My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s bureau（衣橱）and picked out a wonderful skirt. “Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago .She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion.” Well, I guess this is the occasion.
He took the skirt from me and put it on the bed. His hands touched the soft material for a moment, then he shut the drawer and turned to me, “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.”
I’m still thinking about his words, and they’ve changed my attitude to life. I’m spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to enjoy, not suffer. I’m trying to recognize these moments now and treasure them.
“Someday” and “one of these days” are being lost from my vocabulary. If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now . I’m not sure what my sister would have done if she had known she wouldn’t have tomorrow.
I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend her fences for past things. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food.
If I knew that my hours were limited, those little things left undone would make me angry. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with someday. Angry and sorry because I didn’t tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.
I’m trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute, and every breath truly, is…a gift from God.
1.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Every day is a gift
B. My poor sister
C. Value friendship every day
D. Every day is an important occasion
2.Jan bought the wonderful skirt but didn’t wear it, because( )
A. She wanted to wear it on special occasions
B. She kept it as a special gift for someone else
C. She saved it until she grew older
D. She wanted to keep it as a sweet memory
3.Which of the following is not the writer’s attitude to life?
A. Spending more time staying with family every day.
B. Attending social activities as often as possible
C. Enjoying life and valuing every day.
D. Trying to get along well with friends
The first newspaper was written by hand and put up on walls in public places. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700s the world’s first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn’t have a regularly printed newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The first regularly published newspaper in English was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant, which came out in March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston .But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started the Boston Newspaper, the first newspaper published daily in the American colonies（殖民地）. By 1760, the colonies had more than thirty daily newspapers.There are now about 1, 800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, newspapers in English have the largest circulation (发行量)in the world .But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun . It sells more than eleven million copies every year.
1.The first regularly printed European newspaper started in ________.
A. Rome in 59 BC B. Germany in 1609
C. Amsterdam in 1620 D. England in 1621
2.The first daily newspaper in English started in _________.
A.1620 B. 1621 C. 1590 D.1702
3.What does the author want to inform us?
A. History of newspapers
B. History of daily newspapers
C. The beginning of newspapers
D. On reading newspapers
The event happened many years ago , but I will never forget it . The memory of it remains _______ in my mind . The event occurred ______ a hot , humid May morning in 1947.
When I was six years old I was a first –graded student in Miss Butler’s class. She was well known for her ________ discipline(纪律) in class. We all were kept busy _____ all day . There was always so much homework to do . _______ that had done something wrong would be ______ punished by the long stick she ______ . You can imagine the fear I _____ when I drew in a deep breath ---I accidentally _____ a strange sound . Miss Butler immediately stopped her class and _____ the blackboard . Seeing my expression, she _____, “ John , did you do that ?” I _______ to find my voice and pointed to the boy close to me and said , “ No . Leandro did it .” Leandro’s explanation (解释) was _______ ; in a moment the _______ had come down, and Leandro was crying into his ________ shirt.
Somehow, I had known she would _______ me . After all, I was a nicely dressed little white girl , and ______ was active in the Parent-Teacher Association, ______ Leandro was a fat little Mexican boy . He had ______ speaking English and his mother had too many children to care for and no time to attend meetings . He was never dressed in new clothes .
Leadron , how I ______ that I could ask for your forgiveness (原谅)! Please accept my apology , my old desk mate.
1.A. alive B. live C. lively D. living
2.A. in B. from C. during D. on
3.A .perfect B. good C. strict D. loose
4.A. writing B. listening C. playing D. studying
5.A. Nobody B. Someone C. Anyone D. No one
6.A. finally B. quickly C. normally D. frequently
7.A . collected B. borrowed C. carried D. threw
8.A. felt B. suffered C. realized D. got
9.A. heard B. made C. found D. received
10.A. looked around B. looked into
C. looked through D. looked up
11.A. requested B. answered C. smiled D. asked
12.A. tried B. begged C. managed D. decided
13.A. hopeful B. special C. useless D. peaceful
14.A. blackboard B. stick C. book D. air
15.A. nice B. old C. beautiful D. dirty
16.A. punish B. educated C. believe D. reward
17.A. my mother B. Miss Butler
C. Leandro D. Leandro’s mother
18.A. while B. when C. though D. since
19.A. fun B. trouble C. gifts D. skills
20.A. hope B. like C. wish D. consider
----Thanks so much for making my stay here so pleasant .
----________.
A. With pleasure. B. That’s right .
C. Enjoy yourself. D. Its’ a pleasure .
It was ______ cold a day that we had to stay indoors.
A. so B. such C. too D. very
In recent years, the ______ dry heat had led to a series of natural disasters.
A. specially B. extremely C. entirely D. actually
