On Saturday, Feb 12, 2000, two things happened that changed my life.
First of all, my baby sister got married. She was 26 this day, and yet to me she was still my baby sister.
I was happy, but also sad. Gone were the days of me bossing(支使) her around. My bossy behavior had once earned me the nickname Lucy. If you’re a fan of Peanuts, then you can clearly imagine my behavior as an older sister.
At one point, I left the wedding reception to get some air. I went outside and walked to a nearby playground. I’m not sure how long I sat there before my sister came and joined me. We talked about how we were both grown up. As she wiped a tear from my eye, she lovingly said, “You’ll always be Lucy to me.” We hugged.
Then, my cousin Mike walked over to tell us that it was time to cut the cake, and the second thing that changed my life that day came to pass.
“Hey, did you guys hear that Charles Schulz died today?” he said casually – as if it were no big deal. Then he took my sister’s arm and they turned to head back to the reception hall. “Coming?” they asked. “In a minute,” I replied, and I sat back down on the bench, dizzy from what Mike had just told me.
How could Charles Schulz be dead? He was my creator! He was almost like a father to me!
I had lost so many things on that day. My innocence had slipped away like a thief in the night. It was gone before I could do anything about it, taking with it all the treasures that I had held in my heart. I felt myself grow up in an instant. I saw, for the first time, what I really was – a 30-year-old woman with a husband of my own, and soon, a child of my own.
I took a deep breath and stood up from the bench. I turned and headed back to the hall, hoping I hadn’t missed the cutting of the cake. It was the day that my sister grew wings of her own and left the nest – the day that Lucy died, and I was born.
1.Why did the author feel sad at her sister’s wedding?
A. She was afraid of change.
B. Her sister was getting ready to move far away from her.
C. Her wonderful childhood with her sister had become a thing of the past.
D. She had nobody to turn to for help with housework.
2.When the author’s cousin told her that Charles Schulz had died, she __________.
A. felt a great sense of loss
B. burst into tears
C. thought he was joking
D. got angry at him for his attitude
3.What is implied when the author says that “Lucy died, and I was born”?
A. The author has realized how her sister must have felt about her and decided to change.
B. Lucy no longer matters to the author.
C. The author doesn’t like the nickname Lucy anymore.
D. The author is no longer sad and ready to face the fact that she is an adult.
4.The best title of the passage can be __________.
A. Two things changing my life
B. My baby sister’s wedding
C. Not Lucy anymore
D. Not innocent anymore
I am a person who doesn’t like waiting. I don’t like to wait in line, being put on hold when making a phone call, or arriving at an apartment to find that my companion will be . And of course, I don’t like waiting rooms.
, I realize that my agony(痛苦) will not be good for me, as an crowded world can only mean one thing – more waiting.
this, I have taken an action and decide to turn my frustration to productive ends. In short, I am looking for what I call “waiting-in-line” .
These are volumes that contain materials for being read in shortened words, so there is no extended story line to lose track of. Another is that they be enough to slip neatly into my back pocket.
The other day I went to the supermarket. that the rain would keep most people away, I was to see that the place was filled with . Every checkout was open – and jammed! But I can my pocket book and go to work.
The more the world demands that I , the more I learn from my waiting library. Look at the followings: One Hundred Things Every American Should Know; The Poetry of Robert Frost; Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers; Still More Toasts. I have learned interesting and enriching things and much from these books.
On a recent visit to the general store, I placed my order at the along with six or seven people. The old female employee seemed to have her hands full as she rushed . “Young man, just be ,” she said to me.
No problem. I quietly opened my dictionary prose(散文) and poetical quotations. Perhaps the other customers me as a bookish, lonely soul. But did they realize that I was enjoying the of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Homer and Ben Johnson.
1.A. dismissed B. delayed C. disappearedD. delighted
2.A. FurthermoreB. However C. DespiteD. Besides
3.A. actuallyB. importantlyC. increasinglyD. accurately
4.A. Instead ofB. Apart fromC. Rather thanD. Owing to
5.A. roomsB. goodsC. reasonsD. books
6.A. searched B. affordedC. designedD. charged
7.A. convenienceB. requirementC. agreementD. distinction
8.A. smallB. prettyC. activeD. vivid
9.A. Believed B. DeterminedC. PuzzledD. Convinced
10.A. surprisedB. worriedC. excitedD. satisfied
11.A. shoppersB. readersC. employeesD. volunteers
12.A. put outB. set downC. send forD. take out
13.A. sufferB. waitC. watchD. read
14.A. advantageB. benefitC. knowledgeD. patient
15.A. counterB. pocketC. marketD. service
16.A. aboutB. awayC. overD. across
17.A. politeB. patientC. carefulD. helpful
18.A. thoughtB. lookedC. regardedD. treated
19.A. certainlyB. obviouslyC. secretlyD. hardly
20.A. relationB. momentC. companyD. novel
An completely new district of industry has appeared in ________ used to be wasteland.
A. whichB. thatC. whatD. where
So sudden an attack ________ that the enemy could hardly have any time to fly for their lives.
A. we madeB. we had madeC. did we madeD. had we made
The young parents _________ too much a pet of their son, which is bound to destroy him in the end.
A. have madeB. are makingC. madeD. will be making
I think you are at the end of your ________ this time and need to turn to Pro. Smith for advice.
A. resourcesB. careersC. featuresD. issues