Karl Fleming joined the military because he needed a change in his life. He had a successful career with a shipping company but he wanted to do something more. He found that something in the U.S. army. Fleming began his service in 2009 and never looked back.
A few years later, Fleming volunteered to go to Afghanistan. There, he worked as a bodyguard for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He enjoyed it, except for the almost-nightly rocket attacks. Karl was never hit directly by a rocket, but he didn’t need to be to feel its effects. The rockets caused severe shaking, shaking so bad that Fleming was left with many injuries. He was also diagnosed with concussions(脑震荡) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD).
Fleming said he was down but not out. Once he returned from Afghanistan, Fleming underwent one test after another. At first, Fleming said he thought he could recover or be able to return to duty and realize his dream of becoming an officer. But then came the news he had never imagined: Fleming would never be an officer because he was too injured to continue.
Fleming said he was depressed after learning his military career was over. Add that to the memory loss, extreme anxiety and the many painful medical procedures he was already experiencing. He rarely ventured outside on the weekend. Instead, he preferred to sleep in. All that changed, however, with Fleming’s service dog, Kuchar.
Fleming said he had heard dogs could help people suffering from PTSD, so he started doing research. Karl eventually selected K9s for Warriors, which is where he met Kuchar, a yellow lab. Fleming and Kuchar trained together for weeks, before returning to Fort Benning. K9s for Warriors provided Fleming with Kuchar and the training for free.
Life with Kuchar has been life-changing. Fleming doesn’t sleep in any more because Kuchar won’t let him. Instead, they venture out into a world Karl was once afraid of — a world for Fleming that now seems impossible to imagine without Kuchar by his side.
1.Karl Fleming joined the army because ___________.
A. he had a successful career
B. he loved to be a soldier
C. he wanted to have a change
D. he expected to work in a shipping company
2.From Paragraph 2, we can learn Karl Fleming was __________.
A. forced to go to Afghanistan
B. struck directly by a rocket one day
C. satisfied with everything in the army
D. injured because of the shaking from the rockets
3.Fleming suffered from the following illnesses except ___________.
A. concussions B. PTSD
C. memory loss D. a heart attack
4.Karl Fleming recovered with the help of ___________.
A. an experienced bodyguard B. a well-trained dog
C. a laboratory engineer D. a military officer
5.The passage is mainly about Fleming’s__________.
A. change of life B. service in the military
C. medical procedures D. experiences in Afghanistan
Leaving for college can be a big challenging learning experience. Maybe this is the first time for you to live with people1.aren’t your family members. Because of the differences in values and personalities, unavoidably, conflicts may easily arise betweenroommates.
So how can you develop a successful roommate relationship2.fewer conflicts? First, lose your shyness 3.open up to your roommates by talking about the common interest, which can help you learn each other’s different cultural or social backgrounds. 4., be flexible with your roommatesand adjust your thinking to new situations. Don’t get stuck with 5.thinking patterns and habits that you bring from home. At last, 6.your roommate does something that bothers you, don’t let 7.turn into a bad situation.Try to work together to reach a compromise that8.can both live with.
In a word, a harmonious roommate relationship lies in the friendly communication, mutual respectand acceptance of others’ differences.
It was a terribly cold Christmas Eve with heavy snow outside. I stayed in bed, feeling upset because there wasn’t enough money to buy me the that I’d wanted that year.
Mum came back with some snow in her hair. “Come on, Matt!” she said. “Dress ! It’s freezing cold out tonight.”
, I went out in the cold with Mum and climbed up the sled beside her. She pulled it around the house and then stopped in front of the woodshed(柴房). She went in and with an armload of wood.
“I rode by Jensen’s today,” said Mum, “Little Jakey was out digging around in the snow. They’re out of wood, Matt.”
Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband died 3 months ago, three children, Jakey being only 8 years old.
We loaded the sled high with . Then we went to the store and my mother took down some meat, a sack of flour and a smaller sack of shoes.
We rode the two miles to Jensen’s in . All the way I wondered why Mum bought them some shoes and candy as we didn’t have much money. Jensen had closer neighbors than us. It shouldn’t have been our .
We got to Jensen’s house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible. Then we took the meat, flour and shoes to the door.
We . Jensen opened the door and let us in. “We brought you a few things, Jensen,” Mum said, the sack of flour and the meat on the table. Then Mum handed her the sack of shoes. Jensen bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling, tears welling out and down her cheeks.
“We also a load of wood, Jensen,” Mum added. She turned to me and said: “Matt, go and bring some in.”
I wasn’t the same person when I went back out to get the wood. Just then the scarf didn’t seem . The look on Jensen’s face and the smiles of her three children was the best Christmas gift of my life.
1.A. scarf B. overcoat C. shoes D. handbag
2.A. fashionably B. casually C. comfortably D. warmly
3.A. Unsteadily B. Unhurriedly C. Unwillingly D. Uncomplainingly
4.A. stepped away B. came out C. broke down D. fell over
5.A. adopting B. taking C. overlooking D. leaving
6.A. wood B. meat C. flour D. grass
7.A. surprise B. danger C. silence D. harmony
8.A. custom B. concern C. comment D. courage
9.A. signed B. chased C. knocked D. hesitated
10.A. taking away B. getting back C. giving out D. putting down
11.A. prepared B. bought C. borrowed D. required
12.A. expensive B. important C. ordinary D. available
There is no doubt that _________ a goal, one needs not only knowledge but also good personalities.
A. achieve B. achieving
C. to achieve D. achieved
Lyn gave up the chance of going abroad, but he feels he _________ a right decision.
A. makes B. has made C. had made D. is making
It was the deep love and encouragement of my teammates_________ helped me gain the greatest strength and meet the challenges in life.
A. what B. which C.who D. that
