I grew up with my best friend, who was just like a sister to me. She was a little older than me. I 　36 to her. If ever I had a problem, she was always 　37 enough to help me out.

　 It wasn’t until the spring of“87” that I noticed a 　38 in her. She was quick to anger, and her attitude was 　39 . I asked her many times what was wrong. Her response each time was “I’m fine. ”

　 As time went on, she became more 　40 , and became a person I did not 　41 anymore. All I wanted was to help her. Every time I tried, she would get 　42 , and say she was fine.

　 The summer of“88”, I finally got my 　43 . My sister had changed due to the effects of 　44 . My mother 　45 put her arms around me, and told me my best friend had 　46 due to an over-dose (过度剂量). Well, for a minute my world stood still, along with my heart. There was nothing to say or do, just tears in the 　47 . Thinking over and over again, if only I had spent the time to notice the 　48 , maybe I could have saved her.

　 My mother, seeing my distress, sat me down and told me this.

　 Some things are not in our 　49 . Sometimes “signs” aren’t enough. You can’t 　50 yourself for the path your friend chose. What you can do is to learn from her mistake, 　51 at school for 　52 , let other children know what happened to your friend, and how it made you 　53 .

　 Since then I’ve never once blamed myself for her death. 　54 I volunteer my time to SADD and DARE. Each year, at an assembly I tell new students what happened and the 　55 of drugs.

36. A. came up　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. looked up

C. looked forward　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. went over

37. A. quick　　　　　　　　 B. old　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. clever　　　　　　　 D. close

38. A. change　　　　　　　 B. disease　　　　　　　　　　 C. decline　　　　　　　　　　 D. habit

39. A. polite　　　　　　　　 B. acceptable　　　　 C. poor　　　　　　　　 D. rude

40. A. bitter　　　　　　　　 B. weak　　　　　　　　 C. proud　　　　　　　 D. cold

41. A. respect　　　　　　　 B. stand　　　　　　　　 C. care　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. know

42. A. polite　　　　　　　　 B. defensive　　　　　 C. vague　　　　　　　 D. impatient

43. A. surprise　　　　　　　　　　 B. chance　　　　　　　　　　 C. answer　　　　　　　　　　 D. turn

44. A. drugs　　　　　　　　 B. loneliness　　　　　 C. illness　　　　　　　 D. sadness

45. A. tightly　　　　　　　　 B. tearfully　　　　　　 C. angrily　　　　　　　　　　 D. finally

46. A. passed　　　　　　　 B. left　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. died　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. recovered

47. A. disaster　　　　　　　 B. trouble　　　　　　　　　　 C. disturbance　　　 D. silence

48. A. signs　　　　　　　　 B. effects　　　　　　　　　　 C. causes　　　　　　　　　　 D. results

49. A. way　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. favor　　　　　　　　 C. control　　　　　　　　　　 D. side

50. A. help　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. enjoy　 　　　　　　 C. destroy　　　　　　　　　 D. blame

51. A. attend　　　　　　　　 B. volunteer　　　　　 C. engage　　　　　　　　　　 D. settle

52. A. health-awareness B. self-improvement C. self-protection D. drug-prevention

53. A. feel　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. think　　　　　　　　 C. act　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. learn

54. A. Still　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Instead　　　　　　　　　　 C. Therefore　　　　 D. Anyhow

55. A. use　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. consequence　　 C. danger　　　　　　　　　　 D. influence

Angels

My friend Heather mentioned that she had never seen an Angel. Then I remembered the  36   I had with my sister Sandra earlier this week.

This will be Sandra’s first Christmas without her husband. This summer he died in her arms. On Thursday, she was in the store 　37　 for an ideal card for her two sons and daughter. Time passed by quickly as she 　38   the many choices. She wanted a card that sent something special to each of them, 　39  she knew they would have a(n) 　40  place in their heart this holiday season.

Finally! She found the one that expressed the 　41  feeling. The words expressed the feelings that she wished to share. However, a sharp pain pierced(穿透) her heart when she realized that the card was 　42  “mom and dad.” She stood there, 　43  it close for a long time, unable to move from the 　44  . Tears began to run down her cheeks.

“Is there something I can do for you?” a 　45  voice asked. She 　46  to face a stranger, a woman, who was looking at her with 　47  and concern. “Uh…oh...OH!” Sandra responded, “I can’t give this card to my children because…because my husband died and this is the 　48  card.”

Hearing this, the stranger’s face softened with sympathy(同情) and love. She reached out and 　49  my sister into her arms, giving her unspoken permission to cry in the protection of her embrace(拥抱). She 　50  held my sister until her calmness 　51  . “Thank you for listening to me cry on,” was what my sister said when all was better. “You are welcome, and I am so sorry for your 　52  ,” the stranger answered and said goodbye to her.

During her telling of this event I was feeling 　53  that I hadn’t been there. My sister needed me and a stranger had to do my 　54  .  “You know,” she went on, “a friend suggested that it was like meeting with an Angel.” My 　55  disappeared in an instant. My sister required an Angel, and I think that is exactly what she got.

Angels
My friend Heather mentioned that she had never seen an Angel. Then I remembered the 36  I had with my sister Sandra earlier this week.
This will be Sandra’s first Christmas without her husband. This summer he died in her arms. On Thursday, she was in the store 　37　 for an ideal card for her two sons and daughter. Time passed by quickly as she 　38  the many choices. She wanted a card that sent something special to each of them, 　39  she knew they would have a(n) 　40  place in their heart this holiday season.
Finally! She found the one that expressed the 　41 feeling. The words expressed the feelings that she wished to share. However, a sharp pain pierced(穿透) her heart when she realized that the card was 　42 “mom and dad.” She stood there, 　43  it close for a long time, unable to move from the 　44  . Tears began to run down her cheeks.
“Is there something I can do for you?” a 　45  voice asked. She 　46  to face a stranger, a woman, who was looking at her with 　47  and concern. “Uh…oh...OH!” Sandra responded, “I can’t give this card to my children because…because my husband died and this is the 　48  card.”
Hearing this, the stranger’s face softened with sympathy(同情) and love. She reached out and　49  my sister into her arms, giving her unspoken permission to cry in the protection of her embrace(拥抱). She 　50  held my sister until her calmness　51  . “Thank you for listening to me cry on,” was what my sister said when all was better. “You are welcome, and I am so sorry for your 　52 ,” the stranger answered and said goodbye to her.
During her telling of this event I was feeling 　53  that I hadn’t been there. My sister needed me and a stranger had to do my 　54  .  “You know,” she went on, “a friend suggested that it was like meeting with an Angel.” My 　55  disappeared in an instant. My sister required an Angel, and I think that is exactly what she got.

My basketball coach at Princeton used to say, "On the court, you can tell who is selfish(自私的)."
  　When my sister Michelle brought Barack Obama home to meet the family, she said to me, "I want you to take him out to play, to see what type of man he is when he’s not around me." So I invited Barack to play basketball with a few friends of mine.
  　I was very nervous although I had already met Barack a few times. I was thinking this guy seemed like a good guy. We played a hard five-on-five. He was thin but not weak. He played extremely left-handed. He dealt with everything perfectly. He wasn’t the best guy out there or the worst guy. I liked the fact that he was confident but wasn’t proud. Barack was very team-oriented (有团队精神的), very unselfish. He played as if he was one of us —he wasn’t trying to be president of Harvard Law Review. But the best part about it was that when we were on the same team, he did not pass me the ball each time. He wasn’t trying to suck up to my sister through me. I was glad to give my sister the good news, "Your boy is straight."
  　He isn’t selfish, which is the greatest praise you can give both a player and a leader. America has got a guy who is running a government in an efficient (有效率的) manner. That’s the same guy I got to know playing basketball when he was visiting my family.
【小题1】 Why does the author begin the passage with his coach’s words?