(江苏省盐城中学2007届高三第三次模拟考试)

When Nancy Lublin got $ 5,000 from her great-grandfather, she never once considered taking a vacation or paying off student loans.    36 , the 24-year-old New York University law student began thinking about the clothing    37 faced by most of today's low-income women: "If she goes for a job interview   38 dressed, she won't get the job," Lublin says. "But without a job, she can't   39 proper clothing."

 A few weeks later, Lublin  40 Dress for Success and began searching for clothing and volunteers. She asked women to give away    41   business clothes that were   42 in good condition. She asked the members of diet centers to give away clothes that no longer fit. At first Lublin  43 the clothes in her one-bedroom apartment, but finally she found   44 in Greenwich Village church basement, which now   45 as the organization's main office.
     Today, when women arrive at the office for help with job-hunting, they   46 a dress, shoes, a bag, stockings and jewelry, and self-confidence as well. Some are trying to enter the work  47 after being on welfare for years.

 48  Dress for Success fitted its first person who got help a year ago, more than 1,000 women have received dresses and many have won   49 . Yarit Polanco was recently   50 as a law-firm office manager. "Thanks to Dress for Success, I made a good impression and was accepted," she says.
    Donations are now    51 in, including jewelry and 6,000 pairs of trousers and $ 40,000 worth of handbags. Broadcast journalists have given suits. And Lublin is opening Dress for Success   52 in other cities. "Many women have clothes    53 around that they'll never wear again," says a volunteer. "Nancy's   54 is simple and practical and the  55 has proved so important to those women who are in great need of it."
36．A．Anyway     B．Instead       C．Fortunately      D．Meanwhile
37．A．condition   B．direction      C．design           D．plan
38．A．poorly     B．well          C．better           D．worse
39．A．make       B．find          C．wear           D．afford
40．A．reached    B．called        C．founded          D．visited
41．A．used       B．needed        C．new            D．torn
42．A．yet        B．already       C．almost           D．still
43．A．hid        B．stored        C．discovered       D．hanged
44．A．space      B．employers     C．work             D．office
45．A．regards    B．serves        C．looks            D．lies
46．A．buy        B．sell          C．receive          D．watch
47．A．office      B．victory       C．wealth           D．force
48．A．When       B．Once        C．Although         D．Since
49．A．jobs       B．shoes         C．business         D．prizes
50．A．fired      B．hired         C．interviewed       D．considered
51．A．giving     B．pouring       C．showing          D．sending
52．A．schools    B．trades        C．races            D．branches
53．A．lying      B．appearing     C．collecting       D．coming
54．A．promise    B．belief        C．idea             D．opinion
55．A．help       B．work          C．shop             D．money

 (吉林省实验中学2007届高三第四次模拟考试)

I ran into a stranger as he passed by. “I’m so sorry!” was my reply. Then he said. “Excuse me too——I wasn’t    21  watching  for you.” We were very polite, this stranger and I. Then we went   22  our way after saying goodbye.

But at   23  , a different story is told. How we treat our loved ones, young and old. Later in the kitchen, as I   24  our meal, my daughter walked up to me , very still. When I turned, I   25  knocked her down. “Get out of the way!” I shouted with a frown. She stepped away silently, with her little heart   26  . I didn’t realize how harshly I had spoken.

That night, when I lay   27  in bed, God’s quiet voice spoke to me, “While   28  with a stranger, you are calm and polite, but with those you love, you are QUICK to excite—Go look around on the kitchen floor, you will find some flowers there by the   29  . Those are the flowers she brought for you. She   30  them herself—pink, yellow, and your favorite blue. She stood there quietly, and you never saw the   31  in her eyes.”

By this time, I felt sad and small and now my own tears had begun to fall. I quietly went and knelt by her   32  , “Wake up, my dear,” I said. “Are these the flowers you picked up for me?” She smiled, “I found them out by the tree. I  33  them in a napkin, just for you. I knew you’d like them, especially the   34  .” I said, “I am so sorry that I missed them today—and I   35  have fussed（发牢骚）at you that way.”

Do you know that: if you die tomorrow, the   37  you are working for could easily replace you in a matter of days. But the family you leave   38  will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into our   39  than into our families—an unwise investment indeed.

Remember that  40  =（F）ATHER—（A）NO—（M）OTHER—（I）—（L）OVE—Y（OU）.

21．A．ever                    B．even                    C．just                     D．right

22．A．to                       B．in                        C．on                      D．for

23．A．school                 B．work                   C．home                  D．office

24．A．cooked                B．had                     C．ate                      D．took

25．A．already                B．hardly                 C．rudely                 D．nearly

26．A．lost                     B．missed                C．beaten                 D．broken

27．A．asleep                 B．awake                 C．afraid                  D．alive

28．A．standing              B．meeting               C．going                  D．talking

29．A．floor                   B．kitchen                C．window              D．door

30．A．grew                   B．gave                    C．picked                 D．dropped

31．A．tears                   B．expressions          C．smiles                 D．joy

32．A．desk                   B．bed                     C．body                   D．knees

33．A．wrapped              B．covered               C．put                     D．help

34．A．pink                    B．yellow                 C．blue                    D．black

35．A．needn’t               B．shouldn’t             C．mustn’t               D．can’t

36．A．however              B．besides                C．anything              D．anyway

37．A．company             B．country               C．place                   D．state

38．A．for                      B．with                    C．behind                 D．to

39．A．stranger              B．loss                     C．meal                   D．work

40．A．RESPECT           B．WARMTH           C．FAMILY              D．FRIEND

 (山东省聊城市2008年高三年级模拟（三）)

Teenagers at one German school are learning how to achieve happiness alongside other traditional  36  such as mathematics and languages.

The class sits in a circle with their eyes shut and they count from one to ten: someone starts, the   37  voice comes from the far right, a third from the other side.

The aim of the game is to   38  for an opportunity to shout out the   39  without clashing（相撞）with another voice or leaving a pause. On the first try,  40  of the young Germans try to be first, while a few are too shy to join in. But by the fifth  41  , they develop a rhythm. The   42  . give other people space but also  43  claim your own. This is a requirement for social well-being.

Unlike schools in other nations,  German schools do not usually have school sports teams or seek to build school spirit. Many teens admit they are   44  and confused, but school is not usually the place to find relief.

The Willy Hellpach School in Heidelberg is the first in the nation to develop a happiness  45  . It is   46  for 17-19-year-olds preparing for university entrance exams.

“The course isn’t there to make you happy as   47  ,” Ernst Fritz-Schubert, the school principal, warned pupils, “  48  rather to help you discover the ways to become happy.”

Cooking a meal together will be one of the class  49  , along with improving body language under the   50  of two professional actresses.

The course is taught for three periods a week.  51  the happy subject, the pupils themselves insist it is no laughing matter.

“In the first period, we had to each say something   52  about another member of the class and about ourselves. No laughing at people or teasing,” said Fanny, 17.

The message: self-esteem（自尊）improves  53  too.

Research by the school shows it is not the first to start happiness classes: they also   54  at some US universities, but are mainly based on positive thinking, using   55  from studies of depression.

“That would be too one-sided for us. We want to show how decent（好的）food or exercise can help too,” the principal said.

36．A．subjects              B．objects                C．customs              D．habits

37．A．sweet                  B．next                    C．last                     D．loud

39．A．name                  B．person                 C．number               D．slogan

40．A．All                      B．few                     C．most                   D．none

41．A．round                  B．limit                    C．sheet                   D．zone

42．A．topic                   B．rhythm                C．subject                D．message

43．A．patiently              B．confidently          C．immediately         D．quietly

44．A．happy                 B．lonely                  C．curious               D．distinctive

45．A． movement          B．class                   C．course                D．approach

46．A．intended              B．made                   C．managed             D．applied

47．A．much                  B．well                    C．usual                   D．such

48．A．and                     B．but                      C．so                       D．yet

49．A．tests                   B．exams                 C．exercises             D．homework

50．A．guidance             B．lookout                C．counsel               D．supervision

51．A．Except                B．Beyond                C．Unlike                 D．Despite

52．A．backward            B．positive               C．negative              D．subjective

53．A．atmosphere          B．achievement         C．happiness            D．score

54．A．exist                   B．happen                C．devise                 D．initiate

55．A．inspections          B．instructions          C．motives               D．findings

 (江苏省姜堰市第二中学2008届高三第三次模拟考试)

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner.   36   woman was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but my work had made   37   impossible to visit her very often. That night I called to   38  her to go out for dinner.“What’s wrong? Are you   39  ?”she asked. “I thought that it would be   40   to spend some time with you. Just the two of us,”I answered. She thought about it   41   moment, and agreed.

That Friday after work,   42   I drove to pick her up, I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I   43   that, she, too, seemed to be   44   about our date. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to   45   her last wedding anniversary.

We went to a restaurant that,   46   not elegant, was very nice and cozy. When I read the menu, Mom sat there   47   at me. A nostalgic(怀旧的)smile was   48   her lips. During the dinner, we had a(an)   49   conversation—nothing special but catching up on(了解)recent events of each other’s life.

A few days   50  , my mother died of a heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do   51   for her. Sometime later, I received an envelope with a note   52  “You will never know what that night meant to me. I’m looking forward to the   53   dinner. I love you, Son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time“I LOVE YOU”. Nothing in life is more important than your   54  . Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be   55   till“some other time”.

36. A. Another            B. This other              C. Other             D. Others

37. A. this                     B. that                          C. one                   D. it

38. A. force               B. order                     C. advise            D. invite

39. A. happy              B. good                        C. well                  D. bad

40. A. glad                    B. pleasant                    C. interesting      D. pleased

41. A. at the               B. for a                     C. in a                   D. for the

42. A. until                 B. after                      C. as                     D. since

43. A. noticed            B. observed                  C. watched            D. heard

44. A. confused             B. calm                        C. nervous             D. easy

45. A. congratulate     B. celebrate                C. memorize          D. honor

46. A. though             B. even                         C. but                   D. yet

47. A. glancing              B. staring                   C. glaring                  D. smiling

48. A. in                    B. beyond                     C. above             D. on

49. A. deep                   B. curious                     C. agreeable        D. short

50. A. later                 B. after                      C. before            D. ago

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

52. A. writing             B. saying                   C. speaking            D. telling

53. A. first                 B. second                         C. last                   D. next

54. A. mother             B. wife                      C. family            D. work

55. A. put off             B. taken over             C. cut off                  D. picked up

 (湖北省黄冈中学2008届高三第三次模拟考试)

The train shakes back and forth, its wheels making a loud noise against the tracks. Outside the window the freezing cold of winter rules. The carriage is filled with cold,   41   passengers.

Suddenly a little boy   42   his way through the grown-up legs and sits down by the window. He is all alone among the   43   grown-ups. What a brave child, I think. His father   44   to stay by the door behind us. The train begins to crawl into a tunnel. Then something very   45   happens suddenly. The little boy slides down from his seat and leans his hand on my knee.   46  , I think that he wants to   47   me and return to his father, so I help him to stand up. But instead he leans forward and holds his   48   up towards mine. He wants to say something to me, I think. I lower my head to receive the   49  . Wrong again! What I receive is a   50   kiss on the cheek.

The boy calmly returns to his seat, leans back and continues looking out of the window. I am   51  . What just happened? A child kissing a(n)   52   grown-up on the train. How can anybody want to kiss such a man that has so much beard? Soon enough, all of my neighbors are   53   kissed. Nervous and a little surprised, we   54   at the father. When he sees our questioning   55   as he gets ready for his stop, he offers a clue.

“He’s so happy to be alive.” the father says. “He has been very sick.”

Father and son   56   into the crowd moving toward the exit. Then doors close and the train goes on. On my cheek I can still   57   the child’s kiss — a kiss that has triggered (触发) some soul-search inside me. How many grown-ups   58   kissing each other from the joy of being alive? How many even give much thought to the privilege (特权) of   59  ?

The little kisser had taught us a sweet but serious lesson: Be careful. You don’t let yourself   60   before your heart stops!

41. A. excited                       B. tired                         C. pleased                     D. surprised

42. A. feels                          B. winds                       C. pushes                            D. picks

43. A. unfriendly                  B. friendly                    C. angry                       D. kind

44. A. likes                          B. prefers                            C. chooses                   D. agrees

45. A. great                          B. strange                     C. extraordinary           D. thrilling

46. A. In no moment             B. For a moment           C. For the moment        D. In a moment

47. A. beat                           B. tell                           C. inform                            D. pass

48. A. eyes                          B. ear                           C. head                        D. lip

49. A. news                         B. message                   C. kiss                         D. opinion

50. A. loud                           B. foolish                      C. strange                     D. fortunate

51. A. pleased                      B. shocked                   C. satisfied                   D. interested

52. A. well-known                B. smart                       C. unknown                  D. familiar

53. A. expectedly                  B. duly                         C. regularly                   D. eventually

54. A. stare                          B. smile                        C. warn                        D. whisper

55. A. glances                      B. anger                       C. mouths                    D. feeling

56. A. appear                       B. back                        C. disappear                  D. follow

57. A. touch                         B. trust                         C. smell                        D. feel

58. A. go around            B. come around             C. keep on                    D. insist on

59. A. a child                       B. a kiss                       C. living                       D. touching

60. A. die                             B. stop                         C. sleep                        D. live

 (江苏省黄桥中学2008届高三第三次模拟)

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    41    to play the piano.

  Then she asked me the same question.

  “I have been playing for 8 years now,” I answered.

  “Then you must play a song for me before you leave,” she requested.

  I    42   she was kidding and I simply smiled. At the end of the   43   of the vitamins, she    44    me of our musical “  45  ”. She then showed me to an old upright piano in the living room and asked me to play a song for her. I thought    46    and decided to play David Lanz’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    48   , and with my emotions pouring 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 I really wanted to thank you for the song. It made me feel good…” she said. With that, she turned around and walked      53    back to her room.

  I was deeply touched by her    54    and felt a deeper understanding for the song. It served its purpose beautifully, returning to one’s    55    for peace and joy.

36. A. observed             B. watched            C. noticed                     D. caught

37. A. on                      B. at                   C. over                         D. against

38. A. player                 B. learner               C. composer                 D. starter

39. A. giving              B. attending           C. teaching                   D. learning

40. A. interesting          B. exciting             C. aggressive             D. impressive

41. A. passion            B. interest              C. hobbies                    D. emotions

42. A. found                 B. felt                    C. hoped                   D. thought

43. A. charge                B. purchase           C. bargain                     D. obtaining

44. A. warned               B. required             C. asked                    D. reminded

45. A. deal                    B. contract            C. discussion             D. debate

46. A. for the moment    B. at the moment         C. for a moment            D. at a moment

47. A. music                 B. me                    C. the piano               D. vitamins

48. A. knowledge      B. attitude              C. mind                        D. ability

49. A. Since                  B. As                     C. While                    D. Because

50. A. taking                 B. making              C. having                   D. moving

51. A. thank                  B. praise               C. admire                         D. respect

52. A. get on                 B. get up               C. get off                         D. get down

53. A. quickly               B. calmly               C. happily                     D. slowly

54. A. approval         B. appreciation       C. joy                           D. thanks

55. A. heart                   B. world             C. soul                         D. dream

 (浙江省金华一中2008年5月高考模拟试卷)

We come by business naturally in our family. Each of the seven children in our family worked in our father’s store.  21  we worked and watched, we learned that work was about more than  22  and making a sale.

One lesson stands out in my  23  . It was shortly before Christmas. I was in eighth grade and was working evenings, straightening the toy section. A little boy, five or six years old, came in. He was  24   a brown torn coat with dirty sleeves. His shoes were scuffed and his one shoelace was torn. The little boy looked poor to me  — too poor to  25  to buy anything. He looked  26  the toy section, picked up this item and  27 , and carefully put them  28  in their place.

Dad came down the stairs and walked over to the boy. His steel blue eyes  29  and the dimple（酒窝） in his cheek stood out as he asked the boy what he could do for him. The boy said he was looking for a Christmas 30  to buy his brother. I was impressed that Dad treated him with the same respect as any adult. Dad told him to take his  31  and look around. He did.

After about 20 minutes, the little boy carefully picked up a toy  32 , walked up to my dad and said, “How much for this, Mister?”

“How much you got?” Dad asked.

The little boy held out his hand and  33  it. His hand was creased(起皱) with  34  lines of dirt from holding his  35   too tightly. In his hand  36  two dimes, a nickel and two pennies—27 cents. The price on the toy plane he’d picked out was $3.98.

“That’ll just  37  it,” Dad said as he  38  the sale. Dad’s reply still  39  in my ears. When the little boy walked out of the store, I didn’t notice the dirty, worn coat or the single torn shoelace. What I saw was a happy child with a  40  .

21. A. Because                     B. Since                C. As                    D. After

22. A. survival               B. labor                 C. hardship            D. entertainment

23. A. way                    B. mind               C. life                    D. time

24. A. putting on           B. dressing            C. having           D. wearing

25. A. try                      B. attempt              C. afford               D. manage

26. A. for                            B. around                     C. up                    D. over

27. A. that                    B. one                 C. it                      D. this

28. A. up                      B. away                 C. back                 D. off

29. A. opened                B. smiled               C. shone                D. looked

30. A. tree                    B. card                  C. present              D. cake

31. A. effort                  B. word                 C. time                  D. courage

32. A. car                            B. gift                   C. plane                 D. section

33. A. showed               B. opened              C. gave                 D. turned

34. A. long                    B. straight              C. wet                   D. main

35. A. toy                            B. pocket               C. hand                 D. money

36. A. lay                      B. had                   C. held                  D. laid

37. A. work                  B. cover                C. need                 D. take

38. A. took                   B. returned            C. made             D. offered 

39. A. rings                   B. stays                C. remains             D. gets

40. A. bag               B. treasure         C. package         D. thing

 (西安交大附中2007—2008学年度下学期高三第四次模拟考试)

       A story is told about a soldier who finally came home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from   21    “Mom and Dad, I   22   home ,but I’ve a favor to ask .I have a friend I’d like to bring home with me.” “   23  ,” they replied, “We’d love to meet him.” “There’s something you should know,” the son continued , “he was  24   in the fighting. He  25  on a land bomb and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go ,and I want him to   26  us.” “I’m sorry to hear that ,son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.” “No, Mom and Dad ,I want him to live with us.” “Son,” said the father , “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such    27   would be   28  on us. We have our own lives to live ,and we can’t let something like this    29   with our lives. I think you should just come home and 30      about this guy . He’ll find a way to live    31   his own.

       At that point, the son   32    the phone. The parents heard   33  more from him. A few days later ,   34   ,they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building .The police believed it was a   35  .They grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco to   36  the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had   37  .

       The parents in this story are like many of us .We find it  38   to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around ,but we don’t like people who are   39  to us or make us feel uncomfortable. Thankfully ,there’s someone who loves us with an   40   love that welcomes us into the forever family.

21．A．Chicago              B．Boston                C．San Francisco      D．London

22．A．am coming          B．am leaving           C．was coming         D．was leaving

24．A．very healthy         B．very well             C．hurt badly            D．fairly good

25．A．stepped               B．sat                      C．lay                      D．slept

26．A．play with             B．work with           C．live with              D．keep with

27．A．disadvantages      B．advantages           C．shortcomings       D．disabilities

28．A．a terrible burden   B．a happy family     C．pleasant company D．deadly disease

29．A．stop                    B．interfere              C．strengthen           D．improve

30．A．forget                 B．bring                   C．remember            D．forgive

31．A．of                       B．on                       C．at                       D．in

32．A．hold on               B．hung on               C．hung up              D．hung out

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

34．A．besides                B．however              C．and                     D．otherwise

35．A．accident              B．coincidence         C．murder                D．suicide

36．A．take                    B．bring                   C．identify               D．fetch

37．A．no arm and no leg                                                               B．two arms and one leg

       C．only one arm and one leg                      D．one arm and two legs

38．A．difficult               B．difference            C．easy                    D．simple

39．A．smart                  B．friendly               C．familiar               D．inconvenient

40．A．valuable               B．unconditional       C．precious              D．unique

 (山东省诸城等四县市2008年高考适应性训练)

Each of us fails from time to time．If we are wise，we accept these failures as a    36    part of the learning process．But all too often as parents and teachers we     37    this same right to our children．

    When I see a child suffer from this kind of     38    ，I think of Donnie．

    Donnie was my youngest third grader．His   39   of failure kept him from classroom games that other children enjoyed．He    40    answered questions——he was afraid he might be wrong．I tried my best to build his    41   ．But nothing changed until mid-term，when Mary Anne，a student teacher，was assigned to our classroom．She was young and pretty，and she loved children．Many pupils，Donnie included，all   42   her very much．

    One morning，we were working on math problems at the chalkboard．Donnie had     43    the problems with pains-taking tidiness．Pleased with his progress，I    44   the children with Mary Anne and went for art materials．When I returned，Donnie was in     45    ．He'd missed the third problem．

    My student teacher looked at me in despair．Suddenly her face   46   ．From the desk we shared，she got a container filled with pencils．

    “Look，Donnie，”she said，kneeling beside him and gently   47    the tern-stained face from his arms，“I've got something to   48   you．”She removed the pencils，one at a time，and placed them on his desk．

      “See these   49   ，Donnie，”she continued，“They belong to Mrs. Lindstrom and me．See how the erasers are    50   ? That's because we make mistakes too．But we erase the mistakes and try again．That's what you   51   learn to do，too．”

    She kissed him and stood up．“Here，” she said，“I'll leave one of these pencils on   52  desk so you'll remember that everybody makes mistakes，   53    teachers．” Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and a smile．

      The   54   became Donnie's prized possession．That，together with Mary Anne's frequent encouragement，gradually    55   him that it's all right to make mistakes——as long as you erase them and try again．

36．A．optional               B．basic                   C．necessary             D．optimistic

37．A．distribute             B．disallow               C．offer                   D．permit

38．A．influence              B．controversy          C．attack                 D．pressure

39．A．fear                     B．conscience           C．chance                D．sense

40．A．always                 B．often                   C．never                   D．seldom

41．A．self-protection      B．self-improvement  C．self-confidence       D．self-learning

42．A．respected             B．conveyed             C．declined               D．approved

43．A．worked out          B．written down        C．gone over             D．appealed to

44．A．left                      B．offered                C．missed                 D．parted

45．A．surprise               B．astonishments       C．anger                    D．tears

46．A．darkened              B．brightened            C．pulled                  D．loosened

47．A．lifting                  B．picking                C．holding               D．pushing

48．A．help                     B．show                   C．reward               D．promise

49．A．pencils                 B．mistakes              C．marks                D．containers

50．A．used                    B．built                     C．worn                   D．damaged

51．A．may                    B．must                    C．ought                D．can

52．A．my                      B．someone's            C．the teacher's         D．your

53．A．still                      B．also                     C．even                   D．not

54．A．pencil                  B．words                  C．mistake              D．desk

55．A．warned                B．informed              C．persuaded           D．reminded

 (辽宁省沈阳二中2008届第四次模拟考试)

Life is like potato salad; when it’s shared it becomes a picnic.

  When my three children were young, my husband，Roy ，and I were very  36  .

  “Can we go on a picnic, Mom?” my six-year-old daughter, Becky  37  . “Please.”

  I had said no so many times in the  38   months, and I decided the usual Saturday morning chores (日常工作) could wait. To her  39  , I agreed.

  I prepared a few sandwiches and  40  a cooler with ice and drinks and called Roy  41  . My eleven-year-old twin sons put the cooler and the picnic basket in the trunk and off we went to spend some  42  time together as a family.

  About the time I got the lunch  43  out on the table, Roy arrived on the  44  .

  That was one of the happiest meals we ever shared together. The meal was filled with  45  . We felt a closeness that had been hidden by work and school  46  for so many months. Roy and the boys  47  rocks into the lake. Becky fed the ducks and I sat quietly on the picnic table,  48  God for blessing me with such a wonderful family.

   That night as our  49   went to bed, I kissed their cheeks and realized what a wonderful life I had.

   As I walked out of the room it dawned on me that even the busiest  50   could become a picnic when it’s shared with the ones you  51  .

   Even though the kids have now grown up and  52  from home, I can still remember how I felt that day while sitting at the picnic table.

   Maybe today would be a good( time to  53  potato salad, call all of my grown kids, feed some hungry  54  and skipped a few rocks into the lake. Since life is like potato salad, let’s make it a  55  .

36. A. old                  B. poor               C. busy              D. miserable

37. A. begged        B. asked                C. doubted             D. wondered

38. A. coming        B. recent               C. following           D. later

39. A. doubt           B. disappointment   C. sadness             D. surprise

40. A. supplied       B. provided         C. combined          D. filled

41. A. off work      B. at home             C. at work             D. on business

42. A. unhappy       B. quality               C. quantity             D. sad

43. A. spread         B. taken                 C. made             D. cooked

44. A. scene           B. view                 C. event          D. landscape

45. A. sadness        B. expectation        C. hope              D. laughter

46. A. orders       B. charges             C. activity              D. responsibilities

47. A. missed         B. took            C. skipped             D. left

48. A. praying       B. praising             C. thanking            D. trusting

49. A. family        B. children             C. friends          D. parents

50. A. lifestyle       B. time               C. world            D. family

51. A. enjoy           B. own               C. have                 D. love

52. A. left alone      B. passed away      C. ran away           D. moved away

53. A. supply         B. cook                C. watch               D. plant

54. A. ducks          B. children             C. family           D. people

55. A. salad         B. life                    C. picnic            D. hope