Jones, a hardworking blacksmith, used to work all day in his shop. So hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his 　 1　 .

　 The son of Mr. Smith, a rich 　 2　 , would come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself 　 3　 how the tradesman worked.

　 "Young man, why don't you 　 4　 your hand to learn to make shoe tacks,　 5　 it is only to pass the time?" said the blacksmith. "　 6　 knows, one day, it may be of use to you."

　 The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little 　 7 he found that he was becoming very　 8 and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.

　 Old Mr. Smith died and the son 　 9　 the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to 　 10　 residence in another country. It so 　 11　 that in this village there were numerous shoemakers who were spending a lot of money 　 12　 tacks for their shoes and even 　 13　 when they paid high prices they were　 14　 able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers' shoes.

　 Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to　 15　 his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a 　 16　 with the shoemakers. He told them that he　 17　 make the tacks if they could help him to　 18　 a workshop. The shoemakers were 　 19　 willing to do so. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.

　 "How funny it seems," he used to say, "even making tacks can bring a 　 20 .My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches."

1．A．hand　　　 　 B．finger　　　　 　　　　　　　 C．gun　　　　 D．hammer

2． A．classmate　 B．neighbor　　 　　　　　　　 C．blacksmith　 　 D．workmate

3． A．observing　　 　　　　　　　 B．noticing　 C．watching　　 D．finding

4． A．put　　　　 B．raise　　　 C．tie　　　　 D．try

5． A．even if　　　 　　　　　　　 B．whether or not 　　　　　 C．only if　　 D．in that

6． A．He　　　　 B．Somebody　 C．Who　　　 　 D．Nobody　　　 　

7． A．advice　　 B．practice　　 　　　　　　　 C．knowledge　 　 D．training　　　

8． A．serious　　 B．caution　　 　　　　　　　 C．devoted　　　 　 D．skilled　　　　

9． A．on account of　 B．regardless of　 　　　　 C．instead of　　 D．in need of

10．A．take in　　　　 B．take up　 　　　　　　　 C．take off　　　　 D．take on

11．A．occurred　　 B．took place　 　　　　　　　 C．happened　 D．appeared

12．A．selling　　 B．buying　　　 　　　　　　　　 C．making　　 D．promoting

13．A．at times　　 B．at a time　 　　　　　　　 C．at one time 　 D．at the time

14．A．never　　　　 　　　　　　 B．ever　　　　 C．often　　　 D．not always

15．A．eat　　　　　 　　　　　　　 B．cook　　 　 C．earn　　　　 D．make

16．A．living　　　 　　　　　　　 B．bargain　 　 C．mistake　　 D．sense

17．A．would　　　 B．used to　　 　　　　　　　 C．should　　　 D．dared

18．A．set down　　 B．set out　　 　　　　　　　 C．set up　　　　 D．set to

19．A．much too　　 B．too much　　 　　　　　　　 C．only too　　　 D．not too

20．A．fortune　　　 　　　　　　　 B． fame　　　 C．profit　　　　 D．welcome

I was tired and hungry after a long day of work. When I walked into the living-room, my 12-year-old son looked   36   at me and said, “I love you.” I didn't know what to say.   37   several seconds all I could do was to stand there and    38    down at him . My first thought was that he must need   39 with his homework or he was trying to   40  me for some news.
Finally I asked, “What was that all about?” “Nothing,” he said. “My teacher said we should   41 our parents that we love them and sees what they say. It’s   42 .
The next day I called his teacher to find out more about this “experiment” and how the other parents had   43 .
“Basically, most of the fathers had the   44   reaction as you did,” the teacher said. “When I first   45  we try this, I asked the children what they thought their parents would say. Some of them thought their parents would have heart trouble.
“The   46  is,” the teacher explained, “feeling loved is an important part of  47  . It is something all people   48 . What I'm trying to tell the children is that it's too   49  we don't all express those feeling. A boy   50   tell his dad he loves him.”
The teacher, a middle-aged man, understands how   51  it is for some of us to say the things that would be good for us to say.
When my son came to me that evening, I held on to him for a (n)  52  moment. And just   53  he pulled away , I said in my deepest , most manly voice , “Hey , I love you , too . ”
I don't know if saying that made either of us healthier, but it did feel pretty good. Maybe next time one of my children says “I love you”, it would not take me a whole   54   to think of the right        55  .

Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greets me when we see each other, and her sweet little boy, who's now four,  has picked up her mother's manner and will not talk to me, either．
Last Monday, she had called the firefighters when a pan I'd forgotten on the stove caused my flat to fog up while I was out taking a walk. When I came home, the street in front of our apartment house was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan! Luckily, nothing serious had happened, and all my neighbors agreed with the firefighter who said, "It could have happened to anyone．" When I thanked the neighbor who had called the firefighters-let's call her Ivy-and apologized for causing the trouble, she just asked if my cats were all right．When I said they were fine, she said, "Well, that's ok then," and turned into her flat．l felt strangely safe, knowing that even though we don't get along, she'd done the right thing and didn't blame me．So, the Rice Krispie Treats．
Last Christmas, my neighbor carelessly let it out that she was holding a grudge （怨恨） towards me because of an incident we'd had four years ago．I had particularly apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship. She would not accept my apology．
It had taken me a lot of courage to apologize and ask that question instead of insisting that we both shared responsibility for what had happened．Her flat-out refusal to make amends（补偿） really shocked and saddened me．After that, I decided I'd just leave her be-a relationship takes two to work．So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep, facing the closed door and holding my plate of treats． I know some people have a hard time understanding how the possibility of rejection can make an adult so afraid, but that's just the way I felt．
Then, I reminded myself of how loving and good I had felt yesterday when I'd done some random acts of kindness （thanks to helpothers．org）, after telling myself: Feet the fear,  and do it anyway! So I put the squares of Rice Krispie Treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment  door-and there she was, standing in the hallway．I smiled and said, "Hi," but when she saw me, she turned on her heels and went back inside, even though she seemed to have just stepped out．I went after her, regardless, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've got something for you ! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday．" When she heard me speaking, she turned around． As I held the plate towards her, explaining these were very sweet American treats, and that she could just try and see whether she and her family would like them, her eyebrows winged up-and she took the plate．l was so happy and excited．We then talked a bit about how she'd become aware of the smoke in my flat, and parted ways．
Back in my place, I did a "happy dance", because I had dared to be kind even though I hadn't been sure at all my kindness would be welcome．I do hope that our relationship will slowly get better; I know I was and still am biased（存有偏见）towards her at times, but even if we don't make amends, I want to be able to be kind without depending on other people's behaviors and reactions .
【小题1】The neighbor held a grudge towards the writer most probably because_____．

Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greets me when we see each other, and her sweet little boy, who's now four,  has picked up her mother's manner and will not talk to me, either．

Last Monday, she had called the firefighters when a pan I'd forgotten on the stove caused my flat to fog up while I was out taking a walk. When I came home, the street in front of our apartment house was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan! Luckily, nothing serious had happened, and all my neighbors agreed with the firefighter who said, "It could have happened to anyone．" When I thanked the neighbor who had called the firefighters-let's call her Ivy-and apologized for causing the trouble, she just asked if my cats were all right．When I said they were fine, she said, "Well, that's ok then," and turned into her flat．l felt strangely safe, knowing that even though we don't get along, she'd done the right thing and didn't blame me．So, the Rice Krispie Treats．

Last Christmas, my neighbor carelessly let it out that she was holding a grudge （怨恨） towards me because of an incident we'd had four years ago．I had particularly apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship. She would not accept my apology．

It had taken me a lot of courage to apologize and ask that question instead of insisting that we both shared responsibility for what had happened．Her flat-out refusal to make amends（补偿） really shocked and saddened me．After that, I decided I'd just leave her be-a relationship takes two to work．So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep, facing the closed door and holding my plate of treats． I know some people have a hard time understanding how the possibility of rejection can make an adult so afraid, but that's just the way I felt．

Then, I reminded myself of how loving and good I had felt yesterday when I'd done some random acts of kindness （thanks to helpothers．org）, after telling myself: Feet the fear,  and do it anyway! So I put the squares of Rice Krispie Treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment  door-and there she was, standing in the hallway．I smiled and said, "Hi," but when she saw me, she turned on her heels and went back inside, even though she seemed to have just stepped out．I went after her, regardless, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've got something for you ! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday．" When she heard me speaking, she turned around． As I held the plate towards her, explaining these were very sweet American treats, and that she could just try and see whether she and her family would like them, her eyebrows winged up-and she took the plate．l was so happy and excited．We then talked a bit about how she'd become aware of the smoke in my flat, and parted ways．

Back in my place, I did a "happy dance", because I had dared to be kind even though I hadn't been sure at all my kindness would be welcome．I do hope that our relationship will slowly get better; I know I was and still am biased（存有偏见）towards her at times, but even if we don't make amends, I want to be able to be kind without depending on other people's behaviors and reactions .

1.The neighbor held a grudge towards the writer most probably because_____．

A．the writer's cats disturb her neighbor frequently

B．the writer didn't thank her for calling the firefighters

C．the writer never apologized to her for her misbehaviors

D．the writer had an unpleasant experience with the neighbor long ago

2. From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author_____.

A．was afraid of being rejected again by her neighbor

B．didn't know how to get along with her neighbor

C．didn't admit it was her fault in the last incident

D．refused to forgive her neighbor's rude behavior

3. After the writer said "Feel the fear, and do it anyway!", she decided to_____.

A．do an act of kindness

B．leave her neighbor be

C．apologize to her neighbor once more

D．do something to let her neighbor down

4.What can we learn about the writer?

A．She was a professional dancer．

B．She often had quarrels with her neighbor．

C．She had a bias against her neighbor sometimes．

D．She had an unpleasant experience at Christmas this year．

5. What does the author try to tell us?

A．Don't punish yourself because of other's mistakes．

B．We should be kind to others, regardless of their behavior．

C．We must keep a good relationship with our neighbors．

D．When we make a mistake, we should have the courage to admit it．

Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greets me when we see each other, and her sweet little boy, who's now four,  has picked up her mother's manner and will not talk to me, either．
Last Monday, she had called the firefighters when a pan I'd forgotten on the stove caused my flat to fog up while I was out taking a walk. When I came home, the street in front of our apartment house was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan! Luckily, nothing serious had happened, and all my neighbors agreed with the firefighter who said, "It could have happened to anyone．" When I thanked the neighbor who had called the firefighters-let's call her Ivy-and apologized for causing the trouble, she just asked if my cats were all right．When I said they were fine, she said, "Well, that's ok then," and turned into her flat．l felt strangely safe, knowing that even though we don't get along, she'd done the right thing and didn't blame me．So, the Rice Krispie Treats．
Last Christmas, my neighbor carelessly let it out that she was holding a grudge （怨恨） towards me because of an incident we'd had four years ago．I had particularly apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship. She would not accept my apology．
It had taken me a lot of courage to apologize and ask that question instead of insisting that we both shared responsibility for what had happened．Her flat-out refusal to make amends（补偿） really shocked and saddened me．After that, I decided I'd just leave her be-a relationship takes two to work．So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep, facing the closed door and holding my plate of treats． I know some people have a hard time understanding how the possibility of rejection can make an adult so afraid, but that's just the way I felt．
Then, I reminded myself of how loving and good I had felt yesterday when I'd done some random acts of kindness （thanks to helpothers．org）, after telling myself: Feet the fear,  and do it anyway! So I put the squares of Rice Krispie Treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment  door-and there she was, standing in the hallway．I smiled and said, "Hi," but when she saw me, she turned on her heels and went back inside, even though she seemed to have just stepped out．I went after her, regardless, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've got something for you ! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday．" When she heard me speaking, she turned around． As I held the plate towards her, explaining these were very sweet American treats, and that she could just try and see whether she and her family would like them, her eyebrows winged up-and she took the plate．l was so happy and excited．We then talked a bit about how she'd become aware of the smoke in my flat, and parted ways．
Back in my place, I did a "happy dance", because I had dared to be kind even though I hadn't been sure at all my kindness would be welcome．I do hope that our relationship will slowly get better; I know I was and still am biased（存有偏见）towards her at times, but even if we don't make amends, I want to be able to be kind without depending on other people's behaviors and reactions

1. 1.

   The neighbor held a grudge towards the writer most probably because_____．

   1. A.
      the writer's cats disturb her neighbor frequently
   2. B.
      the writer didn't thank her for calling the firefighters
   3. C.
      the writer never apologized to her for her misbehaviors
   4. D.
      the writer had an unpleasant experience with the neighbor long ago
2. 2.

   From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author_____

   1. A.
      was afraid of being rejected again by her neighbor
   2. B.
      didn't know how to get along with her neighbor
   3. C.
      didn't admit it was her fault in the last incident
   4. D.
      refused to forgive her neighbor's rude behavior
3. 3.

   After the writer said "Feel the fear, and do it anyway!", she decided to_____

   1. A.
      do an act of kindness
   2. B.
      leave her neighbor be
   3. C.
      apologize to her neighbor once more
   4. D.
      do something to let her neighbor down
4. 4.

   What can we learn about the writer?

   1. A.
      She was a professional dancer．
   2. B.
      She often had quarrels with her neighbor．
   3. C.
      She had a bias against her neighbor sometimes．
   4. D.
      She had an unpleasant experience at Christmas this year．
5. 5.

   What does the author try to tell us?

   1. A.
      Don't punish yourself because of other's mistakes．
   2. B.
      We should be kind to others, regardless of their behavior．
   3. C.
      We must keep a good relationship with our neighbors．
   4. D.
      When we make a mistake, we should have the courage to admit it．