Increase happiness

I ever worked as a volunteer in a nursing home. One day, a 90-year-old lady moved into the nursing home. Although she was nearly _____, her hair and clothes looked very nice.

Her husband passed away recently, _____ she had to move out of her old house. After many hours of _____ patiently in the hall of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when I told her that her room was _____. In the elevator(电梯), I began to _____ her room, including the old sheets hung on her window.

“I love it,” She smiled with the excitement of an eight-year-old who has just been given a new toy.

“But you haven’t seen the room. Just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,”she replied. “Happiness is ____ you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t _____ the furniture. It’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to _____ it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have two choices: I can spend the day in bed complaining about the parts of my body that _____ work, or get out of bed and thank the ones that still do.

If you want to be happy, please remember these five simple rules: free your heart from hate; free your mind from ______; live simply; give more; expect less. Then your happiness will increase every day.

1.A. blind B. deaf C. homeless D. sad

2.A. so B. if C. before D. because

3.A. running B. talking C. jumping D. waiting

4.A. open B. closed C. ready D. locked

5.A. enter B. describe C. tidy D. clean

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

7.A. pick up B. care for C. depend on D. think about

8.A. leave B. forget C. love D. buy

9.A. still B. always C. without D. hardly

10.A. worries B. works C. memories D. experiences

I know the saddest moment in my life. Three years ago I was in Grade 6. I arrived at my school that morning. As soon as I walked into the classroom, I felt sad and uncomfortable. I knew exactly why the mood felt this way. The people around me were _______ their feelings. Today was the day when our teacher would leave and move to another school. Mr. Smith was finally saying goodbye to our school after five years’ _______ here.

Mr. Smith was a lovely man. He would tell a lot of jokes during the class _______. So you would remember them. He was very easy to talk with. He was cool, relaxed, and was always _______. When you would see him. It was _______ not to like him.

That day began with our class song as usual. I felt sad and uneasy. I couldn’t even imagine how things were going to be _______ him. All the good times I’ve had with him, the jokes he told that made me laugh, the countless hours of watching him play the guitar and the warm _______ he kept on his face… These thoughts went through my mind, and I became inspired. Why did Mr. Smith have to go? This is the _______ day of my life! I was lost in my thought.

＂Hey, are you all right?＂ My friend Peter _______.

＂Yeah, I’m all right. I’m just kind of sad,＂ I ________.

＂Yeah, me too. I wish he was our teacher forever. Mr. Smith is the best, ＂he said.

1.A. describing B. controlling C. clearing D. forgetting

2.A. living B. choosing C. studying D. working

3.A. reports B. breaks C. meetings D. games

4.A. funny B. familiar C. curious D. friendly

5.A. hard B. easy C. cute D. special

6.A. with B. through C. without D. around

7.A. song B. feature C. music D. smile

8.A. worst B. ugliest C. wettest D. shortest

9.A. cut off B. cut in C. cut down D. cut away

10.A. refused B. offered C. replied D. repeated

When I was small, my mum used to give the family something special for meals---she would make breakfast food for dinner.

I still remember one night my mum _____ some bread in front of my dad, something very burnt. I waited to see if anybody noticed. To my surprise, my dad just took his _____, smiled at my mum and then turned to ask me how my day at school had been. I've ____ what I told him that night. ____ I do remember watching him put some butter on that bread. He ____ as usual, every single bit.

After dinner, my mum said ____ to my dad for burning the bread. And I'll never forget what he said, "I ____ burnt bread, dear. It doesn't matter at all."

_____, I went to kiss Dad good night. I asked him if he really liked his burnt bread. He held me in arms and ___ , "Your mum worked very hard all day. She's really _____ . And you see a bit of burnt food never hurt anyone!"

Now I know life is not perfect. ______ is perfect, either. As for me, I often forget birthdays or some other special days. But I've learned something _____ over these years. What we really need is the understanding of each other, whether between a husband and wife, a parent and _____ or just between two friends. This is the key to a happy _______.

So don't get angry if the bread gets burnt. Remember, _____ bread never hurt anyone. Be kind to those around you and a happier life will surely come closer to you.

1.A. cooked B. put C. found D. bought

2.A. glass B. milk C. spoon D. bread

3.A. decided B. known C. forgotten D. imagined

4.A. But B. So C. Because D. And

5.A. threw it away B. ate it up C. put it away D. looked it up

6.A. hello B. goodbye C. no D. sorry

7.A. hate B. love C. make D. save

8.A. After school B. Before dinner C. Later that night D. The next morning

9.A. shouted B. said C. laughed D. continued

10.A. tired B. excited C. worried D. interested

11.A. Everybody B. Anybody C. Nobody D. Somebody

12.A. important B. difficult C. funny D. easy

13.A. student B. brother C. sister D. child

14.A. class B. party C. life D. story

15.A. burnt B. cheap C. fresh D. cold

One sunny Monday, I decided to go for a walk on the path near my house with my husband. On my _____ was a very special ring：I’d just picked it up from jeweller’s the day before because I had it designed to hold a diamond my grandmother gave me for my 23rd birthday. I looked down at my ring as I began my _____, feeling as sunny as the day.

Imagine my sadness when I looked again at the end of the path and found the diamond was _______. Anxiously(焦急地), I started back along the path, looking for the _______ stone. In my heart, I knew how hopeless my search was. The path was long and covered with leaves. As I searched the ______, crying and upset, I met an old gentleman. “What's the matter, love?” he asked _______. “Lost something?” I explained about the missing diamond and showed him the hole ______ my ring. He whistled. “That’s going to be hard to find. Tell you what, love, I walk along this path every day. I'll keep my _______ open for it.” I thanked him, _______nothing, but told him my husband often walked our dogs along the path ________he might find something.A few days later, my husband met the old man on the path. “Guess what?” he said, “I found your diamond!” ______ he’d found the tiny stone and was willing to hand the diamond back to my husband, saying casually（未经考虑地）, “It was lucky that I found it. I only have 50 percent eyesight in one eye.” When my husband offered him money for his help, he refused it. He could have easily ______ the diamond, or sold it, as it’s worth several thousand dollars, ______, thanks to this man, I’ll spend the rest of my days trying to do something like that for ________ person. And what I have to do is to look at my ring and ______ myself that there are kind and generous souls there.

1.A. pocket B. foot C. head D. finger

2.A. work B. path C. walk D. talk

3.A. losing B. left C. gone D. missed

4.A. big B. tiny C. colorless D. shiny

5.A. street B. ground C. room D. yard

6.A. kindly B. sadly C. happily D. friendly

7.A. in B. on C. above D. among

8.A. house B. mouth C. eyes D. hands

9.A. getting B. expecting C. explaining D. telling

10.A. because B. when C. if D. since

11.A. Hopefully B. Naturally C. Unluckily D. Unbelievably

12.A. stored B. kept C. covered D. placed

13.A. however B. and C. or D. so

14.A. the other B. others C. another D. other

15.A. ask B. remind C. warn D. promise

I used to be the shyest person in the world. I hid _____ my elder sister whenever I had to speak to a stranger. When asked to speak in class, I could hardly _____, much less speak. Even among the few friends I had, my high, timid (怯怯的) voice earned me jokes —about being a girl.

Then in the seventh grade, my sister suggested I _____ voice lessons. After considering it for a short time, I did. I began a series of vocal exercises.

After exercising a lot, I finally gained _____ in my voice.

A few months later, I was asked to sing for some retired people, I thought I would do better than before _____ the voice lessons. I opened my mouth and —nothing. I couldn’t remember the _____! My face turned hot. The kind pianist whispered a prompt (提示), and I remembered just enough to keep singing.Then the thought struck me: I’ve already embarrassed (尴尬) myself enough. There’s really nothing else to _____. So in my second song, I just relaxed and felt the energy of the song lift me. And I did much better.

After that, I started singing to myself as _____ as I could in my own room. That’s something I would never have done before. One classmate even said that I _____ be in the school’s talent show.

I am not a shy person _____. Singing has made me more outgoing. Today, I can also stand in front of the whole class and give a big speech. I am proud of myself.

1.A. over B. under C. behind D. below

2.A. sit B. breathe C. smile D. say

3.A. pick B. accept C. attend D. receive

4.A. confidence B. courage C. pleasure D. fear

5.A. out of B. because of C. instead of D. in need of

6.A. music B. title C. words D. style

7.A. forget B. miss C. drop D. lose

8.A. highly B. loudly C. safely D. excitedly

9.A. should B. must C. shouldn’t D. mustn’t

10.A. at last B. at all C. any further D. any more

One summer evening as I was caking dinner, there was a knock at the door. I____it and saw a truly bad-looking man. But his voice was____as he said, “Good evening. I come to see if you have a____for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there’s no bus till next morning.” He told me he had been hunting (寻找) but with no____I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch (门廊). I went inside and prepared dinner. When we were ready, I asked him if he would like to____us. “No, thank you. I have plenty.” When I had____the dinner, I went out to talk with him. It didn’t take a long time to see that this old man had oversize heart crowded that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to____his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly disabled from a back injury. At bedtime, we____a bed in the children's room for him. On his next trip, as a gift, he brought a big fish and some fresh oysters (牡蛎) I had never seen. In the years he came to____overnight with us, and there was never a time he did not bring us some fish or vegetables from his garden.

I know our family will always be thankful to have known him, from him we learn what it was to accept the bad without a complaint and the good____thanks.

1.A. felt B. opened C. repaired D. painted

2.A. boring B. angry C. scary D. pleasant

3.A. room B. bus C. television D. cake

4.A. success B. dinner C. job D. problem

5.A. call B. visit C. join D. invite

6.A. checked B. finished C. prepared D. cooked

7.A. provide B. fetch C. educate D. support

8.A. put B. planted C. covered D. discovered

9.A. help B. play C. work D. stay

10.A. from B. for C. with D. without

That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre. With opening night only a week ago, I was still learning my lines (台词). I was having _______ dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about _______ up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.

As I walked down _______streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.

About a block from my flat, I heard a sound behind me. I _______quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me _______, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my flat building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my _______ falling to the sidewalk. Suddenly I wasn't cold or tired any more. I ran out of the door and back to _______I'd heard the noise. Although I_______the sidewalk anxiously(忧虑的) for fifteen minutes, my wallet was_______ to be found.

Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck (垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the ________ , “ Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my ________ ? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eye. “Is this what you're looking for?” he asked, ________ up a small square shape.

It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn't get much ________ that night, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some ________ of city life. I realized that the city couldn't be a bad place as long as people were ________ to help each other.

1.A. fun B. trouble C. interest D. boredom

2.A. giving B. keeping C. going D. clearing

3.A. narrow B. dirty C. empty D. dark

4.A. ran B. turned C. walked D. looked

5.A. sad B. happy C. cold D. nervous

6.A. wallet B. watch C. hat D. key

7.A. when B. where C. what D. which

8.A. looked B. found C. searched D. headed

9.A. somewhere B. nowhere C. anywhere D. everywhere

10.A. outside B. above C. behind D. inside

11.A. home B. name C. address D. wallet

12.A. bringing B. taking C. holding D. keeping

13.A. money B. sleep C. happiness D. practice

14.A. enjoyment B. sadness C. puzzle D. disappointment

15.A. pleasant B. anxious C. energetic D. willing

My Dream

My parents always told me that I couldn’t dance, because it was a girl’s sport. But I never gave up my dream of becoming a dancing star. I practiced _____, learning from books, movies and shows. However, without my parents’ support, that ____ seemed impossible to reach.

One summer, my little sister Mary was going to dance lessons. I immediately asked my parents whether I could take her to the lessons on my bike. What a good _____ to learn dancing!

One afternoon, I was practicing a new dance in my room when Mary walked in.

“What’s the matter, Mary?” I stopped _____. “Denis, you are a great dancer! Can you help me?” “What is it?” I_____.“There’ll be a dancing show in my school, but the boys think I’m slow, and none of them wants to be my partner. Could you dance with me for it?” She looked at me, _____ for my reply.“You can be a good dancer!” I ___her. “Let’s show those people that they have been wrong all along.”

In the following months, we practiced every evening, _____ from my parents. I was having a fantastic time and soon Mary improved a lot.

Finally came the big day. I became _____ when I heard my parents would come to watch the show. As the ______ began, I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. We moved perfectly, shining with ______. From the cheering of the crowd, I was sure we had been ______.

My heart was ______ wildly when I saw my father coming towards me. He put his hand on my shoulder. “Well done, son. Though it is hard for me to admit (承认) it, I have to say you are born to ______. Go for it and make us proud.”

I’d been waiting for this moment for so long. I knew that the road ahead wasn’t going to be easy, but I wouldn’t give up. I wanted ______ more in life than to dance.

1.A. loudly B. slowly C. safely D. secretly

2.A. dream B. life C. order D. subject

3.A. result B. chance C. wish D. message

4.A. reading B. singing C. dancing D. drawing

5.A. repeated B. imagined C. wondered D. guessed

6.A. looking B. waiting C. asking D. caring

7.A. encouraged B. expected C. accepted D. influenced

8.A. preventing B. hiding C. learning D. hearing

9.A. nervous B. bored C. relaxed D. excited

10.A. dancing B. party C. music D. lesson

11.A. surprise B. luck C. humour D. pride

12.A. stupid B. successful C. lively D. different

13.A. singing B. jumping C. beating D. cheering

14.A. play B. fly C. travel D. dance

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

I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate candy for ________ , I had to have cereal, eggs or toast. While others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. _______ you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids’ too. But at _______ , I wasn’t alone since my sister and two brothers had the same mean(刻薄的) mother as I did.

My mother knew where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and ___________ we were doing. And she always insisted upon us telling the truth. Now you can see how mean she was.

The worst is yet to come. We had to be in _________ by nine each night and up at eight the next morning. We couldn’t sleep ________ noon like our friends. So while they slept, she made us work. We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook. We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath every day. I believe she lay _______ at night thinking of mean things to do to us.

Through the years, things didn’t __________ a bit. When we didn’t want to _________ school, we could not lie in bed “sick” like our friends did. My mother, being as different as she was, would care only about our marks.

Out of four children, a couple of us received higher __________. None of us have ever done ___________ things. Each of my brothers devoted his time to this country. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. I am now trying to raise my three children_________ my mother. I will feel __________ when my children call me mean.

Mother’s love to ____________ can be rather deep, yet this very love must help children grow away from the mother, and to become __________ independent(独立的). Now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the whole world. I’m proud of my mother!

1.A. breakfast B. lunch C. supper D. dinner

2.A. While B. As C. If D. though

3.A. last B. first C. most D. least

4.A. when B. where C. what D. who

5.A. area B. bed C. home D. school

6.A. till B. at C. after D. in

7.A. afraid B. awake C. alone D. aware

8.A. improve B. grow C. move D. reduce

9.A. visit B. leave C. attend D. reach

10.A. level B. prize C. point D. education

11.A. good B. bad C. mean D. nice

12.A. for B. at C. from D. like

13.A. shame B. surprised C. proud D. stressed

14.A. parents B. friends C. relatives D. children

15.A. completely B. smoothly C. actively D. closely

Four friends were drinking in a village pub（酒吧）.Their jackets were hanging on the backs of their chairs. Suddenly one of them, Jack_______that he had lost one hundred pounds. Fred said he was sure_______here had stolen the money. Tom suggested that they should all empty their pockets on the table. But the owner of the pub would not let them do that because all______will look the same. They didn’t know what to do.______, Mike, a traveller, stood up. He said he could help find the money.

“You know how______some animals are,” He said. “I've found out that roosters（公鸡）are good at catching thieves. Let's______the pub owner's rooster.”

Mike took a big black pot（锅）and put it upside down on the table. Then he put the rooster under it. “After I turn off the lights,” he said, “you must come up one by one and touch the______of the pot with your right hand. When the thief does so, the rooster will crow（啼鸣）.”

______people did not know whether they should believe him. One by one they went_______the table in the dark, the rooster never made a_______.

“I'm afraid it was a waste of time, “Fred said when the lights were turned back________.

“I'm not sure it was,” Mike said. Then he asked everybody to_______his right hand. He looked at each hand in________, then took Fred's hand and said, “Fred, give the money back to Jack.”

“You must have made a mistake.________, the rooster never crowed! I have nothing to do with the theft,” said Fred.

Mike told Fred to look at all the other hands. “They're all black except yours. Can you______why you didn't dare to touch the pot, Fred?”

1.A. said B. asked C. insisted D. shouted

2.A. somebody B. everybody C. anybody D. nobody

3.A. pockets B. tables C. money D. paper

4.A. Since then B. By then C. Just then D. From then on

5.A. silly B. clever C. beautiful D. curious

6.A. lend B. sell C. borrow D. cook

7.A. bottom B. side C. owner D. top

8.A. Another B. Other C. The others D. The other

9.A. beyond B. past C. across D. onto

10.A. noise B. mistake C. difference D. decision

11.A. off B. up C. down D. on

12.A. show B. touch C. hide D. clean

13.A. order B. time C. turn D. place

14.A. Above all B. In all C. Not at all D. After all

15.A. express B. explain C. describe D. repeat