An elderly carpenter (木匠) was ready to retire. He told his employer of his   41 to leave the house building   42 and live a more leisurely life with his wife,  43  time with his extended family. He would   44  the pay, but he needed to retire. They could 45  .

The employer was   46  to see such a good worker leave and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal  47  . The carpenter said yes, but in time it was   48  to see that his heart was not in his work. He built the house   49  and used poor materials. It was an  50  way to end his career.

When the carpenter   51   his work, the employer handed the front – door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “a   52   to you.”

What a shock! What a  53 ! If he had only known he was building his 54  house, he would have done it all so   55 . Now he had to live in the house he had built none too well.

   56  it is with us. We build our   57  in a distracted (心不在焉)way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At   58  points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have   59  and find that we are now living in the house we have built . If we had   60 , we would have done it differently.

I was not happy, for I wanted to travel. I wanted to see the world known to me only from books. My dream came  36 . I left my native land and started  37  a journey  38  the Atlantic to the New World. I was young and my mind was full of noble ideas.

In the month of January 1853 I arrived in New Orleans. An hour  39  my arrival, I was already walking about the streets of the city, staring with interest at the new  40  around me. But soon my  41  turned to other things.

As I walked about the streets I began to understand my own  42  . I had been one of the best students in college. But could I use the dry   43  I had received?

I had been taught the classic language. Now, in real life, they seemed useless to me. I   44  that I was  45  man, but mow understood that I really knew nothing.

The first six months I spent in New Orleans were a good school for me. I learned more of life   46  I had learned during many years of study at college.  47  the end of those six months I had very little money. After paying  48  my room I had only twenty-five dollars  49  in my pocket. I  50  to write home for more money and wait for  51 . This would  52  many weeks, because there were no Atlantic steamers at the time.

I wanted to find a  53 , but my classic education had not  54  me for any kind of useful work. St. Louis seemed to be the best place and I thought I would go there. I had enough money for the passage, though I did not know  55  I would live afterwards.                                                                                                          

(     ) 36. A. to itself         B. true            C. to a reality           D. down

(     ) 37. A. for                      B. on              C. about                D. to

(     ) 38. A. over             B. across           C. from                D. above

(     ) 39. A. ago              B. before          C. after                        D. later

(     ) 40. A. buildings      B. situation            C. scenes              D. conditions

(     ) 41. A. thoughts       B. head           C. ideas                D. memory

(     ) 42. A. carelessness   B. mistakes        C. shortcomings        D. uselessness

(     ) 43. A. experience    B. knowledge      C. practice             D. skill

(     ) 44. A. thought         B. wished         C. had thought          D. had wished

(     ) 45. A. a learning     B. an educated     C. an honest            D. a perfect

(     ) 46. A. as                 B. than          C. though               D. after

(     ) 47. A. In                B. To           C. On                  D. By

(     ) 48. A. for                      B. back           C. off                  D. out

(     ) 49. A. remained      B. existed        C. staying              D. left

(     ) 50. A. used             B. hoped        C. ought               D. had

(     ) 51. A. a telegram     B. the bill        C. an answer            D. the note

(     ) 52. A. mean             B. wait                 C. spend                D. take

(     ) 53. A. place            B. job                  C. way                  D. friend

(     ) 54. A. prepared       B. fitted         C. served                D. practiced

(     ) 55. A. how                     B. for what       C. however               D. where

One day a very wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of  36  would be considered a very poor family. On their  37  from their trip, the father asked his son, “ How was the trip?”

“It was  38 , Dad .”

“Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked.

“Oh yeah?” said the son.

“So what did you  39  from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool that  40  to the middle of our garden and they have a creek (小溪) that has  41  end. We have lanterns in our garden and they have the  42  at night. We have a  43  piece of land to live on and they have fields that go  44  our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve  45 . We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have  46  around our property（財產(chǎn)） to protect us but they have friends to protect them.”

With this the boy’s father was  47 .

Then his son  48 , “Dad, thank you for showing me how  49  we are.”

Too many times we  50  what we have and concentrate on what we don’t have. What is one person’s  51  object is another’s prize possession. It’s all  52  on one’s perspective (視角). Think about what would happen if we all gave  53  for what we have,  54  worrying about what we don’t have.

Be thankful for every single thing in your life, exactly as it is now–and  55  your friends. Be sure to take the time to express your appreciation and gratitude for the people whom you are close to.

36. A. which                      B. that                         C. what                       D. how

37. A. arrival                             B. return                      C. coming                    D. reach

38. A. shameful                   B. disappointing          C. surprising                D. great

39. A. suffer                       B. regret                       C. hear                              D. learn

40. A. reaches                     B. gets                         C. arrives                     D. flows

41. A. much                        B. some                       C. no                           D. another

42. A. stars                         B. lights                             C. darkness                  D. torches

43. A. smooth                     B. full                        C. large                        D. small

44. A. through                     B. within                     C. beyond                    D. across

45. A. themselves                B. visitors                    C. friends                    D. us

46. A. dogs                         B. walls                       C. soldiers                   D. policemen

47. A. discouraged                      B. satisfied                   C. delighted                 D. speechless

48. A. explained                 B. announced                      C. informed                 D. added

49. A. poor                         B. wealthy                   C. lucky                             D. proud

50. A. miss                         B. forget                      C. remember                D. consider

51. A. valuable                    B. useful                      C. priceless                  D. worthless

52. A. based                        B. concentrated            C. decided                   D. laid

53. A. love                          B. concern                    C. thanks                     D. interests

54. A. more than                 B. along with                C. instead of                D. except for

55. A. especially                  B. besides                    C. specially                  D. only

       In the doorway of my home, I looked closely at my 23-year-old son, Daniel. In a few hours he would be flying to France to   36   a different life. It was a transitional(過渡的) time in Daniel’s life. I wanted to   37   him some words of significance. But nothing came from my lips, and this was not the   38   time I had let such moments pass.

       When Daniel was five, I took him to the bus stop on his first day of kindergarten. He asked, “What is it going to be like, Dad? Can I do it?” Then he walked     39     the steps of the bus and disappeared inside. The bus drove away and I said nothing. A decade later, a similar   40   played itself out. I drove him to college. As I started to leave, I tried to think of something to say to give him  41    and confidence as he started this new stage of life. Again, words   42   me.

       Now, as I stood before him, I thought of those    43   opportunities. How many times have I let such moments   44   ? I don't find a quiet moment to tell him what they have   45   to me. Or what he might want to face in the years   46  . Maybe I thought it was not necessary to say anything.

       What does it matter in the course of a lifetime if a father never tells a son what he really thinks of him?   47   as I stood before Daniel, I knew that it did matter. My father and I loved each other. Yet, I always   48   never hearing him put his    49   into words. Now I could feel my palms sweat and my throat tighten. Why is it so   50   to tell a son something from the heart?

       My mouth turned dry, and I knew I would be able to get out only a few words clearly. “Daniel,” I said, “If I could have picked, I would have picked you.” That's all I could say. He hugged me. For a moment, the world   51   , and there were just Daniel and me. He was saying something, but tears misted my eyes, and I couldn't understand what he was saying. All I was   52   of was the stubble(短須) on his chin as his face pressed    53    mine. What I had said to Daniel was   54   . It was nothing. And yet, it was    55     .

36. A. experience       B. spend           C. enjoy                  D. shape

37. A. show            B. give            C. leave               D. instruct

38. A. last                 B. first                C. very               D. next

39. A. upward              B. into                C. down              D. up

40. A. sign                 B. scene                C. scenery                     D. sight

41. A. interest               B. instruction           C. courage            D. direction

42. A. failed               B. discouraged          C. struck              D. troubled

43. A. future                B. embarrassing         C. obvious            D. lost

44. A. last                 B. fly             C. pass               D. remain

45. A. counted              B. meant               C. valued             D. eared

46. A. forward              B. before              C. ago                      D. ahead

47. A. But                  B. And                 C. Instead             D. So

48. A. wondered             B. regretted           C. minded            D. tried

49. A. views               B. actions              C. feelings            D. attitudes

50. A. important             B. essential             C. complex                  D. hard

51. A. disappeared           B. changed             C. progressed          D. advanced

52. A. sensitive              B. convinced           C. aware              D. tired

53. A. by               B. against         C. on                 D. with

54. A. clumsy           B. gentle          C. absurd              D. moving

55. A. none             B. all                    C. anything            D. everything

Michael was always in a good mood. He was a natural motivator(樂天派). One day I asked him, “How can you be  36   all the time.” Michael replied, “Each morning I   37   up and say to myself, ‘Mike, you have two  38   today. You can choose to be in a good mood  39   you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something  40   happens, I can choose to be a victim or choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. I choose the positive side of life.”

Later, I heard Michael was  41  in a serious accident, falling off 60 feet from a tower.

After 18 hours of  42   , and weeks of intensive care, Michael left the hospital with rods(鋼棒)  43  in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the  44 . I asked him what had  45  his mind as the accident took place.

“As I  46  on the ground, I remembered I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you  47 ?” I asked. Michael continued, “They kept telling me I was going to be fine.  48   When they wheeled me into the operation room and I saw the  49  on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got  50  scared. In their eyes, I read ‘He’s a dead man’. I knew I  51    to take action. ‘What did you do?’ I asked. Well, a big nurse asked me if I was allergic(過敏) to  52 . ‘Yes,’ I said. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they     53  my reply. I took a deep breath and cried, ‘Gravity.’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I’m choosing to live. 54  on me as if I am alive, not dead.’”

Michael  55 ,thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing positive attitude.

A young Scottish lady, like a lot of teens today, got tired of home. The daughter objected to her family’s 　36　lifestyle and said, “I don’t want your God. I am leaving!” She left home. Before long, she was disappointed and unable to find a job, so she took to the streets to do everything she could to 　37　. Many years passed by, her father died, her mother grew 　38　, and the daughter became more and more stubborn in her way of life.

No  39  was made between mother and daughter during these years. The mother, having 　 heard of her daughter’s whereabouts, went to the poor part of the city in 　40　of her daughter. She stopped at 　41　of the rescue missions(收容所) with a simple speech. “Would you allow me to 　42　this picture?” It was a picture of the smiling, gray-haired mother with a handwritten 　43　at the bottom: “I love you still … come home!”

One day the daughter wandered into a rescue mission for a hot meal. She sat 　44　listening to the service, all the while letting her 　45　wander over to the bulletin board. There she saw the picture and thought, could that be my mother?

She couldn’t 　46　until the service was over. She stood and went to look. It was her mother, and there were those words, “I love you still … come home!”　47　she stood in front of the picture, she wept. It was too 　48　to be true.

It was night, but she was so 　49　by the message that she started walking home.　50　the time she arrived it was early in the morning. She was afraid and 　51　her way timidly. As she knocked, the door 　52　open on its own. She thought someone must broken into the house. Concerned for her mother’s 　53　, the young girl ran to the bedroom and shook her mother awake and said, “It’s me! It’s me! I’m home!”

The mother couldn’t believe her eyes. They fell into each other’s 　54　. The daughter said, “I was so worried and thought someone had broken in.” The mother replied gently, “No, dear. From the day you left, that door has never been 　55　.”

36. A. modern               B. religious            C. awful                D. simple
37. A. earn money         B. help others        C. get free             D. become famous
38. A. lonelier               B. slower               C. angrier                     D. older
39. A. contract                     B. contact              C. link                  D. difference　

40. A. sight                   B. charge               C. search               D. need
41. A. each                   B. both                  C. none                 D. every
42. A. print out             B. look at                     C. give off             D. put up
43. A. record                B. advice               C. message            D. notice
44. A. sensitively           B. absent-mindedly        C. devotedly   D. carefully
45. A. eyes                   B. hands                C. thoughts            D. imaginations
46. A. help                   B. move                C. wait                  D. listen
47. A. After                  B. Since                C. Until                 D. As
48. A. lucky                  B. good                 C. happy               D. certain
49. A. astonished           B. touched             C. interested　　　D. ashamed
50. A. By                            B. At                     C. During　　　　D. Before
51. A. had                    B. led                    C. made                D. held
52. A. seemed               B. blew                 C. proved                     D. flew
53. A. safety                 B. health               C. danger                     D. life
54. A. backs                  B. hearts                C. shoulders           D. arms
55. A. pushed                B. opened              C. locked               D. fixed

In the dining room of my grandfather’s house stood a massive grandfather clock. Meals in that dining room were a   36  for four generations to become one. The table was always   37  with food from wonderful family recipes（食譜）all containing   38  as the main ingredient（成分）. And always that grandfather clock stood like a trusted old family   39  , sharing our happiness.

As I was a child, the old clock  40  me. I watched and listened to it during meals. I   41  how at different times of the day, that clock would strike with a wonderful   42  . Year after year, the clock struck a part of my   43  , a part of my heart.

Even more wonderful to me was what my grandfather did each day. He  44  wound that clock with a special and magic key, which   45  the clock ticking and striking. He never let that clock wind down and   46  . When we grandkids got a little older, he showed us how to   47  the clock.

Several days after my grandfather died, I entered the dining room, with tears flowing   48  . The clock stood desertedly   49  , seeming smaller and not as magnificent as before. I couldn’t   50  to look at it.

Years later, my grandmother gave me the clock and the key. The old house was quiet. I opened the clock door with my shaking hand. Then   51  , reverently（虔誠地）, I entered the key and wound the clock. It sprang to  52  . Tick – tock , tick – tock, life and chimes were   53  into the dining room, into house and into my  54  . In the movement of the hands of the clock, my grandfather   55  again.

36．A．party B．time  C．place D．situation

37．A．filled B．cleared     C．spread      D．left

38．A．wine B．surprise    C．fish   D．love

39．A．friend       B．guard       C．doctor      D．lawyer

40．A．disappointed    B．encouraged      C．interested  D．comforted

41．A．questioned       B．remembered     C．doubted    D．wondered

42．A．sound       B．hammer    C．voice D．beat

43．A．studies      B．opinions   C．memories  D．brains

44．A．strangely  B．carefully   C．eagerly     D．usually

45．A．got    B．kept  C．prevented  D．found

46．A． break      B．fall    C．stop   D．move

47．A．wind B．repair       C．read  D．clean

48．A．unexpectedlyB．gently   C．difficultly D．freely

49．A．ticking     B．moving     C．noisy D．quiet

50．A．help  B．bear  C．hope  D．insist

51．A．slowly      B．quickly     C．unwillingly      D．naturally

52．A．feet   B．hands       C．sense D．life

53．A．breathed   B．blown       C．taken D．sent

54．A．study B．bedroom   C．heart D．mind

55．A．died  B．lived C．smiled      D．sang

Fifteen years spent in the field of education has provided me with many treasured moments. One of the most unforgettable  36  when I was teaching  37  grade 10 years ago.

In May I decided to plan something  38  for the children; a Mother’s Day tea. We had put our heads together to  39  ideas of how to  40  our mothers. We practiced singing songs, memorized poems and wrote cards. We decided to hold our tea the Friday before Mother’s Day. I was surprised but very  41  to learn that every mother was planning to attend. I  42  invited my own mother.

Finally, the big day arrived. Each child  43  up at our classroom door, expecting the arrival of his or her mom.  44  it got closer to starting time, I looked around and my eyes quickly found Jimmy. His mother hadn’t shown up and he was looking  45 .

I took my mother by the hand and walked over to Jimmy. “Jimmy,” I said, “I have a bit of problem here and I was  46  if you could keep my mother  47  while I’m busy.”

My mom and Jimmy sat at a table. Jimmy  48  my mom her treats, presented her with the gift I had made, just as we had  49  the day before. Whenever I looked over, my mother and Jimmy were in deep  50 .

Now 10 years later, I work with students of all ages, educating them about the environment. Last year, I took a senior class on a field trip, and there was Jimmy. I had the students complete an outline of the day’s  51  and an evaluation of our trip. Then I collected the students’ booklets and checked them to see if  52  was completed. When I came  53  Jimmy’s page, he had written “Remember our Mother’s Day tea we had in second grade, Mrs. Marra? I do! Thanks for all you did for me, and thank your mother, too.”

I told him I really enjoyed what he had written. He looked rather embarrassed and   54  his own thanks and walked away. Suddenly he ran back and gave me a big hug.

I ended my workday with a hug from a teenage boy who had  55  stopped hugging teachers years ago.

36. A. lasted                 B. happened                  C. experienced                     D. described

37. A. third                   B. first                         C. second                         D. fourth

38. A. special                B. simple                      C. difficult                   D. challenging

39. A. pay attention to   B. look forward to         C. get on with               D. come up with

40. A. love                   B. please                      C. respect                            D. admire

41. A. astonished           B. worried                    C. delighted                  D. interested

42. A. even                   B. ever                         C. still                          D. once

43. A. followed             B. held                         C. kept                         D. lined

44. A. As                      B. Although                  C. While                      D. Because

45. A. puzzled               B. curious                     C. strange                     D. upset

46. A. considering         B. wondering                C. asking                      D. doubting

47. A. connection          B. care                         C. company                  D. concern

48. A. served                B. supplied                   C. appealed                   D. applied

49. A. taught                 B. studied                     C. practiced                  D. told

50. A. mind                  B. thought                    C. agreement                D. conversation

51. A. feeling                B. behavior                   C. event                       D. action

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

53. A. by                      B. to                                   C. across                      D. over

54. A. announced          B. delivered                  C. stated                       D. whispered

55. A. probably             B. exactly                     C. rarely                       D. eagerly

I recently heard a story about a famous scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a reporter who asked him    36    he thought he was able to be so much more    37    than the average person.

He    38    that it all came from a(n)   39    with his mother that occurred when he was about 2. He had been trying to remove milk from the fridge when he    40    the slippery(光滑的) bottle, its contents running all over the kitchen floor.

When his mother came in,    41    shouting at him or giving him a lecture, she said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful    42    you have made! I have    43    seen such a huge pool of milk. Well, the damage has already been    44   . Would you like to get down and    45    in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?"

Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to    46    everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge(海綿), a towel or a mop. Which do you prefer?" He chose the sponge.

His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a    47    experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two    48    hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can make it." The little boy learned that if he    49    the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful    50   !

This scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be    51   to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just    52    for learning something new, which is,    53   , what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment "doesn't   54   ," we usually learn something    55    from it.

36. A. why                          B. what                     C. when                     D. how

37. A. capable                      B. able                        C. creative                  D. original

38. A. responded                 B. reacted                   C. recalled                  D. reminded

39. A. coincidence              B. experience             C. incident                        D. conflict

40. A. fell                                  B. lost                          C. escaped                    D. dropped

41. A. rather than                 B. instead of                C. other than                 D. in place of

42. A. picture                       B. mass                       C. map                        D. mess

43. A. rarely                        B. happily                   C. frequently                D. angrily

44. A. obtained                    B. suffered                  C. done                       D. received

45. A. jump                         B. play                        C. enjoy                       D. draw

46. A. recover                      B. return                    C. restore                         D. regain

47. A. failed                              B. successful               C. fantastic                D. painful

48. A. strong                        B. tiny                        C. thin                        D. weak

49. A. controlled                 B. possessed               C. seized                      D. grasped

50. A. example                     B. teaching                   C. lesson                      D. instruction

51. A. anxious                    B. nervous                   C. fearful                     D. afraid

52. A. situations                   B. opportunities            C. occasions                 D. turns

53. A. after all                            B. above all                 C. first of all                 D. in all

54. A. do                             B. finish                     C. go                         D. work

55. A. worthy                      B. costly                      C. valuable                   D. interesting

It was in my high school science class. I was doing a task in front of the classroom with my favorite shirt on.

    A ___36____came, “Nice shirt,” I smiled from ear to ear. Then another voice said, “That shirt belonged to my dad. Greg’s mother works for my family. We were going to ___37___ that shirt away, but gave it to her ___38___.” I was speechless. I wanted to hide.

    I ___39___ the shirt in the back of the closet and told my mum what had happened. She then dialed her    40   , “I will no longer work for your family,” she told him. That night, Mom told my dad that she couldn’t clean anymore; she knew her life’s ___41___ was something greater.

    The next morning she ____42___ with the personnel manager at the Board of Education. He told her that without a proper education she could not teach. So Mom decided to __43__ a university.

     After the first year in college, she went back to the personnel manager. He said, “You are ___44____, aren’t you? I think I have a ___45___ for you as a teacher’s assistant. This opportunity deals with children who are mentally challenged with little or no chance of___46____.” Mom accepted the opportunity very ___47___.

    For almost five years, as a teacher’s assistant, she saw teacher after teacher give up on the children and quit, feeling   48  . Then one day, the personnel manager and the principal ____49____ in her classroom. The principal said, “We have watched how you ___50____ the children and how they communicate with you and admire your hard-working ___51___ over the last five years. We are all in agreement that you   52   be the teacher of this class.”

    My mom spent more than 20 years there. ___53___ her career, she was voted Teacher of the Year. All of this came about because of the ___54___ comment made in the classroom that day. Mom showed me how to handle ___55___ situations and never give up.

36. A. noise                         B. voice                       C. sound                       D. tune

37. A. get                                B. take                         C. carry                        D. throw

38. A. otherwise                   B. anyhow                    C. instead                            D. actually

39. A. settled                       B. pushed                     C. stored                      D. put

40. A. teacher                    B. employer                  C. director                 D. adviser

41. A. purpose                            B. encouragement     C. achievement             D. victory

42. A. went                          B. met                  C. worked                    D. stayed

43. A. visit                          B. continue                   C. attend                      D. prepare

44. A. serious                       B. fortunate                  C. careful                            D. responsible

45. A. career                        B. duty                         C. position                    D. part

46. A. learning                            B. judging                   C. obeying                    D. imagining

47. A. patiently                    B. eagerly                     C. successfully              D. skillfully

48. A. upset                         B. frightened                C. guilty                       D. ashamed

49. A. looked up                  B went up                     C. took up                    D. showed up

50. A. believe                    B. protect                      C. treat                         D. receive

51. A. spirit                         B. intention                  C. action                      D. attempt

52. A. must                        B. would                      C. might                       D. should

53. A. At                          B. During                     C. On                           D. With

54. A. worthless            B. thoughtless               C. hopeless                   D. helpless

55. A. challenging                B. different                   C. dangerous                 D. strange