I'm feeling sad．My 19-year-old∞nleft home about a week ago to  36  the Air Force, and my 23-year-old daughter left two days ago to marry in another state．I'm so  37  of my son as he had to really work hard to get into the Air Force, and my daughter moved to be with her fiance（未婚夫）．I'm just simply upset．It  38  feels like someone has ripped my heart from my chest．I’ve tried to talk to their father, friends, and family but it just feels like no one around me   39  what I'm going through．

My children were  40  to me．I put all my energy into   41  both of them and doing all types of activities with them, even sometimes at the  42 of my own best interests．I understand they grow up and need their _43 ,but for some reason I just can't seem to let go．I am go _ 44  that they're establishing their own lives,   45 I get so depressed whenever I have even a simple _46 of them．I've been crying for over a week now．I really don't know what to do to make this  47 go away．I can't even walk by either one's room without bursting into tears．I don't understand why I'm unable to _48 this sense of great loss．I'm  49  that I need to move on with my own life and find  _50 things to devote my attention to, but I _51 being a mom and spending time on my children．I've    52  adopting a child but it's _53  atthe moment for me considering my poor health．

I'm just thankful to have found this website and found there are others who are  54 similar problems．It helps to   55 I'm not crazy or overreacting．Thank you for sharing your problems and showing others like myself this isn’t so abnormal．

I'm feeling sad．My 19-year-old∞nleft home about a week ago to  36  the Air Force, and my 23-year-old daughter left two days ago to marry in another state．I'm so  37  of my son as he had to really work hard to get into the Air Force, and my daughter moved to be with her fiance（未婚夫）．I'm just simply upset．It  38  feels like someone has ripped my heart from my chest．I’ve tried to talk to their father, friends, and family but it just feels like no one around me   39  what I'm going through．
My children were  40  to me．I put all my energy into   41  both of them and doing all types of activities with them, even sometimes at the  42 of my own best interests．I understand they grow up and need their _43 ,but for some reason I just can't seem to let go．I am go _ 44  that they're establishing their own lives,   45 I get so depressed whenever I have even a simple _46 of them．I've been crying for over a week now．I really don't know what to do to make this  47 go away．I can't even walk by either one's room without bursting into tears．I don't understand why I'm unable to _48 this sense of great loss．I'm  49  that I need to move on with my own life and find  _50 things to devote my attention to, but I _51 being a mom and spending time on my children．I've    52  adopting a child but it's _53  atthe moment for me considering my poor health．
I'm just thankful to have found this website and found there are others who are  54 similar problems．It helps to   55 I'm not crazy or overreacting．Thank you for sharing your problems and showing others like myself this isn’t so abnormal．

I'm feeling sad．My 19-year-old∞nleft home about a week ago to 1the Air Force, and my 23-year-old daughter left two days ago to marry in another state．I'm so 2of my son as he had to really work hard to get into the Air Force, and my daughter moved to be with her fiance（未婚夫）．I'm just simply upset．It3feels like someone has ripped my heart from my chest．I’ve tried to talk to their father, friends, and family but it just feels like no one around me 4what I'm going through．
My children were5to me．I put all my energy into6both of them and doing all types of activities with them, even sometimes at the 7of my own best interests．I understand they grow up and need their8,but for some reason I just can't seem to let go．I am go 9that they're establishing their own lives, 10I get so depressed whenever I have even a simple 11of them．I've been crying for over a week now．I really don't know what to do to make this 12go away．I can't even walk by either one's room without bursting into tears．I don't understand why I'm unable to 13this sense of great loss．I'm 14that I need to move on with my own life and find 15things to devote my attention to, but I 16being a mom and spending time on my children．I've 17 adopting a child but it's 18atthe moment for me considering my poor health．
I'm just thankful to have found this website and found there are others who are19similar problems．It helps to 20I'm not crazy or overreacting．Thank you for sharing your problems and showing others like myself this isn’t so abnormal．

1. 1.
   1. A.
      join
   2. B.
      visit
   3. C.
      contact
   4. D.
      lead
2. 2.
   1. A.
      afraid
   2. B.
      proud
   3. C.
      ashamed
   4. D.
      guilty
3. 3.
   1. A.
      hardly
   2. B.
      even
   3. C.
      almost
   4. D.
      truly
4. 4.
   1. A.
      reminds
   2. B.
      regrets
   3. C.
      understands
   4. D.
      questions
5. 5.
   1. A.
      everything
   2. B.
      everyone
   3. C.
      nothing
   4. D.
      anyone
6. 6.
   1. A.
      persuading
   2. B.
      raising
   3. C.
      paying
   4. D.
      charging
7. 7.
   1. A.
      mercy
   2. B.
      distance
   3. C.
      sight
   4. D.
      cost
8. 8.
   1. A.
      freedom
   2. B.
      country
   3. C.
      career
   4. D.
      house
9. 9.
   1. A.
      anxious
   2. B.
      embarrassed
   3. C.
      amazed
   4. D.
      happy
10. 10.
    1. A.
       if
    2. B.
       and
    3. C.
       but
    4. D.
       unless
11. 11.
    1. A.
       thought
    2. B.
       look
    3. C.
       impression
    4. D.
       idea
12. 12.
    1. A.
       moment
    2. B.
       decision
    3. C.
       feeling
    4. D.
       event
13. 13.
    1. A.
       recognize
    2. B.
       realize
    3. C.
       achieve
    4. D.
       overcome
14. 14.
    1. A.
       afraid
    2. B.
       aware
    3. C.
       doubtful
    4. D.
       confident
15. 15.
    1. A.
       expensive
    2. B.
       great
    3. C.
       new
    4. D.
       simple
16. 16.
    1. A.
       forgot
    2. B.
       tried
    3. C.
       stopped
    4. D.
       enjoyed
17. 17.
    1. A.
       admitted
    2. B.
       considered
    3. C.
       suspected
    4. D.
       remembered
18. 18.
    1. A.
       impossible
    2. B.
       disappointing
    3. C.
       worthy
    4. D.
       surprising
19. 19.
    1. A.
       researching
    2. B.
       experiencing
    3. C.
       imitating
    4. D.
       recording
20. 20.
    1. A.
       hear
    2. B.
       imagine
    3. C.
       know
    4. D.
       say

I decided to go back to school in the fall of 2008 after not being happy with my current job and financial status. I obtained my Associate’s Degree in May 2002 in Commercial Arts. After graduation, I had trouble obtaining a job in that field. For years, I was going from one job to another feeling unfilled, and I was not satisfied with the instability.

    I decided to go back to school for either International Business or Psychology. I weighed the pros and cons of both professions and Psychology won. I like helping my friends and family, when they go through hard situations in their life by giving them sound advice and being honest with them. Also, I was interested in “the mind”.

    I was searching for online schools because my work schedule at my current job would not allow me to attend a regular class. I was nervous about starting online classes because I heard mixed stories from other friends who were taking online classes. I decided to do it anyway to experience something different. I wanted to find an online school that was affordable and reputable. Through my search, I discovered Walden University, which is specially for working adults who want to obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher. The process of getting accepted was easy, which included writing an essay on why I wanted to attend their school, transferring my previous credits, etc.

    I am currently enrolled in the Bachelors program for psychology, and I am paying for college via financial-aid loans and grants. This experience has been interesting yet trying as sometimes it was difficult to balance work, school and home life. I learned a lot about psychology and myself. For example, I like writing about current events, relationships and traveling. I thought my English composition was ordinary, but after taking a few classes at Walden University, I improved my English composition and it made me feel confident enough to start writing professionally so I became a freelance (自由撰稿) writer. Currently, I am only three classes away from obtaining my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology! It was one of the best decisions I made in my life.

1.What did the author study originally when he was in college?

A. Psychology  B. Commercial Arts   C. International Business   D. English Composition

2.What do we know about the author from Paragraph 2?

A. He decided to study International Business at first.

B. He wanted to study two majors.

C. He liked Psychology better.

D. He chose his major with the help of his friends.

3.Why was the author nervous about starting online classes?

A. Because he heard some negative remarks about it.

B. Because he was worried that he didn’t have enough time to study.

C. Because he feared he would fail the entrance exam.

D. Because he was afraid that he didn’t have enough money.

4.Which of the following best describes the author’s learning experience?

A. Dull and challenging.             B. Interesting and easy.  

C. Interesting and challenging.        D. Dull and easy

5.According to the passage, the author _________.

A. was not able to find a full-time job

B. is most interested in writing

C. pays for his schooling with the help of his family

D. is satisfied with his achievements.

The triathlon(铁人三项运动) promises to be one of the most popular Olympic sports.Recently it has drawn huge crowds attracted by athletes swimming 1,500m，cycling 40km，then running 10km without stopping.But what makes an attractive 17?year?old girl give up everything for the doubtful pleasure it offers?

Melanie Sears has not yet learnt those often?repeated phrases about personal satisfaction，mental challenge and higher targets that most athletes use when asked similar questions.“You swim for 1,500m，then run out of the water and jump on your bike，still wet.Of course，then you freeze.When the 40km cycle ride is over，you have to run 10km，which is a long way when you’re feeling exhausted.But it’s great fun，and all worth it in the end，” she says.

Melanie entered her first triathlon at 14 and she won the junior section.Full of confidence，she entered the National Championships，and although she had the second fastest swim and the fastest run，she came nowhere.“I was following this man and suddenly we came to the sea.We realised then that we had gone wrong.I ended up cycling 20 kilometres too far.I cried all the way through the running.”

But she did not give up and was determined that she never will.“Sometimes I wish I could stop，because then the pain would be over，but I am afraid that if I let myself stop just once，I would be tempted(诱惑) to do it again.”Such doggedness draws admiration from Steve Trew，the sport’s director of coaching.“I’ve just been testing her fitness，” he says, “and she worked so hard on the running machine that it finally threw her off and into a wall.She had given it everything，and she just kept on.”

Melanie was top junior in this year’s European Triathlon Championships，finishing 13th.“I was almost as good as the top three in swimming and running，but much slower in cycling.That’s why I’m working very hard at it.” She is trying to talk her long?suffering parents，who will carry the ￡1,300 cost of her trip to New Zealand for this year’s world championships，into buying a ￡2,000 bike，so she can try 25km and 100km races later this year.

But there is another price to pay.“I don’t have a social life，”she says.“After two hours’ hard swimming on Friday night，I just want to go to sleep.But I phone and write to the other girls in the team.” What does she talk about？Boys？Clothes？“No，what sort of times they are achieving.”

1.How does Melanie differ from other athletes，according to the writer?

A．She worries less than they do.

B．She expresses herself differently.

C．Her family background is not like theirs.

D．Her aims are different from theirs.

2.What upset Melanie during the National Championships?

A．She was tricked by another competitor.

B．She felt she had let her team?mates down.

C．She made a mistake during part of the race.

D．She realized she couldn’t cycle as fast as she thought.

3.What is Melanie trying to persuade her parents to do?

A．Buy an expensive bike for her.

B．Give her half the cost of a bike.

C．Let her compete in longer races.

D．Pay for her to go to New Zealand.

4.What does Melanie say about her relationships with her team?mates?

A．She would like to see them more often.

B．She only discusses the triathlon with them.

C．She thinks they find her way of life strange.

D．She dislikes discussing boys or clothes with them.