Anna Douglas was 72 years old when she started writing her newspaper column. She had been a school teacher before she retired(退休)，but she needed to keep __1__.She was even willing to work without pay. She then offered her __2__ with a business that helped other businesses find jobs for old people. Every day she __3__ other old folks like her. By talking with them，she __4__ two things. Old people had abilities that were not __5__.But old people also had some __6___.She found a new purpose for herself then.

Through the years，she __7__ to write stories about people for national magazines. There was now a new __8__：Old people like herself. She began to write a newspaper column called “Sixty Plus”，which is about __9__ old. She writes about the problems of old people，especially their problems with being __10__.

Anna Douglas uses her __11__ ability to see the truth behind a problem. She understands __12__ problems begin. For example，one of her __13__ said that his grandchildren__14__ the houses as soon as he came to visit. Mrs. Douglas __15__ some ways to him to understand his grandchildren.

“It's important to know__16__ about your grandchildren's world，” says Mrs. Douglas. “That means questioning and listening，and __17__ is not what old people do best. Say good things to them and about them，” she continues. “Never try to __18__ your grandchildren or other young people. Never __19__ your opinion. Don't tell them what they should do.__20__，they have been taught they should have respect for old people. The old should respect them as well.”

1．A. free         B．rich         C．powerful         D．busy

2．A. service        B．money         C．students         D．books

3．A. observed         B．met         C．comforted        D．answered

4．A. recognized         B．followed         C．enjoyed         D．demanded

5．A. studied         B．agreed         C．gave         D．used

6．A. mistakes         B．problems         C．questions        D．characters

7．A. had         B．ought         C．was         D．used

8．A. subject         B．life         C．way         D．plan

9．A. getting         B．respecting         C．employing  D．supporting

10．A. unknown       B．refused   C．misunderstood        D．discouraged

11．A. thinking         B．working         C．writing         D．leading

12．A. that         B．when         C．why         D．whether

13．A. visitors         B．readers         C．listeners         D．friends

14．A. got         B．entered         C．left         D．passed

15．A. invented         B．chose         C．suggested         D．imagined

16．A. everything      B．something    C．anything         D．nothing

17．A. listening         B．speaking         C．pleasing         D．advising

18．A. praise         B．scold         C．trouble         D．encourage

19．A. speak out        B．give up         C．get back         D．stick to

20．A. Commonly     B．Surprisingly      C．Happily        D．Naturally

A couple of years ago, I went to a lady’s house to buy some vitamins. Upon entering the house, I  36  that there was an electronic keyboard on a stand, leaning  37  the wall. Being a piano music lover and  38 , I asked, if the woman played. She nodded and added that she had been  39  lessons at age 54! I told her that it was very   40  that she was pursuing （追求） her passion（热情）to play the piano.
Then she asked me  41  question. “I have been playing for 8 years now,” I answered. 
“Then you must play a song for me before you leave,” she  42 .I thought she was joking and I simply smiled. At the end of the deal of the vitamins, she  43 me of our musical “ 44 _”. She then showed me to an old upright piano in the living room,  45   asked me to play a song for her. I thought  46   and decided to play David Lantz’s “Return to the Heart”, since she had so much passion for  47 ,and it was my soul-searching song. 
I played the song to the best of my ability, and with my emotions  48  into it as possible. She loved it.  49  I was about to step out of the door, I heard a weak voice calling out, “Young man!”
I turned around. And there was an old lady  50  one little step at a time with the help of another woman. “I wanted to come out to  51  you for the beautiful song that you played. I have been very sick, and it’s very hard for me to  52 my bed, but your music made me feel good ”she said. With that, she turned around and walked  53  back to her room. 
I was deeply  54  by her appreciation and felt a deeper understanding for the song. It served its purpose beautifully, returning to one’s  55  for peace and joy. 

July 21st, 2007 was a typical English summer’s day ― it rained for 24 hours! As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I lift work at 5 pm, however, the road into our village was flooded. Our house bad never been flooded but, as I opened the front door, a wave of water greeted me. Thank God the kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We lost everything downstairs. And the plaster had to be torn off the walls, ceilings pulled down. ks5u

At first we tried to push on through. We didn’t want to move the children out of home, so we camped upstairs. we put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we felt very sick, so we moved to a wooden house in a park. The house was small, but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community（社区）.We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbours, and I’d never thought how much I’d miss that. ks5u

Although-our situation was very bad, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought , “We didn’t have a straw hut（茅草房）that was swept away , and our house is still sanding . We’re lucky .” ks5u

We moved back home in August. With December coming, there’s reconstruction work to be done, so it’s difficult to prepare for Christmas. But I can’t wait ― I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support. This year , I won’t need any gifts ― living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions . Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush ― we have our home back, and that’s the main thing. ks5u

45. What does the underlined word “amiss” in the first paragraph mean?

  A. Wrong.             B. Missing.            C. Right.            D. Found.

46. It can be inferred from the text that the author          .

A. was sick of staying upstairs

  B. cared much about her children

  C. could not stand living in a wooden house

  D. did not deal well with her family affairs during the flood

47. Why does the author say that they were lucky in the third paragraph?

  A. Because her situation was not serious.

B. Because many other places were flooded.

  C. Because she had been to Northern India.

  D. Because some others suffered even more.

48. What does the author mainly want to express by telling her story?

  A. She valued human feelings more than before.

  B. She realized she almost didn’t need possessions.

  C. She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed.

D. She thought her own home was the most important.

My husband Jeff and I moved into our new home in Scottsbluff last year just before Christmas. I did not have the 1 or energy to carry out my traditional Christmas decorating and baking activities. What was the point, anyway? It was going to be a 2 Christmas after all.

__3__, the neighborly nature of west Nebraska residents started to trickle (陆续来临) in.

There was a 4 on the door one evening. It was Jeff’s new colleague, John Smith, and his wife, Phyllis. The Smiths had stopped by to 5 us to town with a loaf of homemade bread. They pointed out a 6 on the porch (门廊). Apparently the doorbell wasn’t working in the cold snowy weather and we had 7 a visit from the Browns, our across-the-street neighbors, who brought us a Christmas card and more Christmas cookies.

The 8 feelings brought by these thoughtful gestures lasted longer than the food.

As Jeff and I were clearing pre-Christmas 9 from our driveway, Ernie Guzman came over from next door to 10 us to dig out.

Then, we received an invitation to 11 a Christmas Eve meal with our neighbors, Ernie and Nancy Sommer, and their 12 — a 90-year-old lady, who also had no family in the immediate area with whom to spend the holiday.

Our Christmas Eve was quite merry, thanks to our 13 . Our Christmas morning 14 was special, thanks to the Smiths’ gift of bread. I was so 15 for these gestures of welcome, especially during the holidays.

This year, we were again unable to be with our families for Christmas. The 16 and work schedules just made things too difficult. 17 that sense of Christmas isolation (孤立) all too well, we decided to try to round up some other folks who were 18 in the holidays.

Lonely people are all around us, but most of us 19 notice them. Just take a look around you. Sometimes, the smallest 20 gesture can make a world of difference.

1. A. chance　　　　　　 B. time　　　　　　 C. anxiety　　　　 D. ability

2. A. merry　　　　　　 B. free　　　　　　 C. lonely　　　　　 D. usual

3. A. Therefore　　　　　 B. Meanwhile　　　 C. Somehow　　　 D. However

4. A. card 　　　　　　 B. sign　　　　　　 C. knock　　　　　 D. note

5. A. welcome　　　　　 B. invite　　　　　　 C. drive　　　　　 D. send

6. A. tree　　　　　　　 B. package　　　　　 C. mail　　　　　　 D. flower

7. A. forgot　　　　　　 B. arranged　　　　 　C. received　　　　 D. missed

8. A. deep　　　　　　 B. true　　　　　　　 C. warm　　　　　 D. mixed

9. A. snow　　　　　　 B. rubbish　　　　　 C. dust　　　　　 D. leaves

10. A. teach　　　　　　 B. help　　　　　　　 C. urge　　　　　 D. forbid

11. A. share　　　　　　 B. prepare　　　　　 C. taste　　　　　 D. exchange

12. A. aunt　　　　　　 B. guest　　　　　　 C. maid　　　　　 D. partner

13. A. folks　　　　　　 B. relatives　　　　　 C. colleagues　　 D. neighbors

14. A. call　　　　 　　B. greeting　　　　　 C. breakfast　　　 D. meeting

15. A. sorry　　　　　　 B. eager　　　　　　 C. ready　　　　　 D. grateful

16. A. distance　　　　 B. expense　　　　　 C. season　　　　　 D. situation

17. A. Studying　　　　 B. Showing　　 　　C. Knowing　　　　 D. Discovering

18. A. alone　　　　　 B. busy　　　　　　 C. happy　　　　　 D. active

19. A. always　　　　　 B. seldom　　　　　　 C. finally　　　　　 D. usually

20. A. careful　　　　　 B. patient　　　　　　 C. vague　　　　 　D. kind

"What's it like to have a gap between your teeth?" a girl asked me one day.
Nobody had ever _. 36 _  before. My hand unconsciously rose to cover my mouth. But, as she looked at me, sincerely waiting for__ 37__, 1 realized she was not trying to be rude. "I never think about it," I truthfully replied. She nodded and turned away. I was left wondering if people _38__ me and saw only gappy teeth.
Later that day at home, I began to __39 __ my teeth again. I felt upset. I thought my life would be somehow better if my teeth were not gappy. How I wanted the perfect teeth that everyone else seemed to have!
Of course, Mom   40  everything . She has lived her entire life with gappy teeth, and tried to convince me that there was nothing to __41__. When I refused to listen, she told me I could get the surgery to close the gap if it was that important. "Let's be   42__, though," she said. "If everyone got surgeries to become pretty, everyone would be exactly the same. There is beauty in differences."
Her __43__ made me consider my teeth seriously. The thought of losing my gap was more terrible than the reality that people were going to notice it. I realized how important it was to me. It is part of my  44 _.
Nowadays many people do ridiculous things to realize their dream of "perfection." The__45_ is that no one is perfect. When all potential for ugliness is removed, so is all of the potential for   46__.
So if that girl ever asked about my teeth   47___, I would truthfully answer. "You know? It's really cute."