The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the long branches of an old willow tree.   31  at life, I have a good reason to frown, for the world was intent on   32  me down.
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath   33 me, all tired from play. He stood   34  in front of me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, "Look what I found!" In his hand was a   35 . What a pitiful sight, its petals were all worn - not enough rain, or too little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower away and go off to play, I   36  a small smile and then looked away.
But instead of   37  , he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and   38  loudly with certainty, "It sure smells pretty and it must be beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you." The weed before me was dying or dead, not vibrant of   39 , orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I  40  for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need." Again,  41  placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then 42 I noticed for the very first time that the boy could not see: he was 43 .
I heard my voice trembling. Tears shone like the sun as I thanked him for picking the very best one. "You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play, not realizing the  44  he'd had on my day. I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a  45   woman beneath an old willow tree. How did he 46 my self-indulged plight(困境)? Perhaps he'd been  47  with true sight from his heart by God.
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see, the problem was not with the world; the problem was me. For all of those times I myself had been blind. I decided to see beauty, and 48  every second that belongs to mine.  49 I held that dead flower up to my nose and breathed in the  50  of a beautiful rose , I smiled as that young boy. Another flower in his hand was about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

【小题1】	A．Disappointed B．Delighted C．Excited D．embarassed
【小题2】	A．slowing B．making C．letting D．pressing
【小题3】	A．stopped B．supposed C．informed D．approached
【小题4】	A．absolutely B．definitely C．right D．rightly
【小题5】	A．leaf B．branch C．weed D．flower
【小题6】	A．exposed B．showed C．managed D．tried
【小题7】	A．leaving B．answering C．reacting D．responding
【小题8】	A．whispered B．shouted C．spoke D．declared
【小题9】	A．styles B．sizes C．colors D．shapes
【小题10】	A．left B．handed C．reached D．held
【小题11】	A．in pace of B．in addition to C．instead of D．in return
【小题12】	A．where B．before C．when D．that
【小题13】	A．deaf B．blind C．cripple D．dumb
【小题14】	A．impression B．appearance C．power D．influence
【小题15】	A．self-satisfied s B．elf-respecting C．self-educated D．self-pitying
【小题16】	A．approve of[来源:Z#xx#k.Com B．convince of C．inform of D．know of
【小题17】	A．presented B．crowded C．blessed D．equipped
【小题18】	A．appreciate B．treasure C．spend D．admire
【小题19】	A．As B．Though C．Unless D．Since
【小题20】	A．sight B．shade C．fragrance D．flavor

It was the afternoon of December 24, the day before Christmas; and as the newest doctor in our office, I had to work. The only thing that brightened my day was the beautifully decorated Christmas tree in our waiting room and a gift sent to me by a fellow I was dating — a dozen long-stemmed red roses.

    As I was cleaning my office, I was told a lady urgently needed to speak with me. As I stepped out, I noticed a young, tired-looking woman with a baby in her arms. Nervously, she explained that her husband — a prisoner in a nearby prison — was my next patient. She told me she wasn’t allowed to visit her husband in prison and that he had never seen his son. Her request was for me to let the boy’s father sit in the waiting room with her as long as possible before I called him for his appointment. Since my schedule wasn’t full, I agreed. After all, it was Christmas Eve.

    A short time later, her husband arrived — with chains on his feet and hands, and two armed guards as bodyguards. The woman’s tired face lit up like our little Christmas tree when her husband took a seat beside her. I kept glancing out to watch them laugh, cry and share their child. After almost an hour, I called the prisoner back to my office. The patient seemed like a gentle and modest man. I wondered what he possibly could have done to be held under such conditions. I tried to make him as comfortable as possible.

    At the end of the appointment, I wished him a Merry Christmas----a difficult thing to say to a man headed back to prison. He smiled and thanked me. He also said he felt saddened by the fact he hadn’t been able to get his wife anything for Christmas. On hearing this, I was inspired with a wonderful idea.

    I’ll never forget the look on both their faces as the prisoner gave his wife the beautiful, long-stemmed roses. I’m not sure who experienced the most joy — the husband in giving, the wife in receiving, or myself in having the opportunity to share in this special moment.

1.What can be inferred from the first paragraph?

A. The writer was a newcomer to her office.

B. A fellow sent her a dozen red roses as Christmas present.

C. She was in low spirits because she had to work before Christmas.

D. She was at work with a light heart.

2.The young woman came to the writer’s office for the purpose of __________.

A. having her baby examined   

B. giving her husband a chance to make his escape

C. having her husband examined

D. getting a chance for her family to get together

3.The underlined part in paragraph 3 most probably means “__________”.

A. to be sent to hospital                       B. to be separated from his family

C. to be comfortable                             D. to become a prisoner

4.What does the writer learn from the story?

A. The wife experienced the most joy in receiving.

B. An act of kindness can mean a lot.

C. The prisoner was treated with mercy.

D. Whoever breaks the law should be punished.

The “Doorman” 

On a trip to California, my family stopped for lunch. As we walked toward the entrance to the restaurant, a man, with a   36  beard and dirty hair, jumped up from a bench and opened the door for us．Regardless of his   37 , he greeted us in a friendly way.

Once inside, my daughters whispered, "Mom, he   38  " After we ordered our lunch, I explained, telling the kids to look   39  the dirt．We then watched other customers approach the restaurant but many   40 him．Seeing this rudeness truly upset me．The day I became a mother, I had decided to set a good   41  for my children．Yet sometimes when things didn't go right, being a good example was tough. When our meal arrived, I realized I had left the car-sick pills（晕车药） in the truck．With the windiest trip ___42__ , the kids needed them, so I   43  myself from the meal and went to get them．

Just then, the "doorman" was opening the door for a couple．They rushed past him without even acknowledging his   44   .  Letting them in first, I said a loud "thank you" to him as I __45__．

When I returned, we talked a bit．He said he was not allowed inside   46  he purchased food．I went back and told my family his   47 .Then I asked our waitress to add one soup and sandwich．The kids looked   48  as we had already eaten, but when I said the order was for the "doorman" , they smiled．When it was time to   49  our trip, I noticed the "doorman" enjoying his meal．Upon seeing me, he stood up and thanked me heartily．He then   50  his hand for a handshake and I gratefully accepted．I suddenly noticed the tears in his eyes—tears of  51  .What happened next drew great astonishment: I gave the " doorman" a   52 . He pulled away, with tears   53  down his face．

Back in truck, I fell into deep thought．While we can't choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude．I said thanks to a man who had   54  held open a door for me, and also said thanks for that   55 to teach my children by example．

36．

1.                A．heavy          B．long           C．messy    D．grey

37．

2.                A．service         B．appearance      C．status    D．attitude

38．

3.                A．smokes         B．smiles          C．sniffs D．smells

39．

4.                A．beyond         B．over           C．around   D．into

40．

5.                A．hated          B．ignored         C．missed   D．refused

41．

6.                A．target          B．rule            C．record   D．example

42．

7.                A．before         B．after           C．backward D．ahead

43．

8.                A．excused        B．freed          C．prevented D．stopped

44．

9.                A．company       B．presence       C．effort    D．attempt

45．

10.               A．quitted         B．marched        C．exited D．approached

46．

11.               A．before         B．unless          C．though    D．since

47．

12.               A．story          B．order          C．experience D．demand

48．

13.               A．concerned      B．shocked        C．puzzled   D．bored

49．

14.               A．make          B．start           C．take  D．continue

50．

15.               A．held out        B．turned out      C．carried out D．gave out

51．

16.               A．approval        B．affection        C．sympathy  D．gratitude

52．

17.               A．hug           B．nod           C．lift   D．clap

53．

18.               A．slipping        B．streaming       C．rushing    D．breaking

54．

19.               A．firmly          B．constantly       C．simply D．politely

55．

20.               A．journey        B．wisdom         C．opportunity    D．coincidence

“Where is the bus? Why is it always late?” I asked myself. I was going to be late  _31___the manager wasn’t going to be pleased. “Thank God, here it is!” The bus came round the corner and I got on. Ten minutes later I was walking into the __32___where I work. “Twenty-five past nine. I   hope the manager doesn’t notice.” But I was not   _33___.
“Smith!” shouted the manager. “Late again. What’s your   _34___ this time?” “I am afraid the bus was late, Mr. Brown.” “ Get up earlier tomorrow! Anyway, go to your place at the counter(柜台). We’ll be opening in a few minutes.”
My first customer was a pretty girl wearing a red dress.  _35___ her was a young man of about 23.He seemed very ____36____, and every few seconds he looked towards the main entrance. The girl drew some money and __37___about opening an account. I gave her necessary   38__and she went out. Then I noticed a tall man by the door, carrying something ___39_ _with brown paper. Turning to my next customer, I was frightened to see a gun sticking out of his coat. The next moment a loud noise ___40 __my ears. Everything went black. I was falling… It seemed to be a long time ___41___ I opened my eyes and I found myself in bed! Still shaking from the memory of this terrible dream, I got dressed and ran out of the house. ___42___ the bus wasn’t on time, and I got to the bank at 9:25.
“Smith!” the manager cried out in a voice like thunder. “__43___of your excuses! Start work at once!” To my ___44__ the first customer was a girl ___45__ a red dress and behind her stood a man carrying something wrapped in brown paper. The Dream! Sometimes life is full of coincidences (巧合)!

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station(加油站) about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.

I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend’s. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I  received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day, and the battery(电池) was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership—a shop selling cars—was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.

“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?”I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.

The underlined words“took off”in Paragraph  2 mean         .

  A. turned off          B. moved off      C. put up          D. set up

What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

  A. He had it pulled back to the gas station.

  B. The couple sent him a business card.

  C. The couple offered to help him.

  D. He called his friend for help.

The battery of the author’s car was dead because         .

  A. something went wrong with the lights

  B. his meeting lasted a whole day

  C. he forgot to turn off the lights

  D. he drove too long a distance

By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show         .

  A. how to write a thank-you letter

  B. how to deal with car problems

  C. the kind-heartedness of older people

  D. the importance of expressing thanks