【推荐1】One of my fondest Christmas memories was also one of our family’s bleakest (最令人沮丧的). We were just little kids, and on Christmas Day my mom _______ us all around her to tell us, _______, that there would be no presents because all we really wanted was to _______ for our daddy. He was very sick. I don’t remember anything else except four little girls surrounding my mother, crying _______ a miracle (奇迹).
At that very moment, someone _______ loudly on the door. _______ behind him was a merry group of soldiers from the Army base where my father _______ as a minister. News had _______ that we were in trouble, and his colleagues knew we needed some _______.
With all the excitement, even my dad, __________ in a blanket to keep warm, came down and sat in front of a roaring fire in our room to watch his children be __________ by good Samaritans (乐善好施的人). The presents were unwrapped, and we girls __________ packages and found a doll each and four board games.
What is __________ to me is that I don’t even remember what sickness my father was suffering from. I __________ remember an evening of laughter and __________. There were no expensive toys but __________ moments of friendship and fun given by young men who knew that a family was having a(n) __________ time. They gave their time and their __________ to little children who needed to laugh.
The most important things in life aren’t things. And what about the true __________ of holidays? I hope we all are able to remember a thing about the holidays that stirs (搅动) our hearts, that isn’t really a thing at all, but the smile on a child’s face because we take a moment to hug or __________ a tear.1.

A．requested

B．commanded

C．gathered

D．recommended

2.

A．in tears

B．in doubt

C．in silence

D．in surprise

3.

A．apply

B．pray

C．pay

D．ask

4.

A．to

B．with

C．for

D．in

5.

A．knocked

B．beat

C．tapped

D．struck

6.

A．Fighting

B．Shooting

C．Running

D．Following

7.

A．charged

B．existed

C．governed

D．worked

8.

A．expanded

B．spread

C．distributed

D．disappeared

9.

A．confidence

B．cheer

C．trust

D．wisdom

10.

A．dressed

B．attached

C．trapped

D．wrapped

11.

A．persuaded

B．saved

C．taught

D．entertained

12.

A．discovered

B．sought

C．unfolded

D．packed

13.

A．strange

B．frightening

C．useful

D．encouraging

14.

A．seldom

B．just

C．even

D．hardly

15.

A．happiness

B．surprise

C．doubt

D．anxiety

16.

A．shocking

B．priceless

C．worthless

D．beneficial

17.

A．relaxing

B．great

C．ordinary

D．tough

18.

A．praise

B．treatment

C．attention

D．response

19.

A．theme

B．spirit

C．principle

D．theory

20.

A．wipe away

B．deal with

C．write about

D．burst into

【推荐3】In January 2023, I was commuting from Brooklyn to New Jersey. With two little kids and a busy business, a quiet train ride felt like a mini _______ . Yet I found myself spending that _______ time scrolling (浏览) through social media feeds.

One day, I _______ my phone and started writing thank-you notes to people who had _______ to a money-raiser I had organized. Getting off the train, I was in a noticeably _______ mood. The next day, I wrote more thank-you letters — and felt the same. Something _______ . What if I kept it up?

I decided to write one thank-you note for every day. I had no shortage of people I was _______ to. I picked out a different _______ for each month. January was charity. February would be neighbors, and I thought of a dozen names immediately. I remembered when the owners of our local bookstore let me and my son, Henry, _______ before the store opened and ________ to play his favorite soundtrack. I recalled when our babysitter dropped off some board games for our ________ .

Writing the notes wasn’t that ________ : Each was two or three sentences long; taking just a few minutes. I ________ on the person I was writing to and what I wanted to say, and the words came fairly ________. That focus felt refreshing.

I eventually realized why this task was the perfect cure to my social feeds. Scrolling through Instagram, I was admiring others’ lives. However, writing thank-you notes was an act of ________ and honoring my own life.

1.

A．journey

B．program

C．vacation

D．hall

2.

A．precious

B．busy

C．short

D．mean

3.

A．break up

B．turned in

C．reached out

D．put down

4.

A．flowed

B．contributed

C．led

D．linked

5.

A．better

B．bluer

C．friendlier

D．guiltier

6.

A．clicked

B．occurred

C．came

D．froze

7.

A．sorry

B．angry

C．grateful

D．available

8.

A．piece

B．step

C．signal

D．theme

9.

A．out

B．in

C．away

D．on.

10.

A．continued

B．refused

C．added

D．offered.

11.

A．parents

B．kids

C．drivers

D．neighbors

12.

A．time-consuming

B．consumer-friendly

C．energy-saving

D．trouble-making

13.

A．reflected

B．concentrated

C．congratulated

D．stepped

14.

A．flexibly

B．soundly

C．easily

D．skillfully

15.

A．protecting

B．adopting

C．noticing

D．controlling

【推荐1】Taking Chances

Ever since I was very young, _______ of making mistakes, I’ve asked countless times, “What should I do?” I don’t remember clearly when I _______ only to do things the “right” way, and made “doing it the right way” my motto.

However, sometime during my high school years, I _______ . Maybe it was when I decided to try for the lead in “Beauty and the Beast”. On the day of tryouts, my heart was pounding; my hands were _______ badly when I got up to sing. But when I opened my mouth, the sound was loud and _______ . I was trying to do my best even though I might fail. _______ I didn’t! I realized that if I wanted to live life to the fullest, I had to take _______ .

Now, I do take these chances, with baby steps, every day: voicing my opinions in debates, _______ for a high note in church choir, riding my horse over a three-foot jump.

Three years ago, I broke my back when I fell from my horse. The _______ meant I couldn’t try out for basketball, which I loved. And, the day I ________ out for track was the first day my doctor allowed me to do any physical activity at all. The coach didn’t take me, so I started running with my mom. I didn’t ________ the track team, but I didn’t fail, either.

I have finally learned to ________ myself, like taking a tough science course. And I have come to realize that even though my parents, friends and teachers don’t always have the ________   to “What should I do?”, they will be there to ________ me when I try.

“Life is learning to deal with Plan B,” my mother ________ in her speech. But I now know that the Plan A’s I make for my life will become easier and easier with every chance I take.

1.

A．afraid

B．aware

C．certain

D．free

2.

A．afforded

B．agreed

C．promised

D．decided

3.

A．survived

B．learned

C．changed

D．quitted

4.

A．hurting

B．shaking

C．suffering

D．struggling

5.

A．powerful

B．gentle

C．innocent

D．distant

6.

A．Otherwise

B．Thus

C．But

D．Therefore

7.

A．chances

B．turns

C．measures

D．sides

8.

A．looking

B．waiting

C．hoping

D．reaching

9.

A．event

B．injury

C．disease

D．experience

10.

A．worked

B．tried

C．looked

D．held

11.

A．visit

B．admire

C．make

D．take

12.

A．help

B．enjoy

C．push

D．save

13.

A．answer

B．approach

C．response

D．access

14.

A．teach

B．watch

C．trust

D．support

15.

A．planned

B．stated

C．expected

D．discussed

【推荐2】Early in my teaching career, I heard countless amusing_______for why students didn't have their homework.   I grew less likely to be _______ as time passed.   And I also _______any of those excuses except a death in the_______.

"No excuses! " I_______ my eighth graders on the first day of school. When a student didn't have homework, I never asked why. _______, I sighed loudly and _______a zero in the grade book. I soon gained the_______ I wanted as a strict teacher.

Then one afternoon,_______after the bell rang, Anthony____________me, saying "I don't want you to think I am too lazy to do my homework. As Anthony____________,I could see his lips trembling." My parents work at night. I have to take care of my little brothers. ""Why didn't you. . . ”. I paused. I knew why. So I____________ the question. Would you like to stay after class to finish your homework? "He____________.

The next day I made a(n) ________________that I'd be offering an after-school study hall. Soon I had a room full of ____________. Then I had many real "I don't have my homework because…"stories, but I ____________ asked them why they were there. None were ____________.

I gradually ____________that human needs to understand and be understood. It is a general____________More importantly, I learned "I will listen",____________a lot better than "No excuses”.

1.

A．secrets

B．excuses

C．conclusions

D．solutions

2.

A．frightened

B．understood

C．believed

D．cheated

3.

A．ignored

B．accepted

C．admitted

D．preferred

4.

A．hospital

B．family

C．church

D．theater

5.

A．requested

B．begged

C．warned

D．suggested

6.

A．Thus

B．Besides

C．Instead

D．Otherwise

7.

A．recorded

B．copied

C．painted

D．printed

8.

A．trust

B．reputation

C．confidence

D．chance

9.

A．gradually

B．frequently

C．slowly

D．shortly

10.

A．approached

B．attracted

C．urged

D．guided

11.

A．went away

B．passed by

C．turned around

D．looked up

12.

A．changed

B．repeated

C．solved

D．doubted

13.

A．refused

B．nodded

C．participated

D．quitted

14.

A．apology

B．speech

C．announcement

D．guess

15.

A．parents

B．brothers

C．students

D．teachers

16.

A．seldom

B．often

C．once

D．still

17.

A．boring

B．amusing

C．inspiring

D．disappointing

18.

A．decided

B．imagined

C．proved

D．realized

19.

A．habit

B．question

C．principle

D．power

20.

A．appears

B．sounds

C．develops

D．works

【推荐2】Are parents rational (理性的) about their children? No. Parents aren’t rational because   ________ isn’t rational. Young people can understand this about romantic love, but they find it ________ to accept this part in parental love.

My eldest daughter’s ________ the other day brought this up. “Let me ask you something, Dad,” she began in patiently controlled ________ that every experienced parent knows.

“I sailed around the Mediterranean in a yacht (游艇) when I was seventeen,” she said. “I hiked through the Pyrenees from Spain to Paris. I’ve done rock climbing and deep-sea diving and slept in rainforests in the jungle of Indonesia. Right?”

“Right,” I said, “So ________ ?”

“So this,” she went on. “When I go to the corner drugstore to pick up some shampoo, why do you always tell me to be ________ when I cross the street?”

There is no good ________ a parent can give to this.

All I could say in ________ was that when I was 50, my mother would ________ me not to drive too fast. If I were 80 and she were still alive, I would be getting the ________ warning. No matter what the ________ , a child is a child.

There is something else, too, that children find it hard to ________ . When they are far away, there is nothing we can do about their ________ . They are in the hands of the gods. Parents try not to ________ about it.

But when the children are ________ , the old protective urge quickly comes back, and it doesn’t ________ how far they have been or what experiences they have got through.

Most ________ happen around the corner, not in the rainforest. The most instinctive (本能的) act of almost every creature is to ________ its young, and with humans this ________ stays for a lifetime.

In the parent’s mind, a child ages but does not ________   Rational? No. But if we were rational, would we want children at all?

1.

A．anxiety

B．fear

C．love

D．desire

2.

A．friendly

B．hard

C．easy

D．important

3.

A．question

B．problem

C．warning

D．explanation

4.

A．worry

B．pride

C．anger

D．surprise

5.

A．when

B．how

C．why

D．what

6.

A．brave

B．careful

C．quick

D．helpful

7.

A．answer

B．question

C．present

D．problem

8.

A．respect

B．result

C．regret

D．reply

9.

A．insist

B．promise

C．remind

D．expect

10.

A．different

B．same

C．extra

D．right

11.

A．power

B．distance

C．gender

D．age

12.

A．decide

B．miss

C．understand

D．choose

13.

A．safety

B．happiness

C．luck

D．success

14.

A．argue

B．think

C．forget

D．complain

15.

A．aware

B．calm

C．frightened

D．close

16.

A．prove

B．matter

C．mean

D．mind

17.

A．accidents

B．failures

C．changes

D．mistakes

18.

A．follow

B．spoil

C．protect

D．treat

19.

A．reaction

B．effect

C．opportunity

D．impression

20.

A．stop

B．compete

C．leave

D．grow

【推荐3】Ten years ago, I set out to examine luck. I wanted to know why some people are  _______ in the right place at the right time, while others consistently experienced ill fortune. I placed _______ in national newspapers asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to _______ me.

Hundreds of extraordinary men and women volunteered for my _______. Over the years I interviewed them, watched their lives and had them _______ various experiments.

I carried out a simple _______ to discover whether their differences in  _______ was due to differences in their ability to _______ opportunities. I gave both the lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look _______ it and tell me how many photographs were inside. I had  ________ placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying … “Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $50.”

This ________ took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than two inches high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to ________  it and the lucky people tended to spot it.

Unlucky people are generally more ________ than lucky people, and this anxiety affects their ability to notice the ________. As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too ________ on looking for something else. They go to gatherings focused on finding their perfect partner and miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers ________ to find certain types of job advertisements and miss other types of  ________.

Lucky people are more ________ and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for. My research eventually showed that lucky people create good fortune via four ________. They are skilled at creating and ________ chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition (直觉), create self-fulfilling prophesies (预言) via positive expectations and adopt a “never say die” attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

1.

A．never

B．always

C．sometimes

D．seldom

2.

A．messages

B．activities

C．reports

D．notices

3.

A．contact

B．trust

C．show

D．follow

4.

A．game

B．adventure

C．research

D．contest

5.

A．participate in

B．learn about

C．look into

D．carry out

6.

A．observation

B．experiment

C．competition

D．discussion

7.

A．attitude

B．manner

C．lifestyle

D．luck

8.

A．share

B．spot

C．create

D．predict

9.

A．through

B．over

C．for

D．after

10.

A．hesitantly

B．carelessly

C．secretly

D．excitedly

11.

A．copy

B．message

C．diagram

D．introduction

12.

A．pass

B．miss

C．notice

D．misunderstand

13.

A．nervous

B．frustrated

C．awkward

D．pitiful

14.

A．difficult

B．dangerous

C．important

D．unexpected

15.

A．fixed

B．focused

C．dependent

D．strict

16.

A．confident

B．disappointed

C．determined

D．surprised

17.

A．jobs

B．notes

C．news

D．signs

18.

A．reliable

B．hardworking

C．smart

D．relaxed

19.

A．goals

B．preferences

C．principles

D．steps

20.

A．inventing

B．noticing

C．taking

D．adopting