This little story I’m about to tell you happened when I was 11 years old, and I’ll never forget it.
It was at my friend Jenny’s house after 36 one day, and we were doing our homework. While I was there, a friend of Jenny’s mom came over to 37. I didn’t know her name or 38 what her face looked like. I just 39 her hands, her voice and the lesson I 40 from her.
I can’t forget that she 41 her hands to introduce herself. It was so 42, I thought, rich fine skin; then I heard her saying, “Oh no, that is not 43 you shake hands. Let me teach you.” She didn’t do that at all in a condescending (屈尊的) manner. 44 that, I just remember her voice explaining the 45 of a good handshake of conveying (传达) a   46 sense of self-belief, of looking the other person in the eyes, and of making a warm  47. Hearing her friendly words, I first understand what being 48 meant.
I admired her for 49 time to teach me about one of the important things in life. I was grateful for her not talking down to me 50 I was 11 and didn’t know much. I also felt somewhat admired by the way she 51 me. It felt good to be talked to as a(n) 52, rather than as an 11-year-old child. I also 53 her telling me that if someone isn’t aware of something you should show him or her the right direction; don’t be afraid to 54 your knowledge.
I think of her every time I meet someone 55, and I’m so thankful for her little lesson.

【小题1】
A.breakfastB.workC.sleepD.school
【小题2】
A.readB.checkC.visitD.live
【小题3】
A.evenB.certainlyC.everD.simply
【小题4】
A.watchB.rememberC.holdD.seize
【小题5】
A.learnedB.selectedC.wantedD.discovered
【小题6】
A.raised upB.hung upC.reached outD.put out
【小题7】
A.paleB.beautifulC.roughD.small
【小题8】A whom        B .why            C .when            D. how
【小题9】
A.AfterB.BeforeC.DuringD.Through
【小题10】
A.necessityB.styleC.importanceD.rule
【小题11】
A.weakB.positiveC.differentD.special
【小题12】
A.friendB.voiceC.heartD.atmosphere
【小题13】
A.respectedB.noticedC.servedD.praised
【小题14】
A.havingB.takingC.arrangingD.keeping
【小题15】
A.whenB.butC.becauseD.so
【小题16】
A.treatedB.protectedC.encouragedD.required
【小题17】
A.boyB.studentC.teacherD.adult
【小题18】
A.hatedB.mindedC.appreciatedD.understood
【小题19】
A.testB.shareC.increaseD.control
【小题20】
A.healthyB.smartC.familiarD.new

Lie in bed, by an open window, and listen…
“No air conditioning? How can you sleep?” a friend asks, horrified. I tell her my family has decided to shut the air conditioner off and reduce our electric bill. On this first night of our cost-cutting plan, it’s only 85 degrees. We’re going to suffer, but the three kids complain anyway.
They have grown up in 72-degree comfort, protected from the world outside.
“It’s too hot to sleep,” my 13-year-old daughter complains. “I’m about to die from this heat,” her brother complains down the hall. “Just try it tonight,” I tell them. In truth I’m too tired to turn for long. My face is sweaty, but I lie quietly listening to the cricket choirs outside that remind me of childhood.
The neighbor’s dog howls. Probably a passing squirrel. It’s been years since I took the time to really listen to the night.
I think about grandma, who lived to 92 and still helped with my mom’s gardening until just a few weeks before she died. And then, I’m back there at her house in the summer heat of my childhood. I move my pillow to the foot of grandma’s bed and turn my face toward the open window. I turn the pillow, hunting for the cooler side.
Grandma saw me turn over and over. “If you just watch for the breeze(清风),” she said, “you’ll cool off and fall asleep.” I stare at the filmy white curtain, willing it to move. Lying still, waiting, I suddenly notice the life outside the window. The bug chorus. Neighbors, porch(门廊)-sitting late, speak in unclear words that calm me.
“Mom, did you hear that?” my seven-year-old son cries, “I think it was an owl(猫头鹰)family.”
“Probably,” I tell him, “just keep listening…”
Without the working air conditioner, the house is peaceful, and the natural night noises seem close enough to touch. I hope I’m awake tonight when the first breeze comes in.
【小题1】On the first night of the writer’s cost-cutting plan, her children ______.

A.live a comfortable life as usual
B.begin to be unhappy
C.are protected from the world outside
D.are about to die from the heat
【小题2】The author talks about her grandmother and her childhood to show that ______.
A.people used to live a hard life
B.people at that time were hardworking
C.it’s OK for people to live a simple life
D.she has learned a great deal from her grandma
【小题3】In the writer’s eyes, her children are ______.
A.free from parents’ protection
B.full of dissatisfaction with life
C.dependable because of parents’ love
D.lacking in real test of hardships in life
【小题4】Which of the following titles best suits the passage?
A.Waiting for the Breeze.
B.An Interesting Experience.
C.Life at Present and Life in the Past.
D.Different Times, Different Children

I still remember the days when I was a youthful student in an engineering school. I lived a casual life, without caring about the future. I smoked, drank with friends and made girl friends. Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss.

Two years had passed and I was staring down a report card that highlighted FALL in more than half the subjects. I didn’t care, at least not until my dad found about it. You see, I studied In India and unlike the United States where the students are expected to finance their own education, my dad financed me.

Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking. He lost his temper but he just told me, “Son, your allowance is cut in half from this moment on”. It hit me like a roundhouse kick.(回旋踢) from Bruce Lee. I was shocked out of my bones. I couldn’t comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college. I owed everybody money: the grocery store, the bars, the restaurants, my friends, etc. I was living a life filled with credit.

When I went back to college, I knew that if I don’t change the way I live my life I won’t be able to pay everybody off. So I decided to make some changes. I quit smoking, cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong the road, starting hanging out in libraries and reading my engineering books.

One year later, I went from a miserable failure to a magna cum laude(优等成绩). Life was never the same again. This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take action and do something about it, however small or large. Even today it still motivates me when I feel that I’m about to lose or give up. It reminds me that I can do it.

1. What kind of life did the author live in the engineering school? (No more than 12 words)                                                      

_____________________________________________________________________

2. When did the author begin to care about the serious situation? (No more than 14 words)

_______________________________________________________________________

3.How did his father deal with his son’s problem? (No more than 8 words)

_______________________________________________________________________

4. What did the author learn from this incident? (No more than 12 words)

_______________________________________________________________________

 

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