I got a cancer when I was 18. This was a big deal for someone to 31. I chose to fight. After treatments, I 32 from my illness. Life couldn’t have been any 33. When I became fit years later, I met a wonderful man and got married. 34, I still felt something missing and eager to find my 35.
As my 20-year anniversary (周年纪念) of being a cancer 36 approached, I wanted to do something special and 37. I organized a fundraiser, calling it “A Mission (使命) of Love” and thanks to my 38 family and friends, raised﹩4,000 for St. Jude’s, planning to 39 it myself. Three quarters of the money would be given as a (n) 40 to the hospital, and what was left would go toward buying 41 for the children. I also organized a T-shirt 42 activity for any child who felt well enough.
Thanksgiving Day seemed the most 43 day of the year for the mission, and so it was all arranged. We went to a store and 44 three shopping carts with toys. It was 45 we were celebrities (名人) when the employees and other shoppers knew what we were doing.
On Thanksgiving Day, as we got to St. Jude’s, I became 46 emotional, as my eyes were filled with tears of 47. After dropping the toys off, we arrived where six children were waiting anxiously to begin painting. To me, it was as though they weren’t sick, and to see them smile was the greatest gift I could have ever 48.
Leaving there that day, I knew I had finally found my purpose. All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t 49 why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you 50 in life. It’s what you do for others.

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Offer details

·Pay online

·Limit 1 voucher(代金券) per person, may buy 5 more for others

·Shipping is extra (average $6, return shipping included)

·The voucher is valid towards shipping

·Taxes extra

High spots

·Save up to 75% on every textbook

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Keeping school expenses low is important. Get a better bargain on academic supplies with today’s WagJag: for $10, receive $25 towards rental textbooks from TextbookRental.ca.

TextbookRental.ca helps students continue with their study while saving precious money for other purposes. The site contains books in all academic fields—arts, sciences, business, education and more. Once you find your desired textbooks, complete the easy checkout process and your course materials will be shipped to your dorm or home. Discounts on each single book vary but can save you up to 75%. After the semester finishes, mail back your books (free of marking, stains or other damage), using the included prepaid return envelope. The site’s 15-day return policy lets you send unneeded books back for a refund.

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TextbookRental.ca

Contact WagJag—WagJag Business Hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.

E-mail: info@wagjag.com                 Phone: 416-687-5848

Toll free（免费电话）：1-855-492-4524      Fax: 1-866-268-4286

1.The voucher mentioned in the passage _______.

A. includes shipping fees            

B. will be mailed to buyers

C. can’t be used to pay taxes         

D. needs to be cashed at banks

2.What is the main advantage of the service from TextbookRental.ca?

A. It helps students limit school expenses.

B. It sells new textbooks at a low price.

C. It sends interesting gifts to students.

D. It helps students who are poor at studies.

3.What can be learned about the activity of renting textbooks launched by TextbookRental.ca?

A. It can be enjoyed all over Canada.         

B. It deals with orders 24 hours a day.

C. The books can be returned in any condition.

D. The buyers can keep the books for 15 days.

American author Mark Twain once noted that “life would be surely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.” Twain’s words were only one of many complaints about aging. The ancient Greek poet Homer called old age “hateful”, and William Shakespeare termed it “terrible winter”.
Alexander the Great, who conquered most of the known world before he died around 323 B.C., may have been looking for a river that healed the ravages of age. During the 12^th century A.D., a king called Prester John ruled a land that had a river of gold and a fountain of youth.
But the name linked most closely to the search for a fountain of youth is 16^th-century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. He thought it would be found in Florida. In St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., there’s a tourist attraction. It is said to be the fountain of youth that Ponce de Leon discovered soon after he arrived in what is now Florida in 1513. However, elderly visitors who drink the spring’s water don’t turn into teenagers.
But the tale of the search for a fountain of youth is so appealing(有吸引力的) that it survives anyway, says Ryan K. Smith, a professor of history. “People are more attracted by the story of looking and not finding than they are by the idea that the fountain might be out there somewhere.”
Still, a few grains of truth have helped to support the story. Kathleen Deagan, a professor of archaeology, says a graveyard and the remains of a Spanish mission dating back to St. Augustine’s founding in 1565 have been discovered near the so-called fountain of youth. Michelle Reyna, a spokesperson for the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine, says the fountain has been a tourist attraction since at least 1901 and may have been attracting visitors since 1860.
【小题1】According to the passage, who searched for a fountain of youth?

Venice, one of the cities in Italy,was founded in A.D.811 by the people of Malamocco, fleeing （逃跑）from the Franks. It was said that they were guided by pigeons carrying little crosses, and settled where now Venice lies.
Venice is built on 117 islands. It has 150 canals and 400 bridges. The narrow streets, with their historic names, are covered with stones,but have no footpaths. They are dotted with flower shop signs and lanterns. Shops and palaces stand by side. The brick bridges are high enough to allow boats to pass freely under them.
The center of public life is St. Mark’s Square where tourists and citizens sit in the famous Florian and Quadri cafes to listen to music, enjoying themselves. The Quadri is more popular but the Florian, founded in 1720, is the best-known cafe because it has received such great persons as Byron (an English poet) and Goethe (a German poet).
Unfortunately the special position of Venice is threatening（威胁）it’s own existence. The terrain（地势）on which it is built began to sink while the level of the surrounding waters is constantly rising. Howe’ver, many measures have already been taken to prevent the city from sinking.
1. In the second paragraph, the author ______.
A. showed up where Venice is         B. told us who built the city of Venice
C. described what Venice is like       D. talked about why Venice is surrounded by waters
2. Which of the following shows the right relationship?（○=Italy;△="Venice;□=St.Marks" Square）
3. Why is the Florian the famous cafe? Because ______.
A. it appeared in Byron and Goethe’s poems
B. it is more close to St. Mark’s Square than the Quadri
C. it was founded in 1720,much older than the Quadri
D. Byron and Goethe were once it’s customers
4. From the article we can see that ______.
A. many people have fled because Venice’s existence is being threatened
B. the level of the surrounding water is constantly rising because the city of Venice began to sink
C. the government has already taken many measures to save the city from going down
D. many steps have already been taken to prevent the terrain from rising

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new baby. They find out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sings to his sister in Mommy's stomach.

In time, the labor pains come. But complications arise during delivery. Finally, Michael's little sister is born. But she is in serious condition. With alarm in the night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee. The days go by. The little girl gets worse. The pediatric (儿科的) specialist tells the parents, “There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst.”

Karen and her husband contact a local cemetery about a burial plot. They have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby, but now they plan a funeral. Michael keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister, "I want to sing to her," he says. But kids are never allowed in Intensive Care.

Karen makes up her mind. She will take Michael whether they like it or not. If he doesn’t see his sister now, he may never see her alive.

She dresses him in an oversized suit and marches him into ICU. He looks like a walking laundry basket, but the head nurse recognizes him as a child and shouts, "Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed. Never disturb patients here.” The mother rises up strongly and said," He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!"

Karen leads Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazes at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. And he begins to sing. In the pure hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sings:" You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray......" Instantly the baby girl responds. The pulse rate begins to calm down and becomes steady.

“Keep on singing, Michael." encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes. "You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away."

The next day, the very next day, the little girl is well enough to go home! Woman's Day magazine called it "the miracle of a brother's song". The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of Gods love!

Never give up on the people you love.

1.What may the underlined words "the infant" refer to?

2.What do we know about the little sister after she was born?

3.Why did Karen firmly let little Michael see his sister in ICU?

4.What do we know about the head nurse?

5.What is the general idea of the text?