完型填空

　　Like most people, I was brought up to look upon life as a process of getting．It was not until in my late thirties that I made this important 　　1　　：giving-away makes life so much more exciting．You need not worry if you 　　2　　 money．

　　This is how I 　　3　　 with giving-away．If an idea for improving the window display of a neighborhood store 　　4　　 to me, I step in and make the suggestion to the 　　5　　．If an accident takes place, the 　　6　　 of which I think the local police could use, I 　　7　　 him up and tell him about it, though I am not in 　　8　　 here．One discovery I made about this world is to give 　　9　　 getting something back, though the 　　10　　 often comes in an unexpected form．

　　One Sunday morning the local post office delivered an important special letter to my home, though it was 　　11　　 to me at my office．I wrote the postmaster a note of 　　12　　．More than a year later I needed a post-office box for a new business I was 　　13　　．I was told at the window that there were 　　14　　 boxes left, and that my name would have to go on a long 　　15　　 list．As I was about to 　　16　　 the post office, the postmaster appeared in the 　　17　　．“Wasn't it you that wrote us that letter a year ago about delivering an 　　18　　 delivery to your home?” I said it was．“Well, you certainly are going to have a box in this post office 　　19　　 we make one for you．You don't know what a letter like that means to us．We 　　20　　 get nothing but complaints．”

阅读理解

　　Many years ago my student asked me the question,“Mrs．Kindred, why do you teach?”Without taking time to reflect, I answered,“Because someday I might say something that might make a difference in someone's life．”Even though I was sincere, that wasn't a very good answer and my student didn't let it slide．

　　“Let me get this straight,”he said,“You went to college for four years so you could come here every day because you have the hope that someday you might say something that will influence someone?”He shook his head as if I were crazy and walked away looking confused．I'm one of those people who look back and wish they had said something smart or witty, or swift．

　　Even though that particular student might no longer wonder why I teach, there are days when I wonder．On those days, I remind myself of the real reasons I teach：

　　It's in my blood．My mother was my most influential teacher, and she was a 6th grade reading teacher until her death in 1990．She instilled(逐渐灌输)in me a love of reading and the knowledge that education opens doors for．

　　Teaching is a way to make a difference．If you throw a stone in a pond the ripples go on and on until they reach the shore．You can't have ripples without a“stone．”Good teachers throw stones that make a positive difference, and that's what I strive to do．

　　I genuinely love teenagers．

　　I want to share with others what I know and what I have learned through the years．Life is full of ups and downs, and if I can help students avoid some potholes(洞坑)on the road of life, I want to do so．If they'll allow me to celebrate their victories with them, I want to do too．

　　Teaching isn't for everyone, but I know I made the right career choice．

阅读理解

　　The man who brings my milk used to knock for his money for the week I was eating breakfast on Saturday morning．Just lately he has been arriving before I get up．Workforce shortages mean that four men are sharing five rounds, so he has to start earlier．

　　Delivering milk to people’s homes is hardly good business, especially when the customer may have a choice of two or three firms serving a single road．In spite of my local difficulties, however, labor troubles are not as great as a few years ago．There are enough men prepared to make an early morning start for the sake of an open air job with a fair measure of freedom．If they did stop calling, women would find it hard work to collect all the milk they need from self service stores．Dairies(乳品业)know that stopping deliveries in the United States resulted in falling sales．

　　Marketing ideas have included introducing extra lines, in addition to dairy products, which the milkmen can carry to increase business．One dairyman said, “It won’t be long before the milkmen deliver potatoes, and it seems as though variety will be limited only by the size of the trucks．

　　So the milkman is likely to remain a familiar figure, and the dairy products he sells are unlikely to change very much in this decade．Flavored(有味道的)milk is popular on the Continent．In Britain those who like it buy plain milk and add their own flavoring．Even the returnable bottle continues to be used．As long as it has a reasonable life－30 to 40 trips are usual－the cost of collection and cleaning is worthwhile．