My mom，Elsa，is only four feet ten，but she has a great personality. I learned everything about cooking   36   her. She’s also a great businesswoman. Once she ran nine   37  at the same time just by herself   38   she talked to her employees，she’d stand on a box. Thus she could  look them straight in the eye and   39   connect with them.

    These days 1 work in my mom’s restaurant. Of course， we quarrel with   40   other sometimes，but I think it's  41  to be open and honest and let things out. Since God has given us all kinds of senses，we should each have our own  42  and，of course，we can’t always   43 with others’opinions.

    One day a woman   44  Vicky was helping me prepare caponata for a cooking class. ”You forgot sugar and vinegar，”Vicky pointed out. ”They’re ingredients in most caponata recipes. ”

    I explained to her，”In my family，we don’t   45   sugar and vinegar to our caponata. ”

    She argued，”We do in my family，and our caponata is very good. ”

  “Yeah? Well， 46  is great!” I shouted back.

  Back and forth we went   47  we both burst into tears. What are you doing? I asked myself. You became so angry  48  because of a recipe! Then I hugged Vicky closely and she hugged me right back. We’ve been best  49  ever since.

  Be real. Make connections with people. Look them in the eye. Tell them how you feel. Don’t be afraid to say  50  you mean. When you let go of the feelings you hold inside，you’11 be amazed at what comes back to you.

My husband used to be a workaholic(工作狂)．Nothing seemed to be more __16__ to him than his work，not even his family.

He usually __17__at 6 o’clock，and our __18__ and I were still asleep then，and then left __19__ having breakfast.I asked him to have breakfast __20__，but he said it’s a waste of __21__.I didn’t know what kept him so__22__.He even couldn’t finish all his work in the office.He came back at ten at night.However，I never expected that he would give me a kiss.__23__he got home，he would start to__24__.The kids had already been in bed，of course.

“Mom，where is Dad？Why I __25__ see him？”the kids often asked.

“Well，Dad has to work.He is busy，”I always__26__like this.As time went by，they didn’t ask where their dad was again.Perhaps they had__27__that they had a dad.However，the situation changed several months ago.

Jenny，our daughter，suddenly became__28__.I sent her to the hospital.The__29__told me that she was seriously ill and that she was calling__30__all the time.Tears burst into my eyes when I__31__that.I finally called my __32__and told him about that.Half an hour later，he came to the hospital and held Jenny’s little hands.

He__33__another job two weeks later.

“I just wanted to make as much__34__as possible for you and our kids.But now，I just want to__35__as much time as possible with you and the kids，”he said and that’s what he is doing now.

My husband used to be a workaholic(工作狂)．Nothing seemed to be more __26__ to him than his work，not even his family.

He usually __27__at 6 o’clock，and our __28__ and I were still asleep then，and then left __29__ having breakfast. I asked him to have breakfast __30__，but he said it’s a waste of __31__.I didn’t know what kept him so__32__.He even couldn’t finish all his work in the office. He came back at ten at night. However，I never expected that he would give me a kiss.__33__he got home，he would start to__34__.The kids had already been in bed，of course.

“Mom，where is Dad？Why I __35__ see him？”the kids often asked.

“Well，Dad has to work. He is busy，”I always__36__like this. As time went by，they didn’t ask where their dad was again. Perhaps they had__37__that they had a dad. However，the situation changed several months ago.

Jenny，our daughter，suddenly became__38__.I sent her to the hospital.The__39__told me that she was seriously ill and that she was calling__40__all the time. Tears burst into my eyes when I__41__that.I finally called my __42__and told him about that. Half an hour later，he came to the hospital and held Jenny’s little hands.

He__43__another job two weeks later.

“I just wanted to make as much_44__as possible for you and our kids. But now，I just want to__45__as much time as possible with you and the kids，”he said and that’s what he is doing now.

26．A. possible                    B．interesting          C．important           D．relaxing

27．A. sat down            B．got up             C．stoop up            D．came up

28．A. kids                 B．pets             C．neighbors             D．parents

29．A. on                  B．with              C．without             D．after

30．A. in the office          B．on the way       C．in school      D．at home

31．A. money               B．time               C．energy              D．food

32．A. tired                B．busy              C．fast                 D．excited

33．A .As soon as           B．In the end        C．Long before   D．Long after

34．A. eat                  B．sleep              C．work               D．write

35．A. often                B．never            C．sometimes           D．cheated

36．A. shouted              B．asked            C．replied       D．cheated

37．A. thought              B．forgotten         C．ignored              D．minded

38．A. fine                B．worse            C．ill           D．angry

39．A. teacher               B．boss             C．officer              D．doctor

40．A. mom                B．sir                C．dad                D．madam

41．A. noticed               B．realized          C．heard                D．felt

42．A. mother               B．child              C．brother             D．husband

43．A.  received            B．lost               C  changed            D．found

44．A. money               B．happiness          C．value               D．laughter

45．A. spend                B．make            C．set                 D．steal

My grandmother was an iron?willed woman, the feared head of the family.

When I was five years old, she invited some friends to her apartment for a party. __1_ the guests was a neighborhood big shot (大亨) who was doing well __2__. His wife was proud of their social status. They had a little girl about my age who was spoiled and very much __3__ to getting her own way.

At one point during the party, I __4__ my way to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. A minute or two later, the little girl _5__ the bathroom door and proudly walked in. I was still sitting down. “Don't you know that little girls aren't __6__ to come into the bathroom when a little boy is using it！？” I shouted. My __7__ shocked the little girl. Then she started to cry. She tearfully __8__ to her parents and my grandmother. Grandmother was waiting for me when I left the bathroom. I received the longest, sharpest __9__. After her scolding was over and I had been dismissed, the party __10__.

Twenty minutes later, all that changed. Grandmother walked by the bathroom and noticed a flood of water __11__ out from under the door. She 12__ the bathroom door and saw that the sink and tub were plugged up and that the _13__ were going at full blast (拧到最大). Everyone knew who did it. The guests quickly formed a __14_ wall around me, but grandmother was __15__ angry that she almost got to me anyway.

My grandfather took me __16__ to the window. He was a kind and gentle man, full of wisdom and patience. __17 did he raise his voice to anyone, and never did he __18__ his wife. He looked at me with much curiosity, __19__ angry or upset.

“Tell me，” he asked, “why did you do it？”

“Well, she yelled at me __20__，” I said earnestly. “Now she's got something to yell about.”

Grandfather didn't speak right away. He just sat there, looking at me and smiling. “Eric，” he said at last, “you are my revenge (报复)．”

难易度：易