I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn’t be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries. A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be

late for this date.

   We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers. The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile -warm and reassuring - and I retuned her gift by smiling back.

    “Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers.” she said.

    “Yes, she’s special,” I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out . “It‘s only our second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she’s ‘the one’ .”Jokingly, I added, “The only problem is that I can’t figure out why she’d want to date a guy like me.”

    “Well, I think she’s very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her,” the woman said. “My husband used to bring me flowers every week-even when tines were tough and we didn’t have much money. Those were incredible days; he was very romantic and-of course- I miss him since he’s passed away.”

   I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said “You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a very special lady.” I handed her the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.

   It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased. “You have a wonderful evening,” I said. I left her with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.

   I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story. A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her-that was the night than I won her heart .

1．Why was the writer in a hurry that day?

A. He was to meet his girlfriend.                  B. He had to go back to school soon.

C. He was delayed by an elderly lady.              D. He had to pick up some groceries.

2．What does the underlined phrase “her gift” （Paragraph 2 ）refer to?

A. Her words.              B. Her smile.              C. Her flowers.          D. Her politeness.

3．Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady?

A. She told him a nice story.                         B. She allowed him to pay first.

C. She gave him encouragement.                     D. She liked flowers very much.

4．What is the message conveyed in the story?

A. Flowers are important for a date.               B. Small talk is helpful.

C. Love and kindness are rewarding.              D. Elderly people deserve respecting.

 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

The world always makes way for the dreamer !

When I was twelve years old, my father took me to see Zig Zigler. I remember sitting in that dark hall listening to Mr. Zigler   36  everyone’s spirits up to the ceiling. I  37  there feeling like I could do anything. When we got to the car, I turned to my father and said, “Dad, I want to   38  people feel like that.” My father asked me   39   I meant. “I want to be a motivational(激发积极性的)speaker just like Mr. Zigler,” I replied.  A（An）  40  was born.

Recently, I began seeking my dream of motivating others.  41  a four-year relationship with Fortune 100 Company   42  as a sales-trainer and ending as a regional(地区的) sales manager, I left the company at the height of my   43 .  Many people were  44  that I would leave after earning a six-figure income(收入). And they asked   45  I would risk everything for a dream.

I made my   46   to start my own company and leave my worryingless position(职位)after 47  a regional sales meeting. The vice-president of our company made a   48   that changed my life. He asked us, “If a god would offer you three wishes, what would they be?” After giving us a   49  to write down the three wishes, he then asked us, “Why do you need a  50   ?” I would never forget the power I felt at that moment. I realized that   51  I had accomplished(完成；实现) in the past had prepared me for this moment. I was ready and didn’t need a god’s help to become a motivational speaker. A motivational speaker was   52  .

Having made that decision, I was immediately   53 . One week after I gave notice, my husband was laid off (下岗) from his job, and now we had no  54  . But I held fast to my dream. The wonder really began to happen. In a short time my husband found a better job. And I was able to book several   55  engagements（业务）with new customers. I discovered the unbelievable power of dreams.

1.                A．rise            B．do             C．put  D．raise

2.                A．left            B．came           C．arrived   D．reached

3.                A．get            B．hope           C．make D．cheer

4.                A．that           B．what           C．which    D．if

5.                A．dream         B．idea           C．girl  D．speaker

6.                A．After          B．Before         C．Because  D．While

7.                A．beginning       B．working         C．acting    D．regarding

8.                A．life            B．love           C．money   D．career(事业)

9.                A．disappointed     B．moved          C．surprised D．delighted

10.               A．when          B．why           C．if    D．how

11.               A．plan           B．promise        C．decision   D．mind

12.               A．attending       B．joining         C．entering   D．holding

13.               A．newspaper      B．book           C．report D．speech

14.               A．day            B．second         C．week D．moment

15.               A．love           B．worker         C．god  D．company

16.               A．everything      B．anything        C．nothing   D．something

17.               A．alive           B．dead           C．missing    D．born

18.               A．examined       B．searched       C．found D．tested

19.               A．help           B．harm          C．income    D．money

20.               A．selling         B．speaking        C．writing    D．listening

Crystal, one of my classmates, came into my class last year．Honestly, she was unfavorably impressed (给……留下印象) on me in the beginning．She was short and had fairly dark skin．She was just sitting in front of me．She didn’t say much, and yet I almost always saw smiles on her face every day．I hardly spoke to her for about one week since she joined us．Anyone else in my class didn’t, either, but it seemed that she never paid attention to this．She always smiled at everyone．

One day, we all studied overtime．“It is raining again! What a day!” someone complained (抱怨)．Turning around, she said, “Do you have an umbrella, Jenny?” “No,” I answered．Then she was out of the classroom．After a while, I saw her entering the classroom with an umbrella in her hand．She walked up to me．“Here you are! And the rain is heavy now．You’d better wait a second, otherwise you’ll get drenched to the skin,” she said and gave her face a wipe ．I stood up beside the desk and couldn’t say anything at that moment．I was very uneasy．“Th-th-thank you,” I said after some minutes．She gave me a bright smile．