I always dreamed of pulling off the surprise prank (玩笑) of a lifetime. Well, thanks to a little determination, some luck, and the power of love, my dream became a reality.
My family is Canadian, although my sister studied in Australia. She was graduating just before Christmas, but because my school schedule was busy, I would not be able to make it down in time for her graduation. She was understandably disappointed, and I felt guilty that I couldn’t be there for her on this most special occasion.
While I was talking to my teacher the week before the big event, I mentioned that I would be missing my sister’s graduation. Surprisingly, she commented, “Well, if you want to go, I have no problem with it, so go ahead!” I couldn’t believe my luck! I nearly jumped for joy.
Immediately, I called the airline. Amazingly, even during the busy Christmas season, I was able to change my ticket to arrive the day before my sister’s graduation.
With this fantastic news, I was bursting to tell my sister. But, wait. For a grand surprise, I needed a much more dramatic arrival than just a ring of the doorbell. What if I could arrive in a box? That would be the best Christmas present for my sister.
Although I was leaving in less than seventy-two hours, I started searching for delivery companies. The only one willing to go along with my Christmas surprise, was CouriersPlease. At first the manager said no, because Christmas was their busiest season. But then later, he kindly volunteered to deliver me himself.
Upon arrival in Australia, the manager and his colleagues loaded me in the box and carried me all the way up to my sister’s, where they rang the doorbell and announced they had a delivery for her. I couldn’t see the look on my sister’s face, but I could tell from her voice that she was both shocked and excited to receive such a huge gift box. I will never forget the look on her face as she opened the box.
It was such a great Christmas present for my sister, that is, for me to be able to go to her graduation, and in the process, show her how much I loved her. It also served as a lesson for me: _____________________.
1. Why was the author unable to go to his sister’s graduation? (不多于7个单词)2. Who delivered the author to his sister’s? (不多于5个单词)
3. How did the author’s sister feel when she received the box? (不多于6个单词)
4. What lesson does the author learn from the experience? (单词数不限)
相似题推荐
【推荐1】When I win at my favourite games, my opponents tend to say: ‘OH, you’re so competitive!’ But when I lose, they smile good-naturedly and say: ‘Bad luck! Good game!’
This suggests that accurate sporting expressions should go something like this:
I am sporty.
You are competitive.
They can’t bear to lose.
Or:
I gave it a go.
You did your best.
He tried desperately hard.
I’m not saying I don’t have a competitive personality. We all do. On walks, I like to be out in front. In traffic jams, I find myself focusing on cars in other lanes, and fret if they edge ahead of me. I tense up while waiting for trains, determined to be first aboard. The other day, I was one of the first to board a train, grabbing a perfect spot in first class. Yes, I had won! Just halfway, I went to get a free drink for a first-class seat from the buffet. But I had left my ticket on my table. I worked out that, if I moved very swiftly, I could nip (快走) through two carriages, and nip back without anyone taking my place at the front of the queue.
So I rushed back, picking up my ticket, and turned back. I was at the beginning of the second carriage, when, to my horror, I noticed, another figure, roughly my size, shooting towards the buffet from the other direction.
Desperate to arrive before he did, I started walking faster. But at exactly the same moment, he started walking faster, too. Trying to retain my dignity, I broke into a running. Whatever happened, I was determined to win! But, annoyingly, at the same time as I sped up, so did he. The race was on.
Finally, in my rush, I knocked into a suitcase and stumbled slightly. Still with my eyes on my challenger, I noticed that-strange but true-exactly the same thing had happened to him.
It was only as we both lifted ourselves up in exactly the same way that I realised that, throughout the race, I had been looking at a reflection of myself in the sliding door!
My competitor for first place in the buffet queue was...me.
1. Which sporting expression can replace “Bad luck! Good game!” in paragraph 1?| A．I gave it a go. | B．You did your best. |
| C．You are competitive. | D．He tried desperately hard. |
| A．Get anxious. | B．Become relaxed. | C．Feel disappointed. | D．Remain excited. |
| A．He never fails to beat anyone in his life. |
| B．He has a gift for games and competitions. |
| C．He is sporty but often aggressive to others. |
| D．He is highly competitive and desperate to win. |
| A．Sad competitor? I can surely beat myself |
| B．Bad loser? No, but I can be a first-class fool |
| C．Competitiveness works? Not in my case |
| D．More haste? It will only result in less speed |
【推荐2】On one day my grandma died, I went for a walk to clear my mind. The small purse I carried with me was a gift from her. The bag only weighted several pounds but it felt like I was dragging heavy luggage.
As I was walking, I spotted Mary who gave me an excited hug. She asked how I was. “How are you” is a question that can turn meaningless or meaningful, depending on how you answer it. I considered going the meaningless route. Then I remembered that she is a friend from church. We once celebrated an activity together. Maybe I could lean on her for some comfort. I explained that my grandma died and I was feeling in bad shape emotionally.
Mary expressed kind regards. Then she asked the question everyone asks when you tell them someone died, “Were you two close?” It’s the main standard that determines the appropriate size someone’s sadness can take. The answer to this question depends on how someone defines closeness. I tend to feel close to people I can have heart-to-heart with. I nodded to Mary and said, “Yeah, we were.”
She nodded back, playing her role in the cultural script (剧本)we all know. Mary gathered information about the funeral arrangements, and then we parted. Seeing her was a catalyst (催化剂) to my quickly getting in touch with my sorrow. I cried loudly on the street directly.
Later that night I texted my friend Roger to tell him what had happened. I expected a text back with sympathy. Instead, the phone rang. Soon he was asking me what my favorite song was. While I hesitated, he started singing the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul.” He finished it and prayed for me over the phone. It really made me exhilarated. I felt that a heavy burden was removed. But I cried again because of the spiritual synchronization(同步). I didn’t share stories of my grandmother or try to explain my complicated emotions over the phone.
Then I realized that courtesy (客套话) is generally good practice, but it can’t compare to personalized, thoughtful communication. And that kind of pat statement really has no place if you want to make a real connection.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．The author used to offer Mary advice to Mary. |
| B．The author and Mary enjoyed social activities. |
| C．The author and Mary often shared their secrets. |
| D．The author hesitated to turn to Mary for comfort. |
| A．judge how sad the author was |
| B．determine what sadness it was |
| C．prove that they were close friends |
| D．see if the author needed comfort |
| A．Mary decided to attend the funeral |
| B．the author felt touched to see Mary |
| C．the author got no real comfort from Mary |
| D．Mary felt helpless about relieving the author’s pain |
| A．Cheered me up | B．Made me satisfied |
| C．Let me down | D．Kept me down |
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．Spiritual communication is better than courtesy. |
| C．Crying is an effective way to ease people’s pain. |
| D．It’s hard to recover from the pain of losing a loved one. |
【推荐3】As we approach Father’s Day, Let’s be real about it.
Everyone needs a father to be born, but not everyone can have a father while growing up.
Some fathers are too busy; others get divorced, disappear or die.
But almost everyone should have a father image—someone who lives up to what a father should be.
A father image is a role model—someone you want to be like. He fills you with the memories that never leaves you when you grow up.
My father image was Harold, who was in his twenties when I was10 years old. I was a foster child (收养的孩子) and lived in his home with his mother.
He had dark, curly hair and always wore a beautiful suit, a shirt and a tie. What made him my role model was that he knew my darkest secrets—even stuff my real father didn't know—and he told me things no other person would tell a little boy.
Harold dressed the store windows at Gertz Department Store in Jamaiva, N. Y., and every time I went to visit him he gave me a quarter.
I wanted to be exactly like him. I even walked like him. He always called me “Kiddo”, a name I call people I like to this day.
My friends had role models like Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehring, Joe Lewis and other sports figures. I chose Harold, because he was a real person and he chose to be my mentor (指导者).
Harold, as you may have guessed, is now in Heaven ( Where else would he be?), but I think about him a lot. And whenever I have a problem, I ask myself, “What would Harold do?”
That is the reason a father role model is so important to a boy or a girl, It's a learning experience for everyone.
I guess the reason why I am writing all this is that I think there should be a Father's Day when everyone honors the person who has a lifelong impact(影响) on him. I believe every child needs just one to change his life－Happy Father's Day
1. In the author's opinion, what should the image of a father be except______?| A．a father should be patient | B．a father should tell me what is right and what is wrong |
| C．a father should be like sports figures | D．a father should have a lifelong influence on his kid |
| A．his friend’s father | B．a sports star | C．the author’s father | D．a mentor |
| A．He is working in a department store. | B．He is in Heaven now. |
| C．He is dead now. | D．The author doesn't know where is he now. |
| A．Love. | B．Respect. | C．Miss. | D．Hate. |
【推荐1】Family traditions are things that families do together regularly.
Family traditions create good feelings and special moments to remember. They are fun things to do.
Family traditions help teens a lot when they are trying to figure out who they are, which job teenagers often do. A family encourages a teen to be a part of it and its traditions provide a strong base for teens to stand on.
| A．Family traditions give teens a sense of security. |
| B．Family traditions help parents inform their children of the family’s values. |
| C．These things can be enjoyable activities or a certain food that a family likes |
| D．Family traditions give every member of the family a strong sense of belonging. |
| E．Enjoying them together as a family will create positive feelings in each member. |
| F．Old family traditions are important but easily forgotten in today’s society. |
| G．It’s very important when they’re looking for their sense of self. |
When I was young, my mum had a hard time. Five years earlier, my Dad drowned. The burden to raise us kids only fell on my mum’s shoulders. Because Dad had no pension, there was not much money. Thus, we went on relief (救济), now called social assistance.
Looking back, I realize what Mum went through, sending us kids to school. Every morning she would put a new piece of cardboard in our shoes, because our soles were worn out. Constant moving was typical for my family in these times. I still remember that once the rent for a house was twenty-five dollars a month. But Mum couldn’t pay it, and we knew we would be evicted right after Christmas on the first of January.
Unexpectedly, when Christmas was approaching, we received a twenty-five dollar Christmas fund for social services. Mum said that instead of buying food, she would use the money to pay rent, assuring us all of a roof over our heads for a little while longer. She told us then there would be nothing for Christmas.
I had a secret that was unknown to Mum. I had been selling Christmas trees, and doing odd jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of comfortable boots for myself.
Well, the big day came on the afternoon of the Christmas Eve. I was very excited. But on the way to the boots store, I noticed a house with Christmas lights and decorations. It was then that I realized at our house, we had no lights, no decorations, nor turkey or ham for Christmas. I felt very sad.
I was eleven years old, and I was feeling a strange sense of guilt. Here I was going to buy a new pair of boots while Mum was home in tears. She would be trying to explain to us why there were no presents. So finally, I bought a turkey, ham, oranges and all the Christmas treats with my hard-earned money.
Later, with great excitement in my eyes, I knocked on the door. When my mum opened the door, some of the groceries fell onto the floor, and she just stood there surprised. Holding back the tears, I said, “Merry Christmas Mother!”
I did a lot of explaining as we unpacked all the food. That day I got enough hugs and kisses from Mum. She said I had grown up.
1. Why did the author’s mother have a hard time? (no more than 12 words)2. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 probably mean? (no more than 10 words)
3. What was the author’s secret? (no more than 10 words)
4. What made the author’s mother surprised? (no more than 10 words)
5. Do you agree with the mother’s words that the author had grown up? And why? (no more than 25 words)
【推荐3】It is common for children to feel like your parents are too reserved in letting you live your own lives.
Identify controlling behaviors
Accept responsibility for your actions. Though your parents may be controlling. you are responsible for how you respond to them.
Take a break if problems continue. If things begin to go “right back to normal," you may need to cut down on your time with your parents again. This does not have to mean cutting off all ties to your parents. It often just means that things have got too close for them (or you) to follow through.
| A．Try not to get defensive |
| B．Face your parents respectfully |
| C．Some parents are demanding of their children |
| D．Spend a little more time apart. and try again later |
| E．When your parents want you to be a perfectionist |
| F．Though there are many reasons for your parents to control you |
| G．You decide whether to let them control your decisions. or stand up to them |
