I wandered into the small store where I usually buy milk, when the store owner received a call from a customer. The customer and his wife had shopped there several months earlier. He noticed that his wife really liked one thing in the store, so he wanted to buy it as a surprise.

But the customer was in Tennessee, far away from the store which was in Maine. What was more, he had been to the store several months earlier, and it was difficult to believe that the store owner would remember him, or what he was looking for.

The store owner took a few close-up photos with her camera, and e-mailed them to the customer on the computer. The customer looked at the photos, and decided which one he wanted. They talked and discussed a price over the phone. She took care of the credit card transaction (交易) online, and promised the gift would be shipped out that afternoon.

The store owner was really smart. She was willing to push herself to find new ways to make the transaction actually happen. And it did work. However, it was the first time she had ever done it.

I was amazed that the store owner discovered a creative solution that could lead to a new way of doing business. I was impressed by what she did---so easily, but how difficult it is for many of us to make that leap(飞跃). I’m not just talking about technology, but about learning how to adapt to change. Most people hate or fear change unless they get to know exactly what change needs to be made. However, we should realize that challenge and opportunity go hand in hand.

1.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. The owner often did business by using her camera.

B. The customer had ever been to the store before.

C. The owner and the customer discussed the price on the computer.

D. The gift was sent out by train that afternoon.

2.The author was impressed by the store owner because _________.

A. she was always ready to help others

B. she told the writer how to run a store

C. she was a successful businesswoman

D. she managed to find a new way when facing change

3. What’s the correct order of the store owner’s solution?

a. e-mailing the photos to the customer on the computer

b. taking care of the credit card transaction online

c. taking a few close-up photos with her camera

d. talking about the price of the gift with the customer

A. bcda B. abcd C. cadb D. cabd

4.Which of the following words can best describe the store owner?

A. Creative B. Humorous C. Confident D. Honest

It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Our children were upstairs unpacking, and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. “What are you doing out there?” I called to him.

He looked up, smiling. “I'm making you a surprise.” I thought it could be just about anything. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us. Today, however, Dad would say no more, and caught up in the busyness of our new life, I eventually forgot about his surprise.

Until one gloomy day the next March when I glanced out of the window, I saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses (番红花)throughout the front lawn — blue, yellow and my favorite pink, with little faces moving up and down in the cold wind. I remembered the things Dad secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs?

My father's crocuses bloomed (开花) each spring for the next five seasons, always bringing the same assurance: Hard times are almost over. Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon.

Then a spring came with only half the usual blooms and the next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses, so I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs. But I never did. He died suddenly one October day. My family were in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith.

On a spring afternoon four years later, I was driving back when I felt depressed. It was Dad's birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual — my family often talked about him, remembering how he lived up to his faith. Suddenly I slowed as I turned into our driveway. I stopped and stared at the lawn. There on the muddy grass with small piles of melting snow, bravely waving in the wind, was one pink crocus.

How could a flower bloom from a bulb more than 18 years ago, one that hadn't bloomed in over a decade? But there was the crocus. Tears filled my eyes as I realized its significance.

Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon. The pink crocus bloomed for only a day, but it built my faith for a lifetime.

1.According to the first three paragraphs, we learn that ________.

A. it kept bothering the author not knowing what the surprise was

B. the author was unpacking when her father was making the surprise

C. it was not the first time that the author's father had made a surprise

D. the author knew what the surprise was because she knew her father

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The author usually felt depressed in the season of winter.

B. The author's father planted the crocuses to lift her low spirits.

C. The author often thought about her father after he died.

D. The crocuses bloomed each spring before her father died.

3.The author's father should be best described as ______.

A. a part-time worker who loved flowers

B. a kind-hearted man who lived with faith

C. a full-time gardener with skillful hands

D. an ordinary man with doubts in his life

4.What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Crocuses — My Source of Faith

B. Crocuses— Father's Surprise

C. A Pink Crocus — My Memory

D. Crocuses in Blossom — My Favorite

Last night my husband and I were on the way to a show. We were both hungry and wanted to grab a quick bite on our way there, so we swung through a Jack-In-the-Box-Drive-thru Restaurant and placed our order.

When we got up to the window the lady smiled at me, which is sometimes rare and asked how I was doing while she was collecting our money for the food. I replied, "Fine, and how are you'?" She went to get our order ready and I asked my husband to pass my "Drive-thru Smile bag" to me. He handed it to me and watched in amazement as I gathered together a "You make a difference" paper, including a smile card, a smile stamp and a smile button.

She came back to the window almost before I finished putting it all together. Without looking too closely she passed the bag and said, "Thank you. Have a good day." I said, "Wait! This is for you." As I placed the little smile gifts in her hand a smile spread across her face. As she looked at the items it got a little bigger but when I thanked her for her smile there was no holding back. She gave the biggest smile and she was laughing. It was very heartwarming.

My husband was very impressed by it. It made him smile too. It just takes a little effort to connect in a human way to everyone we have dealings with, even with something as small as a Drive-thru transaction.

Remember, we all make a difference!

1.All the followings are included in my "You make a difference" paper EXCEPT ________.

A. a smile cardB. a smile stamp

C. a smile buttonD. a smile bag

2.The lady became happy because she received ________.

A. some foodB. some kindnessC. some moneyD. some help

3.What may be the best title for the text?

A. Jack-In-the-Box-Drive-thru Restaurant

B. Biggest Drive-thru Smile Ever

C. You Make a Difference through Effort

D. Don't hold back Your Smile

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