantaged students.
The rain stopped and Jeff and I changed me tire. I tried to offer him money and of course he  50 it. It was shameful that I judged people by the way they  51 . As we shook hands I began to apologize for my  52 . He said, ‘‘I experience that same  53 often. People who look like me don’t do nice things. I  54 thought about changing the way. But then I saw this as a chance to make a  55 . So I’ll leave you with the same question I ask everyone who takes time to know me. If Jesus returned tomorrow and walked among us again, would you recognize Him by what He wore or by what He did?’’