A letter to Edward, a columnist（报刊专栏作家）

Dear Mr Expert:

I grew up in an unhappy and abusive home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I’ve achieved.

Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine — so much so that they make mine theirs.

It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.

I enjoy having my friends here sometimes — it makes the place feel comfortable and warm— but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy（隐私）?

Joan

Edward’s reply to Joan

Dear Joan:

If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.

And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere（气氛）,you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with— or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.

Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over.”

63. We can learn from the first letter that Joan Edward        .

A. lives away from her parents

B. takes pride in her friends

C. knows Mr Expert quite well

D. hates her parents very much

64. We can infer from the first letter that        .

A. Joan considers her friends more important than her privacy

B. Joan’s friends visit her more often than she can accept

C. Joan doesn’t like the parties at all

D. Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over

65. According to Mr Expert, why can’t Joan tell her friends her feelings?

A. She is afraid of hurting her friends.

B. She does not understand true friendship.

C. Her family experience stops her from doing so.

D. She does not put her needs first.

66. The underlined word “conflict” in the second letter means      .

A. dependent life    B. fierce fight C. bad manners      D. painful feeling

67. The second letter suggests that Mr Expert        .

A. is worried about Joan’s problem      B. warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends

C. advises Joan on how to refuse people      D. encourages Joan to be brave enough

A letter to Edward，a columnist

Dear Mr. Expert,

    I grew up in an unhappy and abusive(虐待) home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I've achieved.

    Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine—so much so that they make mine theirs.

      It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.

    I enjoy having my friends here sometimes—it makes the place feel comfortable and warm—but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?

                                                                                                                    Joan

Edward’s reply to Joan

Dear Joan,

　　If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.

　　And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict（冲突）you grew up with—or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.

      Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company（陪伴） but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over. ”

                                                                                                                    Edward

59. We can learn from the first letter that Joan ___________.

  A. takes pride in her friends                       

B. lives away from her parents

  C. knows Mr. Expert quite well              

D. hates her parents very much

60. We can infer from the first letter that __________.

　 A. Joan thinks her friends more important than her privacy

   B. Joan doesn’t like the parties at all

   C. Joan’s friends visit her more often than expected

   D. Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over

61. In Mr. Expert’s opinion, the reason why Joan can’t tell her friends her feelings is that _________.

　 A. she is afraid of hurting her friends 

B. she does not understand true friendship

   C. her family experience stops her from doing so

D. she does not put her needs first

62. The second letter suggests that Mr. Expert __________.

　 A. is concerned about Joan’s problem

B. warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends

   C. encourages Joan to be brave enough

   D. advises Joan on how to refuse people

   At the end of my senior year of high school, I got a job working at a local coffee shop．I thought the job would be easy and stress-free．I pictured myself pouring the best coffees, making delicious doughnuts (炸面包圈), and becoming friends with regular customers．

   I wasn’t expecting the people with enormous orders, the women who complained that the coffee was much too creamy (含乳脂的), or the men who wanted their iced coffees remade again and again until they reached perfection．I couldn’t seem to please anyone．

   One rainy day, one of my regular customers came in looking upset．He said he felt like getting in bed, pulling the sheets up over his head, and staying there for a few years．I knew exactly how he felt．

   Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee．He was surprised, since he hadn’t ordered anything but coffee．I had given him his favorite type of droughnut．

   “It’s on me,” I told him．“Have a nice day．”

   He smiled and thanked me before heading back out into the rain．

   The next day, it was still raining．I spent my afternoon hanging out the window handing people their orders．I was completely wet and freezing cold．Worse, no one was tipping that day．Every time I looked into our empty tip jar, I grew more depressed．

   In the evening, the customer from the day before drove up to the window．He handed me a pink rose and a note．He said that not many people took time to care about others and he was glad there were still people like me in the world．With a friendly wave, he drove away．

   I ran to the back of the shop and read the note．It read:

Christine,

   Thanks for being so sweet, kind and thoughtful yesterday．It is so nice to meet someone who’s indeed nice．Please don’t change your ways! Have a great day! –Hank

    After that, whenever I felt depressed or sick of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness．Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, “How can I help you?”

45．Why wasn’t the writer happy with her job at first?

       A．The customers didn’t tip her enough．

       B．It was difficult to make iced coffee perfect．

       C．Everybody had an enormous order．

       D．The job didn’t turn out as she had expected．

46．The man came to the coffee shop to ______．

       A．buy his favorite doughnut               B．complain to the author

       C．buy a cup of iced coffee            D．get out of the rain

47．The man felt thankful for the writer because ______．

       A．she was indeed kind to him in a time of need

      B．she knew exactly how the man felt

       C．she offered him coffee and food for free

       D．she comforted him by sharing his pain

48．What can we learn from the passage?

       A．Don’t count your eggs until they are hatched．

       B．If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path．

       C．The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships．

       D．A man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy．

A letter to Edward, a columnist(报刊专栏作家）

Dear Mr Expert:

I grew up in an unhappy and abusive home. I always Promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20,I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I’ve achieved.

Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine ― so much so that they make mine theirs.

It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can shou up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.

I enjoy having my friends here sometimes― it makes the place feel comfortable and warm― but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?

Joan

Edward’s reply to Joan

Dear Joan:

If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.

And if you’ve gathesed yourfriends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛),you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with― or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.

Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over.”

63. We can learn from the first letter that Joan Edward         .

A. lives away from her parents

B. takes pride in her friends

C. knows Mr Expert quite well

D. hates her parents very much

64.We can infer from the first letter that         .

A. Joan considers her friends more important than her privacy

B. Joan’s friends visit her more often than she can accept

C. Joan doesn’t like the parties at all

D. Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over

65. According to Mr Expert, why can’t Joan tell her friends her feelings?

A. She is afraid of hurting her friends.

B. She does not understand true friendship.

C. Her family experience stops her from doing so.

D. She does not put her needs first.

66. The underlined word “conflict” in the second letter means       .

A. dependent life        B. fierce fight           C. bad manners           D. painful feeling

67.The second letter suggests that Mr Expert         .

A. is worried about Joan’s problem

B. warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends

C. advises Joan on how to refuse people

D. encourages Joan to be brave enough

A lesson in caring
It was a cold evening. My daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora    36    . She wasn’t even four, but she   37    at my coat and said, “That man’s cold. Daddy, can we take him home?”
I don’t remember my   38    . But I do remember a sudden   39    feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her   40     , whether it was     41    flying or children playing. But now she was noticing   42    and beggary.
A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and   43     it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I signed us up. Nora was   44    about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how   45    our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to    46    myself to leave the house to fetch the food package. On my way to the school, I fought an urge (强烈愿望) to turn    47    . The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting for me at home. Why do this?   48    , we phoned the elderly person we’d been appointed. She   49    us right over.
The building was in a bad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed.   50     inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged. I walked home    51    .
Professionals call such a(n)   52    “a volunteer opportunity”. They are opportunities and I’ve come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something    53     that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve meals to needy people and   54     clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve    55     her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has benefited more?