My life as a little person is filled with stories. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents．It has taken many years of   36  my confidence to be able to do that．
I didn’t   37  how short I was until I started school．As time went on，I just tried to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be   38  my whole life．I was determined to make my   39  an advantage rather than a disadvantage．My friends became increasingly   40   . They’d help me up the bus steps．If people were cruel，they would take them aside and   41  them．
  42  I lacked in height，I   43  in personality my ability to laugh，even at myself．For example，one time I was   44  the washing machine at my parents’ house to grab the wet clothes．I fell 45   in and yelled for Mother，who was sitting nearby reading the paper．Watching feet   46  everywhere，she laughed and said，“I should leave you in there.” I   47  her．
I’m 47 now，and the   48  have not reduced as I’ve grown older．People ask my friends if I live in a dollhouse．They look   49  when they see me get out of my car on the driver’s side．During those times，I try to keep a good   50   . When people are rude，I   51  myself，“Look what else I have --a great family，nice friends.”
And it’s the children’s questions that make my life   52  ．“Why are you so short? How old are you? Are you a mommy?” When I talk with children，they are left  53  that their questions have been answered．My hope is that in taking time with them，I will  54   them to accept their peers，whatever size and shape they come in，  55 treat them with respect．

Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greets me when we see each other, and her sweet little boy, who's now four,  has picked up her mother's manner and will not talk to me, either．
Last Monday, she had called the firefighters when a pan I'd forgotten on the stove caused my flat to fog up while I was out taking a walk. When I came home, the street in front of our apartment house was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan! Luckily, nothing serious had happened, and all my neighbors agreed with the firefighter who said, "It could have happened to anyone．" When I thanked the neighbor who had called the firefighters-let's call her Ivy-and apologized for causing the trouble, she just asked if my cats were all right．When I said they were fine, she said, "Well, that's ok then," and turned into her flat．l felt strangely safe, knowing that even though we don't get along, she'd done the right thing and didn't blame me．So, the Rice Krispie Treats．
Last Christmas, my neighbor carelessly let it out that she was holding a grudge （怨恨） towards me because of an incident we'd had four years ago．I had particularly apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship. She would not accept my apology．
It had taken me a lot of courage to apologize and ask that question instead of insisting that we both shared responsibility for what had happened．Her flat-out refusal to make amends（补偿） really shocked and saddened me．After that, I decided I'd just leave her be-a relationship takes two to work．So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep, facing the closed door and holding my plate of treats． I know some people have a hard time understanding how the possibility of rejection can make an adult so afraid, but that's just the way I felt．
Then, I reminded myself of how loving and good I had felt yesterday when I'd done some random acts of kindness （thanks to helpothers．org）, after telling myself: Feet the fear,  and do it anyway! So I put the squares of Rice Krispie Treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment  door-and there she was, standing in the hallway．I smiled and said, "Hi," but when she saw me, she turned on her heels and went back inside, even though she seemed to have just stepped out．I went after her, regardless, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've got something for you ! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday．" When she heard me speaking, she turned around． As I held the plate towards her, explaining these were very sweet American treats, and that she could just try and see whether she and her family would like them, her eyebrows winged up-and she took the plate．l was so happy and excited．We then talked a bit about how she'd become aware of the smoke in my flat, and parted ways．
Back in my place, I did a "happy dance", because I had dared to be kind even though I hadn't been sure at all my kindness would be welcome．I do hope that our relationship will slowly get better; I know I was and still am biased（存有偏见）towards her at times, but even if we don't make amends, I want to be able to be kind without depending on other people's behaviors and reactions

1. 1.

   The neighbor held a grudge towards the writer most probably because_____．

   1. A.
      the writer's cats disturb her neighbor frequently
   2. B.
      the writer didn't thank her for calling the firefighters
   3. C.
      the writer never apologized to her for her misbehaviors
   4. D.
      the writer had an unpleasant experience with the neighbor long ago
2. 2.

   From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author_____

   1. A.
      was afraid of being rejected again by her neighbor
   2. B.
      didn't know how to get along with her neighbor
   3. C.
      didn't admit it was her fault in the last incident
   4. D.
      refused to forgive her neighbor's rude behavior
3. 3.

   After the writer said "Feel the fear, and do it anyway!", she decided to_____

   1. A.
      do an act of kindness
   2. B.
      leave her neighbor be
   3. C.
      apologize to her neighbor once more
   4. D.
      do something to let her neighbor down
4. 4.

   What can we learn about the writer?

   1. A.
      She was a professional dancer．
   2. B.
      She often had quarrels with her neighbor．
   3. C.
      She had a bias against her neighbor sometimes．
   4. D.
      She had an unpleasant experience at Christmas this year．
5. 5.

   What does the author try to tell us?

   1. A.
      Don't punish yourself because of other's mistakes．
   2. B.
      We should be kind to others, regardless of their behavior．
   3. C.
      We must keep a good relationship with our neighbors．
   4. D.
      When we make a mistake, we should have the courage to admit it．

Martha had been working for Miller Laboratories for two years, but she was not happy there. Nothing significant had happened in the way of promotions or salary increases. Martha felt that her supervisor, a younger and less experienced person than she, did not like her. In fact, the supervisor often said unpleasant things to her.

One day, while talking with her friend Maria, she mentioned how discouraged she was. Maria gave her the name of a cousin of hers who was director of Human Resources Department for a large chemical company. Martha called him the next day and set up an interview on her lunch hour.

During the interview, Mr. Petri said, “You’re just the kind of person we need here. You’re being wasted in your other job. Give me a call in a day or two. I’m sure we can find a place for you in our organization.” Martha was so happy she almost danced out of the building.

That afternoon, Ruth Kenny, her supervisor, saw that Martha had come in ten minutes late from her lunch hour and she said, “Oh, so you finally decided to come back to work today?”

This was the last straw. She could not take another insult. Besides, Mr. Petri was right: she was being wasted in this job.

“Look,” she said angrily, “if you don’t like the way I work, I don’t need to stay here. I’ll go where I’m appreciated! Good-bye!” She took up her things and stormed out of the office.

That night she called Maria and told her what had happened and then asked Maria, “What do you think?”

“Well,” said Maria carefully, “are you sure about the other job?”

“Well, not exactly, but…”

Maria continued, “Will you be able to get a recommendation from Mrs. Kenny if you need one?”

“A recommendation?…from Mrs. Kenny?” hesitated Martha, in a worried tone.

“Martha, I hope you didn’t burn your bridges.” Maria said. “I think I would have handled it differently.”

1.Martha is unhappy in her job because _____.

2.Which of the following statement is NOT true?

3.The phrase “the last straw” probably refers to _____.

4.What does Maria think of Martha’s decision?