It was midday when I got the call that my grandfather was not well and he was quickly getting worse. My family did not know how long he would stay in the world. I knew I had to get to the hospital to tell him how much I loved him. As I drove to the hospital, I pictured him before I got to tell him how much he meant to me. Trying to fight back the tears, I wanted to stay calm when I saw him.
When I got to the hospital, I hurriedly looked for his hospital room. I found him in a semi-conscious state (半清醒状态). On my knees, I said softly, “Hello, Grandpa.”
Still feeling shy, I decided not to leave his bedside without letting him know. While I asked about how he was, he told me, “I’ll be fine, Henry.” although we both knew that wasn't true. Then he asked me with a smile how I was doing.
Hearing what my grandpa said, I was much moved. I made the decision that I had to show my gratitude for him. As I found all the courage (勇气) I had, I hold his hand tightly. I cried out, “Grandpa. I just want to let you know how much I love you. I hope you already know that yet I just want to make sure.” By this time, tears were rolling down my face. All those years of love that I had shut and not let him know, became free.
Smilingly, he said, “I know. Thank you for telling me that. All I have on this planet is my family and my love for them. If there is anything I could ask of you, I want you to be good to your family, your mother, your father, and your brother. That’s all I want of you.”
What I learned that day changed my whole life. From then on, I began telling people how much I love them, care for them, and respect them. I get in touch with, for example, my babysitter, my barber, to show my appreciation. I go down into the city once a week and serve pizza to the homeless. I wake up every morning and list everything I’m thankful to in my life.
【小题1】The author got the news of Grandpa’s illness________.

When Sandy was a little girl, she liked keeping pets. She had many books about animals and many pictures of animals on the walls of her bedroom. She often said that she would work in a  41  when she grew up.
Most of Sandy’s pets were quiet small—parrots, cats, dogs and so on. But one day she met something quite  42 .
That afternoon, Sandy’s mother was surprised to see a big animal with long hair in the kitchen. He  43  a T-shirt and was sitting on the chair, trying to put on a pair of glasses and making faces at her. In front of him, on the table, were a basket of fruits and a glass of water. “Sandy, where are you?” the mother shouted. Then suddenly she remembered that a few days before a young gorilla (大猩猩) called Jim had run away from the zoo.
“I found him in the city square,” Sandy said. “He seemed so  44 . I talked to him. We became friends at once and he followed me home.”
“Well, you know you  45  keep him,” her mother said. “You must send him back to the zoo. You’d better phone the police.”
Soon a  46  came and also a truck from the zoo.  47  was angry with Sandy when she told her story. The policeman knew Sandy loved animals. And the zookeeper said, “Thank you for your kindness. I can see Jim likes you,  48  we need to take him back.” Sandy agreed. She hugged Jim and said that she would go and see him  49 .
These days Sandy has stopped collecting  50 , but you can still find her with her friend Jim at the zoo on Saturdays and Sundays.

Dogs are considered as man’s best friend. But what about cats? Sometimes cats can make equally wonderful friends. The following is a comparison of the two animals.
A Friend Helps You When You’re Sick