I lived next door to Debbie and her 84-year-old mother, Nan, for about six months. One night last summer, Debbie asked me to check on her mother because she worked the overnight shift (夜班) at a nursing home.
I was glad to help. But I 1 felt a little funny about it. 2 , I’ve been blind since I was a baby and out of 3 for years. In fact, at 54, I came to wonder if I had any 4 to live.
A bit after 9:00 pm, I heard a sound—over the years my ears have grown super 5 . It was Nan. “Jim, Jim. The house is 6 ! Help!”
I went as far as I could to Debbie’s. I got to the front door, 7 for the key and unlocked the door. “Nan! Where are you?” I called.
“Here, Jim. Help!” her voice was 8 and low.
I felt my 9 inside. “Nan, where are you? Keep 10 !” “Here, Jim, here!” sounds as if she’s 11 in front of me. I reached out and touched her shoulder. We felt our way down the steps. ___12____ in the sweet, fresh summer air.
Later the fire truck arrived. Debbie came too. Nan and I heard the sound of the 13 coming down. Finally, the firefighters 14 the fire.
I heard Nan crying. She said, “I was so 15 and got turned around. I couldn’t find the door. You saved my life.”
Now Debbie’s voice quivered (发抖), “You’re a hero. You rescued my mom.”
I hardly knew what to say. Two hours earlier I was wondering whether I really mattered to anyone. And now I saved a life. Nan and Debbie were thanking me. Truth was, I wanted to thank them. Nan wasn’t the only one who had been saved that day.
| 【小题1】 |
|
| 【小题2】 |
|
| 【小题3】 |
|
| 【小题4】 |
|
| 【小题5】 |
|
| 【小题6】 |
|
| 【小题7】 |
|
| 【小题8】 |
|
| 【小题9】 |
|
| 【小题10】 |
|
| 【小题11】 |
|
| 【小题12】 |
|
| 【小题13】 |
|
| 【小题14】 |
|
I prefer the stories about the swimmers at the Beijing Olympics,one of which is about Zakia Nassar. She's a 21-year-old Palestinian __21__ Bethlehem studying dentistry in Jenin. Having had neither a __22__ nor a chance to an Olympic-sized pool in the past year, she had no choice but to __23__ on her own at a 12m public pool.
There is a 50-meter __24__ in nearby Nazareth, but the Israeli government did not __25__ her to use it.
Nassar was __26__ to training only when she returned to her parents' home in Bethlehem, __27__ she did so only about every two months for two days or so. __28__ the pool is only 12 meters long.
“My parents and friends always __29__ me, reminding me that I had to keep training if I __30 wanted to go to the Olympics,” she said.
It was only when Nassar __31__ China a month ago that she finally got the opportunity to swim in a 50m pool and enjoyed the __32__ of having a coach.
When she at last took part in the Games, she swam the 50m in 31.97 seconds, a(n) __33__ of seven seconds on her personal __34__. Nassar said it was the most beautiful moment of her life.
She will not __35__ on the cover of Time magazine or __36__ millions of dollars in endorsements(捐款), but she can always say she won a race at the Olympics. For her, it wasn’t about __37__ the other swimmers or winning a prize, but about __38__ her own goal, __39__ difficult. When I think things are too difficult or I get those “I-just-can’t-do-it,” I think of her. Then I realize how __40__ the task before me really is.