This life is so full of beautiful moments. All you have to do is open your eyes and your 41 to see them. I saw one just the other day.
The local elementary school had just let out and I 42 myself behind a school bus as I
was 43 home. The bus stopped by a 44 sitting on top of a hill. A little girl no more than 7 years old hopped down the bus steps and started 45 up the driveway toward the house. The 46 on her face was contagious (有傳染性的). Her long hair was bouncing off her shoulders and her pink backpack was trailing behind her 47 she ran. I looked up the hill to see where she was going and saw her dad 48 her. As she got closer and closer her dad smiled and knelt down to 49 her. The second she got to him he wrapped his 50 arms around her and gave her a huge hug.
My eyes 51 a bit as I watched this 52 and remembered all the times my own children had run into my 53 with smiling faces and loving hearts. Every single 54 from them was a fountain of youth and a treasure of 55 .
My lovely trip down memory lane was 56 when I heard the car behind me honk its horn. I saw the school bus 57 pulling away and started to follow it again. I did so, 58 , with a fuller heart and lighter 59 than I had before. I 60 that beautiful moment and stored it safely in my soul where I knew it would remain forever.
41. A. heart B. ears C. door D. window
42. A. noticed B. realized C. found D. saw
43. A. walking B. leaving C. arriving D. driving
44. A. nursery B. church C. house D. shop
45. A. jumping B. running C. dragging D. passing
46. A. look B. surprise C. eagerness D. smile
47. A. as B. until C. unless D. because
48. A. looking for B. watching over C. waiting for D. signing to
49. A. dress B. greet C. shelter D. help
50. A. powerful B. steady C. slim D. bare
51. A. closed B. opened C. lowered D. watered
52. A. event B. scene C. incident D. appointment
53. A. room B. sight C. arms D. memory
54. A. hug B. word C. gesture D. tear
55. A. value B. freedom C. care D. joy
56. A. changed B. corrected C. interrupted D. blocked
57. A. quickly B. actually C. quietly D. gradually
My friend BJ Gallagher told me a great story recently, about her own experience with resentment (憤恨). She once worked as the training manager for a large newspaper, where she found the corporate culture extremely frustrating. The company was a hundred years old and their past success had blinded them to the need for change. Finally, after butting heads with several senior executives many times, she left the company. But she found that she hadn’t left her resentment, frustration, and anger behind when she resigned.
“I finally decided to write about my experiences and my feelings at the newspaper. I wanted to be rid of that company and those people, once and for all. So I wrote and I wrote. It wasn’t just a story that poured out; it was a whole book! We called it A peacock in the Land of Penguins. I was the peacock and those newspaper executives were the penguins.”
“It took me several more years to finally get over my negative emotions. Through a lot of soul-searching and reflection, I finally was able to let go of my resentment. I came to see that there was nothing personal in the way they treated me, and they were good people doing what they thought best for the company. I was the one who had made it personal. I thought they were making my life miserable on purpose.”
“ Finally, the time came when I decided to make amends (彌補) for the harsh, angry things I had said about the company. I invited my former boss to dinner and made my apology. It was a great healing process for me. I finally felt free of the resentment that had been eating me up.”
“What was the final outcome?” I asked her.
“Gratitude,” she replied. “Not only wasn’t I resentful any more, I was grateful to the company. If I hadn’t had those painful experiences, I would never have written a book. And the book became hugely successful—now published in 21 languages; it transformed my business.”
61. What made BJ Gallagher frustrated in the company?
A. Unfair treatment by the senior executives. B. The strict rules in the company.
C. The culture and tradition of the company. D. Her low position in the company.
62. Why did BJ Gallagher write about her experiences and feelings at the company?
A. To make peace with the executives. B. To make suggestions to the company.
C. To express her anger. D. To do soul-searching and reflection.
63. What does the underlined part “butting heads with” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Arguing with. B. Working with.
C. Making friends with. D. Spending time with.
64. All of the following statements are true except that _________.
A. When BJ Gallagher left the company, she felt upset
B. It was not long before BJ Gallagher got over her negative emotions
C. The book BJ Gallagher wrote had a great effect on her business
D. BJ Gallagher finally understood she herself was to blame for the resentment
65. BJ Gallagher finally felt grateful to the company because _________.
A. she was forgiven by her former executives
B. she was accepted by the company again
C. she learned how to forgive others
D. her painful experiences there was valuable for her
B
Community Affairs Calendar Today’s Events
*Open Plans---Fixing the Great Mistake
6:00 p.m., Center for Architecture, Tafel Hall 536 LaGuardia Place, Manhattan
Advocate for livable streets and alternative transportation, Mark Gorton explores the history of transportation in New York City with a focus on how urban planning policies that prioritize (優先考慮) the automobile have affected many other aspects of life in the city.
Admission: $ 10
For more information, please call 917-388-9080 or visit www. ftgm. eventbrite.com.
*River to River Festival---Extraordinary Moves: STREB Human Fountain
6:00 p.m., 200 Vesey Street, Manhattan
Inspired by the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas, Human Fountain involves performers leaping from as high as 30 feet from a three-story, open honeycomb structure in order to create cascades (小瀑布) of airborne liquid muscle. The outcome is a mixture of slam dancing, amazing human flight, and wild action sport, which captures kids, adults and the general public’s hearts, minds and bodies.
FREE
For more information, please call 212-945-0505 or visit www. streb.org.
*Scandinavia House---Nordic Summer Jam
6:30 p.m., 58 Park Avenue, Manhattan
Contemporary singer and songwriter Anders Holst’s music sh ows roots in jazz, soul and European pop music.
Admission: $ 10
For more information, please call 212-847-9740 or visit www.scandinaviahouse.org.
What makes a man today? How do boys grow into men? Through humorous, poignant (令人心酸的) stories a glimpse is offered into the events that turn boys into men. Performed by Douglas Allen, Maximiliano Balduzzi, Spencer Scott Barros, Gerard Joseph and James Scruggs.
Admission: $ 15 in advance; $18 at door.
For more information, please call 212-219-0736 or visit www. hot festival.org.
66. If Jesse wants to know more about an activity without admission charge, he can ________.
A. visit www. ftgm. eventbrite.com B. visit www.scandinaviahouse.org
C. call 212-219-0736 D. call 212-945-0505
67. If a couple with two children wants to enjoy the evening together, they can go to ______.
A. Tafel Hall 536 LaGuardia Place B. 161A Chrystie Street
C. 200 Vesey Street D. 58 Park Avenue
68. Who might you meet if you happen to be walking on 58 Park Avenue at 6:30 p.m.?
A. Mark Gorton. B. Anders Holst. C. Douglas Allen. D. Gerard Joseph.
69. Two 18-year-olds who have booked in advance to learn the events that turn boys into men should pay __________.
A. $ 20 B. $ 30 C. $ 33 D. $ 36
70. What can we learn about the four activities?
A. They will be all held in Manhattan.
B. They will be all held in the open air.
C. They are all for educational purposes.
D. They will all invite one or more famous persons.
C
How did the sea horse get its name? It’s not hard to guess. The top half of this fish looks like a small horse. But looking at the sea horse’s tail, you might think “sea monkey” is a better name. Then there’s the sea horse’s pouch. “Sea kangaroo” might also be a good name for this fish.
Sea horses live in warm ocean waters all over the world. They keep safe from other fish by hiding in plants and grasses that grow under the sea. They can also change color to match their surroundings. A sea horse remains in one place for hours at a time by winding its tail around a plant. It feeds on live food, such as small shrimps. For a fish that doesn’t move around much, the sea horse eats a lot—in just one day, a sea horse can eat 3,000 shrimps!
A sea horse keeps the same mate for its whole life, and it’s the male sea horse that gives birth to baby sea horses. How does this happen? Baby sea horses start out as eggs, which come from the female’s body. The male carries the eggs in its pouch for about three weeks until they hatch. Soon after the babies are born, the female gives her mate a new set of eggs.
Sadly, the number of sea horses is becoming smaller. Why is this happening? Some places where sea horses once lived have been filled in to make new land. Also, many sea horses are caught and sold as aquarium fish (觀賞魚). This really is not a good idea because most sea horses don’t live long in aquariums. The best place for a sea horse is the ocean.
71. The sea horse got its name because of its ________.
A. head B. tail C. skin D. pouch
72. How does a sea horse keep safe from other fish?
A. It hides in plants and grasses. B. It runs away quickly.
C. It remains still. D. It rolls up.
73. We can learn from the text that sea horses _________.
A. like to move around B. live in cold ocean waters
C. feed on small sea animals D. change color with the temperature
74. What does a female sea horse do wit h her eggs?
A. She puts them in the male’s pouch. B. She hides them in sea grasses.
C. She carries them around. D. She hatches them.
75. Why is the number of sea horses becoming smaller?
A. They grow at a very low speed. B. Their homes are being destroyed.
C. They are killed by people for food. D. Their food is becoming less and less.
D
I was thirteen when my father got hurt. Looking back over the years, I sometimes wonder what I could have done differently that day. Spit twice over my shoulder when I saw the single magpie (喜鵲), maybe. But that's the thing about superstitions (迷信). You don't know how much power they have until you break them.
We lived in a dark shabby house in Bucks. Wood blocks laid over dirt on the floor. That part of England was full of cherry tr ees. Chalky soil.
The rice had caught in the bottom of the pot that morning at breakfast and all I could smell was burned rice. Even now when I think of that day I have the taste of burned rice in my mouth.
"I'm going to cut down the old cherry tree," my father announced.
"You've been saying that for years," said my mother lightly touching the end of her nose. Her nose ran all year long. Her arms rested on the table, a cup of tea placed between her hands, steam rising into the air. "You'll never get round to it. "
My stomach, balled into a tight little knot (結) relaxed itself.
"Millie's going to cry if you cut it down," said my younger brother, Simon, his eyes bright as a fox. "Silly Millie, silly Millie."
"Hold your noise," said my father patting Simon on the head. "And put back that butter. That's a week's ration (限額) you've got on your plate. "
"The war's over," said Simon in a low voice." We haven't had rationing for ages." Simon was right. Even sugar had come off points. However, we still occasionally received food parcels from distant cousins in Canada.
My father glared at him and then went on.
"Pigs. Burt says he'll come and help me take the tree down if he can have some of the wood."
"No," I said springing to my feet." You can't do it. That's my tree. Always has been. Always will be. I won't let you."
Tom, took a piece of toast, watching my reaction. My older brother, he knew what the tree meant to me.
"Now then, Millie," said my father softening his face. "That tree's wild. It's in the way."
76. According to the passage, how many kids does the family have at least?
A. 6. B. 5. C. 4. D. 3.
77. The magpie is mentioned to show that _____.
A. Millie got much power on seeing the bird
B. things seemed to go wrong from the beginning
C. the bird caused Father's getting hurt that day
D. but for the bird Millie wo uld have done differently
78. By saying "balled into a tight little knot", the author means that Millie _____.
A. was afraid of her cherry tree being cut down
B. hated to hear her mother saying that way
C. had a terrible stomachache that morning
D. felt like crying on hearing her brother's words
79. From the passage, we can infer that _____.
A. there were already plenty of food supplies
B. Mother showed little interest in the cherry tree
C. the tree was finally cut down by father that day
D. the tree was a great danger to people walking by
80. When the author calls up the day, she feels _____.
