My Teacher in the School of Life

I spent the opening day of school this year at DeMatha Catholic High School in much the same way I spent the first day of classes ___1___ 30 years ago; I sat in Dr Charles E. Offutt's British literature class, listening to him __2___ what his seniors would learn and get them excited about the journey they would __3__.I'm the principal(校长) of the school now, but for a few minutes I was back in 1975, __4__ what the future held.

I have been learning from Dr Offutt for 30 of the 51 years he has been teaching at DeMatha.He not only taught me to think, he __5__ me, as much by example as___6__， that it was my moral duty to do so and to serve __7__.

Neither of us could know how our __8__ would develop over the years. When I first came back to DeMatha to teach English, I worked for Dr Offutt, then the department chair. After several years, I was __9__ department chair, and our relationship changed __10__. I thought that it might be __11__chairing the department, since all of my former English teachers were still there, but Dr Offutt __12__ me throughout. He knew when to give me __13__ about curriculum, texts and personnel, and when to let me design my own course.

In 1997, I needed his advice about leaving DeMatha to become principal at another school. If he had asked me to stay at DeMatha, I might have. __14__， he encouraged me to seize the new __15__.

Five years ago, I became the __16__ of DeMatha.Once again, Dr Offutt was there for me, letting me know that I could__17__ on him as I tried to fill such big shoes, I've learned from him that great teachers have a(n) __18__ wealth of lessons to teach. __19__ his students don't know it yet, I know how __20__ they are; I'm still one of them.

1．A.mostly　　　B．exactly　　　C．only　　　D．simply

2．A.explain     B．predict       C．speak     D．teach

3．A.keep       B．achieve       C．choose   D．take

4．A.preparing   B．discovering   C．wondering  D．realizing

5．A.assisted    B．reminded      C．advised   D．convinced

6．A.words     B．action        C．explanation  D．models

7．A.the others  B．everyone       C．others   D．anyone

8．A.relationship  B．position      C．situation  D．condition

9．A.pointed    B．named         C．given    D．taken

10．A.already      B．yet       C．still  D．again

11．A.foolish      B．surprising  C．uncertain  D．challenging

12．A.promoted    B．accepted  C．supported  D．welcomed

13．A.advice      B．information  C．notice   D．thought

14．A.Otherwise  B．Therefore  C．Furthermore  D．Instead

15．A.choice     B．opportunity  C．occupation  D．possibility

16．A.teacher     B．principal  C．officer      D．clerk

17．A.live       B．look     C．depend       D．take

18．A.rich      B．little     C．valuable       D．endless

19．A.Once     B．Even if  C．Unless       D．Until

20．A.fortunate  B．curious  C．innocent      D．satisfied

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分）

      阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白出的最佳选项。

?After 42-year-old guy Tom had quitted his job, he began to make up his mind to become a freelance (self-employed) writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a(n)  21  typewriter and settled down to work．

    After a year or so, however, Tom began to  22  himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by  23  what he wrote．But Tom determined to put his dream to the test —  24  it meant living with uncertainty and fear of  25 ．This is the shadowland of hope, and  26  with a dream must learn to live there．

    One day Tom got a call, “We need a(n)  27 , and we’re paying $6,000 a year．” $6,000 was  28  money in 1960．It would enable Tom to get a nice apartment, a used car and more． 29 , he could write on the side． 30  the dollars were dancing in Tom’s head, something  31  his senses．He had dreamed of being a  32  — full time．“Thanks, but no,” Tom said  33 ．“I’m going to stick it out and write．”

    After Tom got off the phone, he  34  everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Tom put the cans and cents into a  35  bag, saying to himself, “There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far．”

　　Finally his work was  36  in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that  37  writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into limelight．

　　Then one day, Tom  38  a box filled with things he had owned years before． 39  was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he  40 himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Tom, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland．

A．excellent   B．used C．expensive    D．priceless

A．regret  B．hate C．doubt    D．trust

A．selling B．buying   C．reading  D．appreciating

A．Now that    B．What if  C．As if    D．Even though

A．success B．failure  C．perspiration     D．loss

A．someone B．none C．nobody   D．anyone

A．boss    B．assistant    C．manager  D．writer

A．false   B．little   C．real D．high

A．However B．Still    C．Besides  D．Therefore

A．As  B．But  C．If   D．Because

A．hurt    B．destroyed    C．cleared    D．struck

A．driver  B．assistant    C．writer   D．dancer

A．hesitantly  B．firmly   C．slowly   D．hurriedly

A．pulled out  B．pulled apart C．pulled back  D．pulled down

A．cloth   B．metal    C．plastic  D．paper

A．written B．published    C．completed    D．punished

A．few B．great    C．famous   D．poor

A．sought  B．searched C．found    D．picked

A．Above   B．Below    C．Outside  D．Inside

A．called  B．pictured C．described    D．reminded

Not too long after I had begun to drive as a teenager, someone pulled out of a parking lot onto the road in front of me. I reacted   36  and pulled up very close behind her--- just to show my irritation(怒气) and let her know she didn't "just   37   with that!" We've all been there with      38   incidents and reactions. My mother was with me, and told me to turn into the   39  parking lot. Safely there, she asked me why I   40   that lady had pulled out in front of me purposely.   41   rude, power play--- I guessed. Mom said that maybe she had just had some bad   42  , maybe she was late picking up her child and was distracted(分心). Think of all the   43   of why someone does something like that. It's usually not on purpose--- but what I do as a reaction is on purpose. She always said that I   44   to think about the other side before I   45  . Usually the reaction causes more of a   46  .

I am in my fifties now, and to this day, that has always   47   my head whenever those   48   happen. I've   49   my children the same thing. We often see and hear about "road rage." No matter to what   50    that "rage" is taken, my children will say something like, "They need Grandma's words!" As adults, I don't see them react as most of us do   51   their first reaction is always anger and irritation --- they   52   it and   53   what the other person's problem might be. Even if the other driver really might be   54   or doing a "power play," no more   55  reactions will occur because of their irritation.

One afternoon in January in 1998, Susan Sharp, 43, and her 8-year-old son David, were walking across an icy square, when Susan's cane(手杖) slipped on the ice. Her face   36   first into the mud. David   37   her mother's side, “Are you all right, Mom”   38  , Susan pulled herself up, “I'm okay, Honey,” she said.

Susan was falling more   39   since she had trouble walking. Every inch of ice was a   40   danger for her. “I wish I could do something,” the boy thought. David, too, was having   41   of his own. The boy had a speech problem, so at school he talked   42  .

　　One day, David's teacher announced a   43   homework. "Each of you is going to come up with an   44  ," she said. This was for "INVENT AMERICA", a national competition to encourage creativity in children.

　　An idea   45   David one evening. If only his mother's cane didn't slip on the ice. “What if I   46   your cane to a nail coming out of the bottom” he asked his mother.

　　“   47   the sharp end would scratch(划破) floors,” Susan said.

　　“No, Mom, I   48   make it like a ball-point pen. You take your hand off the button and the   49   returns back up.” Hours later the cane was finished. David and his father   50   as Susan used it to walk 50 feet about the   51  . Happily Susan cried out, “It   52   !”

　　In July 1999, David was  53   national winner for the "INVENT AMERICA". David began to make public appearance. Thus he was forced to communicate  54  .Today, David is nearly free of his speech problem, and his   55   is becoming well accepted.

_______not to miss the flight at 15∶20，the manager set out for the airport in a hurry.