He lost his arms in an accident that claimed his father’s life--who was the main source of support for the family. Since then, he has had to depend on the arms of his younger brother. For the sake of taking care of him, his younger brother became his shadow, never leaving him alone for years. Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do anything in his life.
One late night, he suffered from diarrhea (腹泻) and had to wake up his younger brother. His younger brother accompanied him into the toilet and then went back to dorm to wait. But being so tired, his younger brother fell asleep, leaving him on the toilet for two hours till the teacher on duty discovered him. As the two brothers grew up together, they had their share of problems and they would often quarrel. Then one day, his younger brother wanted to live separate from him, living his own life, as many normal people do. So he was heart-broken and didn’t know what to do.
A similar misfortune happened to a girl, too. One night her mother, who suffered from chronic mental illness, disappeared. So her father went out looking for her mother, leaving her alone at home. She tried to prepare meals for her parents, only to overturn (弄翻) the kerosene light on the stove, resulting in a fire which took her hands away.
Though her elder sister, who was studying in another city, showed her willingness to take care of her, she was determined to be completely independent. At school, she always studied hard. Most of all she learned to be self-dependent. Once she wrote the following in her composition: “I am lucky. Though I lost my arms, I still have legs; I am lucky.” Though my wings are broken, my heart can still fly.”
One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program. The boy told the TV host about his uncertain future at being left on his own, whereas the girl was full of enthusiasm for her life. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote: My younger brother’s arms are my arms; while the girl wrote: Broken wings, flying heart.
They had both endured the same misfortune, but their different attitudes determined the nature of their lives. It is true that life is unpredictable. Disasters can strike at any time. How you handle misfortune when confronted with it actually is the true test of your character. If you choose only to complain and escape from the misfortune, it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decide to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be fortune on which new hopes will arise.
1.In the first paragraph, what happened in the accident?
A. The boy wasn’t badly injured.
B. The boy’s father escaped being hurt.
C. The boy’s father was killed.
D. The boy’s younger brother was slightly wounded.
2.The girl refused her elder sister’s help, because ______.
A. she was lucky and still had two legs
B. she wanted to be self-dependent rather than rely on others
C. she didn’t want to move to another city
D. she enjoyed living separate from others
3.When the girl wrote the words: Broken wings, flying heart, she really meant ______.
A. though she lost arms, she still had legs
B. her elder sister’s willingness to take care of her could help her fly with wings
C. if one had wings, his or her heart could fly
D. faced with the misfortune, you should be strong, and you’ll make it
My father left for our native place on Thursday. In fact, he had never traveled by ____ before, so I just took this opportunity to let him ____ his first flight. ____ being asked to book a ticket by train, I got him a ticket on Jet Airways. The moment I handed over the ticket to him, he was surprised. The ____ was very apparent on his face as we waited for the time of the ____. Just like a schoolboy, he was ____ himself on that day, using the trolley (手推车) for his luggage and asking for a window seat. He was ____ enjoying himself and I, too, watching him experience all these things with ____. As he was about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and ____ me. He became very ____ for what I had done meant a great deal to him. I told him there was no need to thank me.
Later, I ____ my life. As a child, how many dreams had our parents made come true? Without ____ the financial situation, we asked for dresses, toys, outings, etc. They tried to ____ all our needs. Did we ever say thanks for all they had done for us? Today ____ it comes to our children, we always think we should give them the best. But we tend to ____ that our parents have sacrificed a lot to see us happy, so it is our ____ to make sure their dreams are realized.
Old age is like a second childhood and just as we take care of our children, the same ____ needs to be given to our parents. I want to say sorry for making my father ____ so long for this small dream to be realized.
Just the fact that they are old does not mean that they will have to ____ everything and keep sacrificing. They have ____, too.
Take care of your parents. They are precious.
1.A. bus B. train C. ship D. air
2.A. catch B. miss C. experience D. change
3.A. In spite of B. Because of C. In case of D. Instead of
4.A. pride B. excitement C. admiration D. ambition
5.A. appointment B. dream C. travel D. show
6.A. encouraging B. warning C. teaching D. preparing
7.A. thoroughly B. slowly C. immediately D. suddenly
8.A. anger B. joy C. shyness D. curiosity
9.A. helped B. patted C. thanked D. praised
10.A. honest B. childish C. nervous D. emotional
11.A. looked for B. looked down upon C. looked into D. looked back on
12.A. understanding B. describing C. solving D. improving
13.A. avoid B. meet C. record D. check
14.A. unless B. because C. when D. though
15.A. learn B. express C. promise D. forget
16.A. ability B. responsibility C. freedom D. fortune
17.A. song B. advice C. attention D. thing
18.A. struggle B. wait C. rest D. stand
19.A. hand in B. pick up C. pay off D. give up
20.A. wishes B. jobs C. plans D. suggestions
— Jack, you seem in high spirits.
— ______ We won the match 4-0.
A. Guess what? B. So what?
C. No wonder. D. No doubt.
Tim is in good shape physically ______ he doesn’t get much exercise.
A. if B. even though
C. unless D. as long as
______ production up by 60%, the company has another excellent year.
A. As B. For C. With D. Through
The airport ______ next year will help promote tourism in this area.
A. being completed B. having been completed
C. completed D. to be completed
