For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

My friend had mentioned that her father had a lot of children’s toys that he was looking to give away. She knew I had a three-year-old daughter so she thought of me first. I told her I would 36   it if I could get some nice things for my daughter, which I wouldn’t otherwise have been able

to  37  .

When I met her father, he began to explain that he was 38   once too and that he would hate to  39   things that could be very 40  . At first, he thought of taking everything to the Salvation Army but then he  41  to see if anyone he knew could use them first.

  When he was  42  me around, I saw a bed, a slide(滑板)，a kitchen set and many other things that made me surprised. As my eyes were wide and beginning to tear up a bit, he told me not to feel guilty. He said I was  43  him by getting rid of them.

  As I was looking around, I did feel guilty, but I tried to remain more grateful than guilty because he told me to. Every time I tried to  44  him for giving my daughter all these  45  things, he would thank me right back and was grateful that these toys would be put to good use.

  So, sometimes when we are helped by others, the others that helped us are helped as a side –effect. In the  46  of charity , it makes sense to feel grateful, but guilt is just as normal, I know we could have lived without a slide, which is why I do feel guilty, but I am grateful all the same because my daughter  47  enjoys all these nice things!

A. wear                     B. repair                C. appreciate       D. check

A. believe           B. afford            C. see                    D. spare

A. handsome       B. young            C. poor                 D. healthy

A. throw away     B. hand out            C. add up                  D. pick out

A. suitable          B. expensive          C. useful            D. dangerous

A. continued              B. forgot            C. had                   D. decided

A. driving           B. showing            C. turning              D. sending

A. helping           B. saving            C. troubling           D. guiding

A. praise             B. move                C. call                   D. thank

A. wonderful       B. cheap                C. strange              D. foreign

A. habit                     B. end                   C. eyes                  D. corners

A. sadly              B. hardly            C. secretly             D. really

For 52 years my father got up at 5:30 am every morning, went to work, and returned home at 5:30 pm. I never saw my father stayed home from work ill, nor did I ever see my father lay down to take a nap. He had no hobbies, other than taking care of his family. All he asked from me, his daughter, was to help him while he was repairing something, so we could have some time to talk.
For 22 years, after I left home for college, my father called me at 9:00 am every Sunday. Nine years ago when I bought my first house, my father, 67 years old, spent eight hours a day for three days in the 80-degree Kansas heat, painting my house. He would not allow me to pay someone to have it done. All he asked for was a glass of iced tea. Five years ago, at age 71, my father spent five hours putting together a swing set for my daughter. Four years ago, my father drove all the way from Denver to Topeka, with an eight-foot Colorado Blue Spruce （云杉） in his truck, so that we could have a part of Colorado growing on our land.
On the morning of January 16, 1996, my sister telephoned me; my father was in the hospital with an aneurysm（动脉瘤） in Florida. I got on an airplane immediately, and on the way I realized that I hadn’t communicated with him as much as I’d always wanted to. I vowed（发誓） that when I arrived, I would have a long talk with him. I arrived in Florida at 1 am, only to find that my father, at the age of 76, had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or time to wait for me.
1. From the first paragraph we can infer that the author’s father ______.
A. was a good driver      B. was in good health
C. sometimes fell ill         D. had no hobbies
2. The underlined phrase “other than” in the first paragraph can be replaced by “______”.
A. except       B. including      C. without     D. due to
3. According to the last paragraph, we can know that the author’s father was born in ______.
A. 1916          B. 1918             C. 1920        D. 1922
4. The author wrote the article in order to ______.
A. praise her father            B. remember her father
C. show her father loved her   D. let her father be known

For the first time in Hong Kong’s history, an entertainer has been written into middle school textbooks. He is considered one of the best actors in Hong Kong. Yes, he is Chow Yun-fat.
The example of his long hard struggle for success has been used in a chapter in a Hong Kong middle school textbook. Using his experience, students can learn to make the most of their time and to grab every opportunity to succeed．
On hearing about this, Chow said happily, “I really hope that my experiences can make young people understand that one should not be afraid of difficulties and setbacks (挫折), for they are the only way to success.”
Indeed, Chow has travelled a long and difficult path to reach his success. In 1955, he was born into a poor family in Hong Kong. When he was 17, he had to leave school. He worked in a number of jobs—as a postman, camera salesman and taxi driver. These experiences paved (铺路) the way for him to play all kinds of roles later in life.
Chow broke into the film industry in the late 1970s. He was one of the hardest working actors and starred in a number of popular TV dramas and films including “Shanghai Bund”(《上海滩》) and “A Better Tomorrow”. Since 1985, he has won many awards including Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.
In 1995, he went to Hollywood. Although he was already over 40, he had to learn English. He even put chopsticks in his mouth to practise pronouncing certain sounds. His film, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, began to gain him more fame and recognition around the world. In 1998, the mayor of Chicago set aside January 12 as “Chow Yun-fat Day”.
【小题1】Chow Yun-fat has been written into middle school textbooks mainly because ________.

For the first time in Hong Kong’s history, an entertainer has been written into middle school textbooks. He is considered one of the best actors in Hong Kong. Yes, he is Chow Yun-fat.

The example of his long hard struggle for success has been used in a chapter in a Hong Kong middle school textbook. Using his experience, students can learn to make the most of their time and to grab every opportunity to succeed．

    On hearing about this, Chow said happily, “I really hope that my experiences can make young people understand that one should not be afraid of difficulties and setbacks (挫折), for they are the only way to success.”

    Indeed, Chow has travelled a long and difficult path to reach his success. In 1955, he was born into a poor family in Hong Kong. When he was 17, he had to leave school. He worked in a number of jobs—as a postman, camera salesman and taxi driver. These experiences paved (铺路) the way for him to play all kinds of roles later in life.

    Chow broke into the film industry in the late 1970s. He was one of the hardest working actors and starred in a number of popular TV dramas and films including “Shanghai Bund”(《上海滩》) and “A Better Tomorrow”. Since 1985, he has won many awards including Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 1995, he went to Hollywood. Although he was already over 40, he had to learn English. He even put chopsticks in his mouth to practise pronouncing certain sounds. His film, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, began to gain him more fame and recognition around the world. In 1998, the mayor of Chicago set aside January 12 as “Chow Yun-fat Day”.

1.Chow Yun-fat has been written into middle school textbooks mainly because ________.

A. he plays best in Hong Kong

B. he keeps on struggling for success

C. his experiences are very special

D. he is well thought of

2.Chow felt ________ when he learned that he had been written into middle school textbooks.

   A. surprised        B. shy           C. sad          D. happy

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A. Chow Yun-fat is proud of his success.

B. Chow Yun-fat prefers to make a living by selling cameras rather than by    performing.

   C. Chow Yun-fat has won more awards than other actors.

   D. Chow Yun-fat is popular both at home and abroad.

4.The underlined sentence (in paragraph 6) suggests ________.

   A. chopsticks is of great help to practise English pronunciation

   B. Chow Yun-fat is willing to struggle with difficulties

   C. Chow Yun-fat has suffered a lot before he went to Hollywood

   D. it is hard for a person who is over 40 years old to learn spoken English

5.The author wrote this passage to ________.

A. introduce Chow’s films

B. praise Chow for his excellent performance

C. call on people to learn from Chow 

D. show why Chow is popular

For 52 years my father got up at 5:30 am every morning, went to work, and returned home at 5:30 pm. I never saw my father stayed home from work ill, nor did I ever see my father lay down to take a nap. He had no hobbies, other than taking care of his family. All he asked from me, his daughter, was to help him while he was repairing something, so we could have some time to talk.

For 22 years, after I left home for college, my father called me at 9:00 am every Sunday. Nine years ago when I bought my first house, my father, 67 years old, spent eight hours a day for three days in the 80-degree Kansas heat, painting my house. He would not allow me to pay someone to have it done. All he asked for was a glass of iced tea. Five years ago, at age 71, my father spent five hours putting together a swing set for my daughter. Four years ago, my father drove all the way from Denver to Topeka, with an eight-foot Colorado Blue Spruce （云杉） in his truck, so that we could have a part of Colorado growing on our land.

On the morning of January 16, 1996, my sister telephoned me; my father was in the hospital with an aneurysm（动脉瘤） in Florida. I got on an airplane immediately, and on the way I realized that I hadn’t communicated with him as much as I’d always wanted to. I vowed（发誓） that when I arrived, I would have a long talk with him. I arrived in Florida at 1 am, only to find that my father, at the age of 76, had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or time to wait for me.

1. From the first paragraph we can infer that the author’s father ______.

A. was a good driver      B. was in good health

C. sometimes fell ill         D. had no hobbies

2. The underlined phrase “other than” in the first paragraph can be replaced by “______”.

A. except       B. including      C. without     D. due to

3. According to the last paragraph, we can know that the author’s father was born in ______.

A. 1916          B. 1918             C. 1920        D. 1922

4. The author wrote the article in order to ______.

A. praise her father            B. remember her father

C. show her father loved her   D. let her father be known