I believe that families are not only blood relatives, but sometimes people who show up and love you when no one else will.
In May 1977, I was living in a Howard Johnson’s motel off Interstate 10 in Houston. My dad and I  1  a room with two double beds and the bathroom was too 2  for a 15-year-old girl and her father. Dad’s second marriage was   3   and my stepmother had   4  us both out of the house the previous week. Dad had no  5_   of what to do with me. And that’s when my other family   6  .
Barbara and Roland Beach took me into their home   7   their only daughter, Su, my best friend, asked them to. I   8  with them for the next seven years.
Barb washed my skirts the same as Su’s. She   9   I had lunch money, doctors’ appointments, help with homework and nightly hugs. Barbara and Roland attended every football game where Su and I were being cheerleaders. As far as I could tell, for the Beaches there was no 10 between Su and me; I was their daughter, too.
When Su and I 11  college they kept my room the same for the entire four years I attended school. Recently, Barb presented me with an insurance they _12_ when I first moved in with them and had continued to pay on for 23 years.
The Beaches knew 13  about me when they took me in – they had heard the whole story from Su.        When I was seven, my mother died and from then on my father relied on other people to _14  his kids. Before I went to live with the Beaches I had believed that life was entirely   15__ and that love was shaky and untrustworthy. I had believed that the only person who would take care of me was me.
   16  the Beaches, I would have become a bitter, cynical (愤世嫉俗的) woman. They gave me a(n) 17  that allowed me to grow and change. They kept me from being paralyzed(麻痹的) by my _18 , and they gave me the confidence to open my heart.
Now I   19 family. For me, it wasn’t the family that was there on the day I was 20  , but the one that was there for me when I was living in a Howard Johnson’s on Interstate

I believe that families are not only blood relatives, but sometimes people who show up and love you when no one else will.

In May 1977, I was living in a Howard Johnson’s motel off Interstate 10 in Houston. My dad and I  41  a room with two double beds and a bathroom was too  42  for a 15-year-old girl and her father. Dad’s second marriage was   43  and my stepmother had   44  us both out of the house the previous week. Dad had no  45_  what to do with me. And that’s when my other family   46 .

Barbara and Roland Beach took me into their home   47  their only daughter, Su, my best friend, asked them to. I   48   with them for the next seven years.

Barb washed my skirts the same as Su’s. She   49  I had lunch money, doctors’ appointments, help with homework and nightly hugs. Barbara and Roland attended every football game where Su and I were being cheerleaders.  50 I could tell, for the Beaches there was no  51 between Su and me; I was their daughter, too.

When Su and I 52 college they kept my room the same for the entire four years I attended school. Recently, Barb presented me with an insurance policy they bought when I first moved in with them and had continued to pay on for 23 years.

The Beaches knew  53 about me when they took me in – they had heard the whole story from Su. When I was seven, my mother died and from then on my father relied on other people to _54 his kids. Before I went to live with the Beaches I had believed that life was entirely   55__ and that love was shaky and untrustworthy. I had believed that the only person who would take care of me was me.

 56 the Beaches, I would have become a bitter, cynical (愤世嫉俗的) woman. They gave me a(n)  57 that allowed me to grow and change. They kept me from being paralyzed by my _58  , and they gave me the confidence to open my heart.

I   59  family. For me, it wasn’t the family that was there on the day I was  60 , but the one that was there for me when I was living in a Howard Johnson’s on Interstate 10.

Hot words on the Internet don’t stay hot for long. “Geili” and “fuyun”, last year’s biggest linguistic innovations, are practically prehistoric in Internet terms. What’s buzzing now is “hold steady”
The term comes from a segment (片段) on the Taiwanese TV show University which features Miss Lin(Xie Yilin) giving a lecture on how to behave like a fashion queen at parties or on the bus. The extremely funny lecture is mainly an over-the-top mockery(嘲笑) of the fashion world, but Miss Lin makes a point: We need to hold steady in pressure-filled or embarrassing situations.
Holding steady, Internet slang for “staying poised”, is one of the qualities the public has been looking for lately as pressures on marriage, work and money can easily drive people crazy. The quality was demonstrated by a girl named Su Miaoling this year. The contestant in the TV singing competition Super Girl carried herself with an air of confidence on stage and kept her cool when others got anxious. “I like your poise(淡定). Very few contestants on this stage can keep calm like you do,” said one of the show’s judges, Hu Haiquan, to Su. Internet users dubbed Su “Sister Poise”.
Poise is also appreciated in Western culture as an essential quality of a well-mannered person. Each year, the National League of Junior Cotillions of the US releases a list of the Ten Best Mannered People. Kate Middleton made it onto the list in 2011 “for the poise and dignity with which she conducts herself in the public spotlight”. The Duchess of Cambridge was also acclaimed earlier this year for her remarkable poise at the royal wedding.
Good news for many, poise is not genetic----it can be acquired with a bit of effort. A personal growth guidance gives tips on how to stay poised. “Take a few deep breaths when you are facing a situation that tests your patience; practice yoga regularly to calm your nerves; use self-affirmation by saying ‘I choose to be calm in any situation’; write down your affirmation daily to imprint the goal,” reads the site.
【小题1】According to the passage, what does “hold steady” mean?

On a typical hot August day in Xianyou County, Fujian Province, Zeng Demei, a retired worker in his seventies, hurries down a busy street．In his hand is a black leather bag．Zeng opens his bag, taking out two forms．

1..

         Each of the forms contains detailed information of a student．On his arrival two hours later a woman greets him and leads him to her office where another man is waiting．They are the two village officials．They inspect the forms handed to them by Zeng and immediately recognize the girls．2.? "It’s a pity but it doesn't matter．" says Zeng, who wastes no time in deciding to look for the remaining child, Su Qiuju．

         After half an hour, they stop outside a small house made of mud brick．A middle-aged man and a girl in a faded pink dress greet them．Su Qiuju is eight years old．She was forced to drop out of school after both her parents died．She is now living with her uncle who cannot afford his own children's education．However, the year of education Su Qiuju did complete was a successful one．3.．

         When they are about to leave, Zeng says, "I must find a supporter for this girl to sponsor her education．" Zeng has made it his retirement task to help children complete their schooling．Back in 1999, Zeng took part in a campaign started by the local women's organization to help students from poor families．4..

         His task had begun and since then he has spent his time persuading his friends and neighbors and others to donate money．"To me, children's education is the most important． 5. I have to find sufficient funding before the school opens in September．"

         When asked how long he will keep up his vital work as the community's guardian angel, he has a simple reply．" Not until my eyes can't see, and my feet can't move．"

A．They were having problems with their schoolwork

B．These are for the two girls he's going to visit this morning

C．They live in a small village not very far, though only one of the girls is still living at home

D．She displayed a talent for handwriting, writing her three-character name neatly and beautifully

E．The thought of students dropping out of school bothers me so much that I can't get to sleep at night

F．Of course, some people question why I would want to give up my retirement to go to so much trouble

G．He was so overcome by the tough situation of many poor children ?that he donated all his money to help out a girl

I believe that families are not only blood relatives, but sometimes people who show up and love you when no one else will.

In May 1977, I was living in a Howard Johnson’s motel off Interstate 10 in Houston. My dad and I  1  a room with two double beds and the bathroom was too 2  for a 15-year-old girl and her father. Dad’s second marriage was   3   and my stepmother had   4  us both out of the house the previous week. Dad had no  5_   of what to do with me. And that’s when my other family   6  .

Barbara and Roland Beach took me into their home   7   their only daughter, Su, my best friend, asked them to. I   8  with them for the next seven years.

Barb washed my skirts the same as Su’s. She   9   I had lunch money, doctors’ appointments, help with homework and nightly hugs. Barbara and Roland attended every football game where Su and I were being cheerleaders. As far as I could tell, for the Beaches there was no 10 between Su and me; I was their daughter, too.

When Su and I 11  college they kept my room the same for the entire four years I attended school. Recently, Barb presented me with an insurance they _12_ when I first moved in with them and had continued to pay on for 23 years.

The Beaches knew 13  about me when they took me in – they had heard the whole story from Su.        When I was seven, my mother died and from then on my father relied on other people to _14  his kids. Before I went to live with the Beaches I had believed that life was entirely   15__ and that love was shaky and untrustworthy. I had believed that the only person who would take care of me was me.

   16  the Beaches, I would have become a bitter, cynical (愤世嫉俗的) woman. They gave me a(n) 17  that allowed me to grow and change. They kept me from being paralyzed(麻痹的) by my _18 , and they gave me the confidence to open my heart.

Now I   19 family. For me, it wasn’t the family that was there on the day I was 20  , but the one that was there for me when I was living in a Howard Johnson’s on Interstate