We may look at the world around us, but somehow we manage not to see it         31        whatever we’ve become used to suddenly  32        (disappear). Take, for example, the neatly-dressed woman I used to see.

For three years, no matter 33         the weather was like, she was always waiting at the bus stop around 8:00 a.m. On 34  ________   (snow) days, she wore heavy clothes and a pair of 35    ____________   (wool) gloves. Of course I remember all 36  _______   only after she was seen no more .It was 37       that I realized how much 1 expected to see her each morning.

“Did she have an accident? Something  38     ______   ?” I thought to myself about her disappearance. Now that she was gone, I felt that I 39   __________   (know) her. I began to realize that part of our daily life probably includes such chance meetings       40  _________   familiar strangers: the milkman you see at dawn, and the twin brothers you see at the library. Such people are important markers in our lives. They add weight to our sense of place and belonging.

What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming. and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lonely dandelion（蒲公英） standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.
【小题1】The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was____________.

What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt(收据)? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?

         This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion(蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.

My parents were in a huge argument, and I was really upset about it. I didn’t know who I should talk with about how I was feeling. So I asked Mom to allow me to stay the night at my best friend’s house. Though I knew I wouldn’t tell her about my parents’ situation, I was looking forward to getting out of the house. I was in the middle of packing up my things when suddenly the power went out in the neighborhood. Mom came to tell me that I should stay with my grandpa until the power came back on.
I was really disappointed because I felt that we did not have much to talk about. But I knew he would be frightened alone in the dark. I went to his room and told him that I’d stay with him until the power was restored. He was quite happy and said, “Great opportunity(机会)”
“ What is ?” I asked.
“ To talk, you and I,” he said. “To hold a private little meeting about what we’re going to do with your mom and dad, and what we’re going to do with ourselves now that we’re in the situation we are in.”
“But we can’t do anything about it, Grandpa,” I said, surprised that here was someone with whom I could share my feelings and someone who was in the same “boat” as I was.
And that’s how the most unbelievable friendship between my grandfather and me started. Sitting there in the dark, we talked about our feelings and fears of life—from how fast things change, to how they sometimes don’t change fast enough. That night, because the power went out, I found a new friend, with whom I could safely talk about all my fears and pains, whatever they may be.
Suddenly, the lights all came back on. “Well,” he said, “ I guess that means you’ll want to go now. I really like our talk. I hope the power will go out every few nights!”
【小题1】 I wished to get out of the house because ______________

One winter during college in New York, I took an 8: 00 a.m. history class. The professor was very __36  in class. He just looked at his lecture notes and __37__ looked up at us. I felt that I needed to get rid of my boredom, so I created a little __38__ for myself. I tried to find something from his lecture to ask a question about, forcing me to __39__ rather than letting my eyes close. The first time I raised my hand, he was surprised, but obviously pleased to have a question to answer. __40__ , his answers were always interesting. I continued to do this every day in the course and found my-self actually __41__ the material. The professor became a bit more __42__ and some other students also joined me in asking questions. My little game had __43__ me from being bored, __44__ it was expected to do. I learned a lot about world history in the discussions with him. The professor obviously knew his material, but had a hard time __45__ it on to his undergraduates in an interesting way. On the last day of class we gathered our books and headed for the door for the last time. The shy professor stepped directly in front of me as I reached the door. "Thank you for making this class so interesting,"

he said. I was so surprised. To me, it had been a pleasant way to pass the time; I had no idea that my asking questions had an effect on him and the others at all. That moment has stayed with me for 30 years. Each of us can have a(n) __46__ not just on our own experiences, but on those of others, and I’ll never forget the professor who taught me a lesson about the power of acts of kindness, intended __47__ not.

A. peaceful      B. accustomed           C. nervous     D. absent

A. frequently     B. suddenly             C. nearly   D. rarely

A. game           B. prize                C. toy     D. advantage

A. stare         B. concentrate          C. comment      D. present

A. Therefore     B. Otherwise            C. In fact   D. On the contrary

A. improving     B. writing              C. misunderstanding     D. enjoying

A. relaxed         B. graceful             C. serious D. clever

A. separated          B. saved           C. awoken   D. avoided

A. which           B. since                C. as           D.what

A. carrying      B. passing     C. bringing          D. putting

A. idea       B. effect       C. effort               D. power

A. and            B. so           C. or               D. but