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Life is like the four seasons. Now I am very old, but when I was young, it was the spring of my life. After I was born, I played a lot, and then I started school. I learned many new things. Like a flower, I grew bigger every day. There were happy days and sorrowful days: some days the sun shone, and some days it didn’t.
In my twenties, I had a good job. I was strong and happy. Then I married and had a child. In those days, I didn’t have much time to think. Every day I was busy and worked very hard. And so, I started to get some white hairs. The summer of my life passed quickly.
Then the days got shorter. Leaves fell from the trees. My child was a university student, and then an engineer. My home was much quieter. I started walking more slowly. One day I stopped working. I had more time. I understood this was my autumn, a beautiful time when the trees change color and give us delicious fruits.
But the days kept getting shorter and colder. Winter has come. I am older and weaker. I know I do not have many days left, but I will enjoy them to the end.
【小题1】The writer started walking more slowly in the _______ of his life.

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Life is not easy, so I’d like to say “When anything happens, believe in yourself.”
When I was 14, I was too nervous to talk to anyone. My classmate often l___【小题1】__ at me. I was sad but could do nothing. Later, s___【小题2】___happened. It changed my life. It was an English contest. My mother asked me to take part in it. What a terrible idea! It meant I had to s___【小题3】__ in front of all the teachers and students of my school!
“Come on, boy. Believe in yourself. You are sure to w__【小题4】___.” Then, Mother and I talked about many different topics. At last I c___【小题5】___the topic “Believe in yourself”. I tried my best to r__【小题6】____ all the speech and practice it over 100 times. W __【小题7】____ my mother’s great love, I did well in my contest. I could h__【小题8】___ believe my ears when the news came that I had won the first place. I heard the cheers from the teachers and students. Those c__【小题9】__ who once looked down on me, now all said “Congratulation!” to me. My mother hugged me and cried excitedly.
S___【小题10】___ then, everything has changed for me. When I do anything, I try to tell myself to be sure and I will find myself . I try to tell myself to be sure and I will find myself. This is true not only for a person but also for a country.

Our English teacher was like a friend to us, and we all liked her. One day she came into the classroom and shouted,“Who did this?”She held up a piece of broken glass and asked,“Who ___1___ the window?”She seldom became angry.___2___ this time she was. I broke the window. I had done __3__ by throwing a baseball. I didn’t want to admit (承认) it __4__ I didn’t have enough money to pay for a big window like that.“My father will be __5__,”I thought. At first I didn’t __6__ my hand, but later something strong in my heart suddenly made me stand up.“I did it,”I said __7__ .How difficult it was for me to say that!   My teacher __8__ a book from one of our book shelves and then began walking __9__ my desk. I was afraid that she was going to punish(惩罚) me.   “I know you like collecting __10__ very much,”she said, looking down at my __11__ face.“Here is the book about collecting stamps that you are looking for. Now, the book is __12__ and I shall not punish you. Remember, it’s because you __13__ the truth.” I couldn’t believe it! My teacher wasn’t punishing me. I didn’t __14__ to pay for the broken window. And I got my favourite book! As time goes, the book is __15__,so is my wonderful teacher. But I will never forget the lesson the teacher gave me that day.

A woman repeated a bit of gossip (流言) about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole neighborhood knew the story. The neighbor was deeply hurt. Later the woman learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old man to find out what she could do to repair the harm.
“Go to the market,” he said, “and buy a chicken, and have it killed, then on your way home, pick its feathers(毛) and drop them one by one along the road.” Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told.
The next day the wise man said, “Now, go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me.”
The woman followed the same road, but she was so discouraged when she found the wind had blown all the feathers away. After looking for hours, she returned with only three in her hand.
“You see,” said the old man, “it’s easy to drop them, but it’s impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn’t take much to spread（散布） a gossip, but once you do, you can never completely undo（弥补） the wrong.”
【小题1】Why did the woman feel sorry?

In American schools there is something called Home-coming Day. Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a home-coming game. This can be the most important event of the year except graduation (毕业) day. Students plan Home-coming Day for many weeks in advance.
Several days before Home-coming ,students start to decorate (装饰)the school. There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the graduates. Many people still come to Home-coming twenty or thirty years after their graduation.
The members of school clubs build booths (摊位) and sell lemonade, apples and sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome visitors.
During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school.
Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the band (乐队)comes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the Home-coming Queen or King appears. All the students vote a most popular student Home-coming Queen or King. It is a great honor to be chosen.
Home-coming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game. Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Home-coming. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day worth remembering.
【小题1】The most important event of the year in high schools and colleges is_______.