Having lived in the house for so long, we found our kitchen looked old. We decided it was time to 1 the kitchen, and my husband and I were discussing 2 colors. The children, sitting nearby, suddenly all spoke together: “Not the measuring stick.”
“No,” I 3 them. “Not the measuring stick..”
The measuring stick isn’t a (an) 4 stick but the kitchen side of the door between our kitchen and dining room. Along the edge we’ve 5 each child’s growth by making a mark showing his or her 6 on every birthday. Over the years so many colored pens, pencils and markers have been used, that now, this white door is somewhat like an abstract painting.
Names and dates show different 7 , and I can tell by the script(手迹) who measured whom. An eight-year-old measured her three-year-old sister, a grandchild measured her grandmother, my husband measured me. At the parties, when this door 8 back and forth frequently, friends stop to 9 the names and dates. When we ask if they would like to be always remembered, they usually smile 10 and go back right up into place, 11 to be measured.
Many of those listed on the door are still 12 ; some have stopped. Some remain with us only in 13 . When my mother came to see my eldest daughter graduate from university, we measured her too. It was her last visit to our home.
We haven’t 14 the new kitchen color plan yet, but one thing is certain: whatever color we choose, the back of the kitchen door will always remain 15 , with lots of names and dates in various colors.
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Frank told us of his childhood. “My dad was a fisherman, and he 36 the sea. It was 37 making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out 38 he caught enough to feed the family.”
“He was a big man, and was 39 from pulling the nets and fighting the seas. When you got close to him, he smelled like the 40 . No matter how much my mother 41 his clothes, they would 42 smell of fish.”
“Every day he drove me to school. When the old truck rattled (嘎嘎作响) down the road, I would shrink down into the seat hoping to 43 . When we reached school, he would give me a kiss on the cheek and 44 me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. I was 45 twelve years old!”
“I 46 the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When he started to lean toward me, I put my hand up and said, ‘No, Dad.’ It was the first time I had ever talked to him in that 47 , and he had this 48 look on his face. I said, ‘Dad, I’m too old for a goodbye kiss.’ My dad looked at me and his eyes were filled with tears. I had never seen him 49 . ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘You are a big boy...a man. I won’t 50 you any more.’”
51 began to well up in Frank’s eyes, “It wasn’t long after that when my dad went to sea and never came back. 52 of the boats stayed in that day because of a coming storm, but not dad. He had a big family to 53 .”
“Guys, you don’t know what I would like is to have my dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek, to feel his 54 old face, to smell the ocean on him. I wish I had been a man then. 55 I had been a man, I would never have told my dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss.”
A．hated B．loved C．owned D．sold
A．hard B．enjoyable C．easy D．comfortable
A．before B．after C．until D．unless
A．thin B．fat C．weak D．strong
A．ocean B．land C．sky D．animals
A．made B．washed C．changed D．bought
A．never B．seldom C．still D．ever
A．survive B．disappear C．succeed D．appear
A．force B．advise C．order D．tell
A．sometimes B．once C．already D．only
A．remember B．forget C．recognize D．forecast
A．voice B．way C．case D．attitude
A．tired B．surprised C．worried D．annoyed
A．smile B．sing C．sigh D．cry
A．kiss B．cheat C．punish D．beat
A．Fear B．Tears C．Blood D．Anger
A．Both B．None C．Most D．Few
A．blame B．hold C．rescue D．feed
A．smooth B．dirty C．rough D．clean
A．If B．When C．Whether D．Where
I’d been proud that I’d never lost my cellphone until my husband Jack got a call one evening.
We went to visit a friend in hospital last year. When Jack’s 36 rang, it was my mother calling from my 37 . She asked if I had 38 my mobile. I checked my purse. It was 39 !
I used Jack’s phone to call my number. Then a boy, whom I’ll call Rhys, 40 it. “I found your phone!” he said, excitedly. “I have been trying to find you, but 41 it was getting late, I decided to leave.” He gave me the address of a 42 near his home.
Later that evening, I went to 43 him there. I didn’t dare to go 44 , worrying this was some cheater. So Jack came along. After 45 10km, we got to the coffee shop which Rhys 46 .
My 47 were gone. Rhys was just a young boy. “How did you 48 my mum?” I asked. He 49 that when he found my mobile by the roadside, he started calling people in my list of contacts. But all they 50 was my mobile phone number—which didn’t 51 . He’d called many names, starting with the letter A. Finally he got Adam, one of my friends, who 52 my house.
I was 53 to get my phone back with all the contacts, messages and photos I could have lost for ever. I was so 54 to Rhys and offered him some money, but he 55 .
As we drove back, we praised Rhys for his honesty.
A．electric car B．mobile phone C．radio D．doorbell
A．hospital B．company C．school D．home
A．found B．changed C．lost D．bought
A．gone B．new C．busy D．broken
A．accepted B．returned C．got D．answered
A．before B．because C．after D．if
A．coffee shop B．post office C．hotel D．supermarket
A．follow B．meet C．catch D．punish
A．slowly B．back C．alone D．finally
A．driving B．running C．walking D．riding
A．talked about B．looked for C．he ard of D．knew about
A．difficulties B．fears C．diseases D．hopes
A．remember B．know C．tell D．understand
A．realized B．repeated C．explained D．believed
A．had B．not iced C．expected D．finished
A．happen B．matter C．help D．fit
A．called B．visited C．shared D．sold
A．sorry B．glad C．sad D．proud
A．useful B．strange C．grateful D．polite
A．missed B．appeared C．agreed D．refused
A man and his girlfriend got married. It was a large celebration. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was 36 .
Some months later, the wife said to the 37 , “I read in a magazine about how we can strengthen our 38 . Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying(恼人的) with 39 person. Then, we can talk about how we can 40 them together and make our life happier together.”
The husband 41 . So each of them went to a separate room and thought of the things that 42 them about the other.
The next morning, at the 43 table, they decided that they would go over their lists.
“I’ll start,” offered the wife.
She took out her list. It had 44 items on it. As she started reading the list of the little annoyances, she 45 that tears were starting to appear in her husband’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “ 46 ,” the husband replied, “keep reading your list.”
The wife continued to read 47 she had read all the three pages. She carefully placed her list on the 48 and crossed her hands over top of it.
“Now, you read your list and then we’ll talk about the things on both of our lists.” She said 49 . Quietly the husband said, “I don’t have anything on my list. I think you are 50 as you are. You are lovely and wonderful. I don’t want you to 51 anything for me.”
The wife, touched by the depth of his love for her and his 52 of her, turned her head and wept(流泪).
We have a wonderful 53 that is full of beauty, light and promise. Why 54 time looking for the bad, disappointing or annoying when we can 55 us and see the wonderful things before us?
A．true B．false C．kind D．happy
A．boyfriend B．husband C．father D．mother
A．home B．family C．house D．marriage
A．some B．other C．the other D．another
A．repair B．solve C．set D．raise
A．agreed B．admitted C．refused D．laughed
A．interested B．surprised C．troubled D．puzzled
A．lunch B．supper C．breakfast D．dinner
A．such B．few C．no D．many
A．guessed B．understood C．knew D．noticed
A．Nothing B．Something C．Everything D．Anything
A．unless B．until C．after D．when
A．floor B．bed C．chair D．table
A．sadly B．happily C．angrily D．crazily
A．perfect B．beautiful C．gentle D．rich
A．read B．write C．change D．do
A．belief B．doubt C．understanding D．acceptance
A．home B．earth C．world D．country
A．waste B．spend C．take D．devote
A．look at B．look around C．look after D．look for
The professor’s house, big and untidy, stood alone at one end of a huge garden. The place was totally uncared for, quite __36__ and overgrown with all sorts of useless things. I __37__ my way through bushes and tall weeds to the front door and rang the bell.
I was glad that I found him. In twenty minutes he put me right on all the __38__ that had puzzled me. I was on the __39__ of leaving when I looked out of his study window and said, “You’re very fond of gardening, I see”
“No, I’m not,” he said. “__40__, I love this garden, though. It’s __41__ I always wanted it to be. I never touch it __42__ all.”
“It could be made lovely. It seems a pity to let all this ground go to __43__. But perhaps you don’t _ 44__ that way?” said I.
“I don’t. I lived here when I was a child, and I had 45 of gardening then. It was my father’s hobby, you see. Unfortunately, he wasn’t 46 _ enough to do it himself. My brother and I did all of it between us year after year. There was one right way and many wrong ways. Each blade (叶片) of grass was an enemy to be _ _47__ out by hand, not just cut off. I’ve spent a good part of life at work here.”
“I see. You took a dislike to it, and now you’re getting even！”
“I dislike it. Then, of course, I didn’t understand the effect it had. It used to __48__ me. It appeared in my __49__ ——— a mistake here, something not quite straight here, the enemy showing its head in a place I was __50__ to have cleaned. The work was too much. It seemed endless. The size of the place was itself a fight to a boy.”
“And now it’s yours, you’re just letting it go to ...”
“__51__?” he said. “No, I don’t agree with that. This garden and I are now the best friends. I like _52__ it grow in its own way. I make no __53__ on it. I never disturb it, and it never disturbs me. It has _ 54__ at last, and so have I.”
“But the path is over grown. It’s __55__ for you, isn’t it?”
“That’s part of my pleasure，” he laughed. “You can go out the back way. The weeds are shorter there because they don’t get the sun.”
A．wild B．crazy C．large D．nice
A．lost B．felt C．made D．took
A．gardening B．problems C．plants D．solution
A．time B．request C．permission D．point
A．Even so B．So C．As though D．Even if
A．where B．as C．why D．whether
A．after B．of C．at D．in
A．desert B．trouble C．garden D．waste
A．recognize B．observe C．know D．see
A．much B．enough C．something D．nothing
A．interested B．excited C．fit D．demanding
A．fought B．ruled C．rooted D．cut
A．worry B．shock C．astonish D．disappoint
A．life B．dreams C．house D．hands
A．thought B．expected C．ordered D．supposed
A．Ruin B．Develop C．Grow D．Sell
A．watching B．attending C．watering D．noticing
A．comments B．difference C．sense D．demands
A．time B．freedom C．sunlight D．space
A．important B．useless C．inconvenient D．previous
It’s Saturday morning. Tony’s sitting at the kitchen table, 36 with a piece of bread. He’s not even 37 . Is he ill? No, but he does have a 38 .He has nothing to do becau se the Internet is down. When he 39 up this morning, Tony was feeling 40 . He jumped out of bed full of plans for the 41 ahead. It would be a weekend like any other---a great weekend. But that was before he turned on his 42 and found he was 43 to go online. Having no Internet changes everything.
Every weekend, Tony 44 goes online to email friends, reads the 45 to keep up with what’s happening in the world and 46 a few online chess games with his cousin Helen to finish the weekend off. The perfect weekend---online!
Just as Tony is wondering how he can possibly have a normal weekend 47 the Internet, his mum walks into the 48 . “Cheer up, Tony. Don’t 49 the Internet any more, OK?” Tony makes no 50 but sighs (叹气).“Go and play chess with Helen!” Tony’s mum 51 .
“Oh, yes! Helen 52 just around the corner. We can meet and play chess face 53 face for a change. Maybe this weekend won’t be so bad,” Tony 54 , as he walks to the phone. There is 55 without the Internet after all.
A．cutting B．playing C．eating D．thinking
A．hungry B．angry C．tired D．sleepy
A．fear B．problem C．business D．thing
A．rose B．rang C．looked D．woke
A．great B．disappointed C．unhappy D．worried
A．holiday B．year C．weekend D．morning
A．TV B．computer C．radio D．web
A．willing B．surprised C．able D．unable
A．usually B．nearly C．especially D．already
A．letters B．news C．reports D．contents
A．guesses B．takes C．plays D．makes
A．on B．without C．by D．with
A．living-room B．hall C．kitchen D．study
A．talk about B．care about C．think about D．look about
A．answer B．progress C．movement D．choice
A．reports B．replies C．tells D．suggests
A．travels B．treats C．lives D．escapes
A．for B．by C．from D．to
A．cries B．smiles C．reads D．watches
A．change B．task C．weekend D．life
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