Well I decided to cut my front lawn （草坪）today, especially since I live on a main street downtown with lots of traffic. Anyway, I finished mine and decided to cut my neighbor—Jean’s grass while I was at it. She is a sweet person who has gone through some trying times in the last year. Her brother passed away of cancer last year; her sister (who lives with her) is mentally challenged—yet so sweet!
It was a difficult time with physical and mental challenges that led her employer in our local hospital to let her go after 25 years of service! Lastly, my neighbor Jean, who is a nurse in our local hospital, was diagnosed with esophageal （食道） cancer in December. She went through radiation and a long recovery—but thankful she is in remission（缓解）.
Anyway, in short I was leaving my house this afternoon and she stopped me to thank me for cutting her grass. She told me her dad passed away on Friday and she just arrived home from the funeral service, so she didn’t know when I would have time to cut her grass. So, when she arrived home and saw it cut she was more than happy and grateful! I said to her “You are welcome, just a small act of kindness for a neighbor.”
I did it for exercise and shared pleasure not knowing it meant more to her than just doing a neighbor a favor!
1.Although a lot of unfortunate matters happened to Jean, she is still _____.
A. pessimistic B. optimistic
C. depressed D. disappointed
2.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “trying” in the first paragraph?
A. Happy. B. Exciting. C. Simple. D. Hard.
3.What can we learn from the first three paragraphs?
A. Jean is unlucky.
B. Jean lives happily.
C. Jean has retired.
D. Jean’s employer doesn’t like her.
4.How does Jean feel about the author helping her cutting grass?
A. She feels sad.
B. She feels only happy.
C. She feels very happy and thankful.
D. She feels easy.
Each one of us is a wonderful being. Encouragement can the hidden ability and wonder in an individual. Telling others constantly that they are the useless, stupid, and uncreative only the possibility of their improvement. But if we were to the encouragement technique in our praises, chances are that we would make others realize their .
An old man was picking fish from the shore and throwing them back into the sea. A young man this and said, “For the past two hours you are throwing fishes into the sea. But there are so many fishes around. Can you make a difference to all of them?” The old man smiled, yet another fish, threw it into the sea and said, “I have made difference to this fish.”
Constantly encourage yourself and encourage others. Let this be your and duty. Believe in them, and life will have meaningful . With such a purpose you will have no time to be depressed. The act of yourself and others will be a source of joy.
“But I am so . Can I make a difference to the world?” asked the man. It is said, “What a little lamp can do, the great Sun cannot; it can shine in the .”
A pilot while flying realized that he direction. It was dark and difficult for him to land. The was running out. There was a great . Suddenly he saw a heavy truck on the expressway; its headlight beam him to make out the path. Using expressway as runway, he . He said to himself, “I am sure the truck driver would not have realized that the truck’s headlights many lives”.
In the same way, we may not know how we can to others. What is important is our intention to contribute.
1.A. lose B. lack C. inspire D. appreciate
2.A. destroys B. adds C. creates D. gains
3.A. discover B. study C. employ D. improve
4.A. goal B. dream C. fault D. potential
5.A. sure B. busy C. worth D. foolish
6.A. observed B. praised C. opposed D. heard
7.A. really B. specially C. quickly D. frequently
8.A. set up B. ran up C. picked up D. went up
9.A. progress B. habit C. result D. benefit
10.A. stories B. tasks C. friends D. purposes
11.A. encouraging B. trusting C. enjoying D. appreciating
12.A. helpful B. meaningful C. unimportant D. unlucky
13.A. morning B. night C. sky D. hole
14.A. missed B. found C. mistook D. lost
15.A. fuel B. money C. strength D. patience
16.A. comfort B. surprise C. pleasure D. danger
17.A. advised B. helped C. taught D. requested
18.A. escaped B. failed C. landed D. appeared
19.A. killed B. saved C. risked D. cost
20.A. turn B. contribute C. point D. prefer
She ________ someone, so I nodded to her and went away.
A. phoned B. had phoned
C. was phoning D. has phoned
I think _______ is no need for us to comment on his action: it speaks for itself.
A. it B. that C. there D. this
----- It’s too strange that these people should laugh when their relatives die.
----- That is the local custom ______ the seventeenth century.
A. dates back to B. dated back to
C. dating back to D. had dated back to
I lent him ten magazines, ____ are more wonderful than you can imagine.
A. most of which B. most of them
C. and most of which D. most of that
