1 . “Just sign here, sir,” the deliveryman said as he handed Oscar Reyna a package.

The package consisted of a long, narrow box ____ wrapped in brown paper. ____ the box, Oscar saw an umbrella inside—a very old one with a beautifully carved wooden handle. ____ he had not seen it in more than 20 years, he recognised it immediately.

Oscar was 16 when he first saw the____ umbrella. He had gone to a concert with his grandparents. As they were leaving, he noticed an umbrella on an empty seat. Impressed by its beauty, Oscar felt a strong desire to find its ____.

Oscar ____ the manager to look in the record of advance ticket sales. Just as he thought, a name matched the seat ____ Oscar had found the umbrella. The name was Mrs. Katie O’Brien.

Oscar talked his grandparents into going by Mrs. O’Brien’s house on their way home. He rang the bell, the door opened, and an elderly woman appeared. “May I ____ you?” she asked.

“I’d like to return it if it’s yours,” Oscar said, ____ the umbrella as if presenting a gift that had long been wished for.

“Why, yes! It’s mine,” replied Mrs. O’Brien with a ____ smile and shining eyes. “It was given to me by my father years ago. Thank you so much for returning it. May I offer you a reward for your ____?”

“No, ma’am,” he said. “My grandmother says that a good deed is its own reward.”

“Well, that’s ____ what my father used to say. What is your name, young man?”

Years later Oscar was staring at the finely carved handle of the umbrella as he remembered Mrs. O’Brien. It was in perfect condition, considering how ____ it was. Why had it arrived here today?

As if ____, a note fell from the paper. It read: Mrs. O’Brien wanted you to accept this umbrella as a present for a kind, ____ gesture long ago.

2 . I was visiting Costa Rica when I found myself in a bad situation: all my bank cards weren’t _______ abroad, and I only had $5 and a return ticket in two weeks. Back then, there were no cellphones or Internet. It was _______ who came to my rescue to get me home.

I thought the city dangerous and decided to find kind people in the _______. With my remaining coins, I _______ to the bus station and found a countryside that I could _______. Five hours later, I arrived at Santa Rosa. I went knocking door to door, _______ my situation with my very poor Spanish, but everyone pointed me to another _______.

Finally, I _______ a Chinese restaurant. The owner was extremely _______. She heard my story and felt ________ for me. She said her son had a similar ________. At that time, some other people were very kind to him, and she remembered how ________ that made her feel. She invited me in, gave me food, and called the Red Cross to ________ me. I spent my remaining days in Costa Rica with the head of Red Cross.

I realized that being able to receive kindness is a ________ for other people as well. And kindness ________ more kindness in small ripples(波纹).

3 . I was born legally blind. Of all the stories of my early childhood, the one about a ________ is my mother’s favorite. I was only two when the ________ occurred.We had just arrived home from a trip. Mom lifted me out of the car and ________to speak to the driver. I took advantage of my brief ________to dash across the lawn (草坪) and hit a large maple tree! I was running so fast that I bounced off the trunk and landed on my backside. Mom ________me to start crying, but I just sat there for a minute. Then I ________myself up and kept right on going.

Mom loves to use this story as an ________. It reminds her that children don’t enter life ________to take risks or unwilling to ________ again when they fall down. She never wanted me to lose that toughness as I grew older. When I ________ my major life decisions, I was still that little girl tearing full-speed across the lawn. I studied abroad and later moved away from my parents’ home to look for a ________. Through years of ________, I have become a respected teacher in a school serving high-need students.

We are almost certain to get ________ at some point during the process of achieving our goal. When that happens, don’t sit in the grass and ________. Just get up and keep on going. It will all be worth it ________.

4 . Have you ever had problems in your life and don’t know how to be happy? If _______, you will find “Being a Happy Teenager” by Australian writer Andrew Matthews _______. In his book, Matthews _________us how to have a happy life and answers the _______of teenagers. There are many _________such as parents and friends, and the book _______ we should stop being angry and forgive. The book tells us of useful skills _______ how to put what you have learned into pictures of your mind to _______ your memory better.

Many teenagers think _________happiness comes from a good exam result __________praise from other people. But you can ________ be happy when there are no such “good” things. Success comes from a(n) __________ attitude. If you ________ from problems, you will have success in the future.

Some school students have ________such as being too tall or too short. But Matthews tells us that __________comes from thinking about things in a positive ________.If you are __________, people notice you and you can get a __________view at the movie; if you are short, your clothes and shoes __________less room in your bedroom! This is Matthews’ most important __________: you choose to be happy!

5 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad _______ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, _______.

When I entered the University of Regina, my dad _______ telling me “You have to find a way to stay _______.” or “You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I _______ to give swimming a shot, but I _______ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester (学期). Worse still, I was _______ to convince myself that’s OK.

The spring semester came. A friend of mine _______ me if I wanted to try Zumba (尊巴) with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically a kind of exercise: dancing to Latin pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be _______.

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my ________ of tea. The instructor would always say, “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my ________ of sports. I didn’t have to be ________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just needed to ________ the music and move. Zumba did ________ me from the Freshman 15, and it also did so much more. It let me make ________ with my unpleasant past about physical exercise, and enjoy staying healthy.

6 . A little boy told his mother that there was a teacher-parent meeting in his school. To the little boy’s_________, she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he felt _________of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar (伤疤) that_________nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to_________why or how she got the scar.

At the meeting, the people were _________by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother_________the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed (尴尬的) and_________himself from everyone. He, however,_________ a conversation between his mother and his teacher.

The teacher asked_________, “How did you get the scar on your face?”

The mother replied, “When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of__________, so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked __________but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She __________the burned side of her face. “This scar will be permanent, but until this day, I have never__________what I did.”

At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He held her in his arms and appreciated her great __________of sacrifice (牺牲), He held her hand __________ for the rest of the day.

14.

A．honour

B．spirit

C．happiness

D．pride

7 . I was said to be the worst student in my class and my family thought I was hopeless. I had to _______ sixth grade. At that time a new teacher, Miss Sadia, came to our school.

One day after class, she _______ that I was staying alone during the lunch break. She came to me and began to talk to me. It was just a _______ conversation. After that day, she gave me particular _______ and it made me feel special. I started to work hard because she gave me the feeling that _______ believed me. So my _______ started to improve in her subject.

Months later, she moved into a house near my _______. We would walk home together after school. Her constant support helped me, _______ in my studies. I knew she would _______ my grades both in her subject and the other subjects. So I tried my best and finally ________ second in my class.

Then, after sixth grade, she started to drift apart(逐渐疏远) ________ still kept a constant check on me. By the time I was in seventh grade, we ________ spoke. But by then I had become the ________ in my class. When I left school, I lost ________ with her. As she never answered the ________ when I called her.

Then I graduated and went to a good university. One fine day, our paths ________ again. I met her at a wedding. I could not ________ asking her, “Why did you stop talking to me?”

“Yon are a clever boy. I wanted you to be a tree ________ on your own roots, not depending on others. Now here you are and I feel ________ of you. You are your inspiration and do not need to ________ a shoulder,” she said. I could not say anything, but I smiled. I’ll always thank her.

8 . Every time I passed boys who were playing basketball, I stopped to silently watch them. I really envied them. But as a girl, I once thought that I could _______ play basketball.

I like playing basketball though I’m not good at it. I’ve had a basketball _______ I was a child. At first, I could play freely because no one _______ when I was just a kid. But as I grew up it seemed harder for me to enjoy basketball. At school, boys always played basketball during PE classes. The girls were _______ allowed to play volleyball or badminton. My parents did not _______ me play basketball at home.

“Basketball is not fit for girls,” they said. _______ I went to play basketball with my friends, boys _______ at me on the court as if I were an alien. I was feeling _______ and had lost hope of playing basketball. _______, something changed the first day of high school. I made some friends who also enjoyed playing basketball. They ________ me to get back on the court.

One of them told me with a smile, “Go your own ________, let others talk.” This girl would always play basketball with me. Even the boy who sat next to me in class talked about ________ with me almost every day.

I was inspired by them. Confidence and passion ________ to my heart. I will play as well as I can, ________ for me, even the sky is boundless (无限的).

Basketball has become an important part of my ________. I am interested in it. I watch matches and enjoy playing almost every day. Through basketball, I not only feel happy and confident, but also ________ a lot.

I’ve heard the NBA star Tracy McGrady say, “Nothing is impossible.” I have ________ to realize that life is just like playing basketball. You should have an ________. After that, just be confident and ________ going. Never give up and you’ll make it sooner or later.

I love the motto of the NBA. It can ________ my strong feelings for basketball, “I love this game!”

9 . Lily was a French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community. When she was sixteen, her father_________her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income. With English as her second language and_________education, the_________didn’t look bright for Lily.

Lily’s father was a stubborn man who_________took “no” for an answer. He_________Lily to find a job. With small hope of gaining_________,each day she would just ride to the city, walk_________around and return home at dusk. On one of her_________,Lily saw a sign at a big company._________she knocked on the very first door. In her__________English, Lily told the office manager she was interested in this position. The manager____________to give the girl a chance. He directed her to type a letter, and then____________. Lily looked at the clock and saw it was 11:40 am. She thought everyone would be leaving for____________at noon, when she could____________away in the crowd. But she knew she should____________the letter.

On her first try, Lily____________one line of five words and made four mistakes. When she attempted the letter on her second try, she completed a full paragraph, but still made many mistakes. She looked at the clock:11:55—five minutes to____________. Just then, the manager walked in. He came directly to Lily, read the letter and said, “Lily you’re doing____________work!”

With those simple words of encouragement, her desire to escape disappeared and her____________began to grow.

Lily thought, “Well, if he thinks it’s good, then it must be good. I think I’ll stay!” Lily did stay—all because someone had given the____________and uncertain girl the gift of self-confidence when she knocked on the door.

10 . I was said to be the worst student in my class and my family thought I was hopeless. I had to _______ sixth grade. At that time a new teacher, Miss Sadia, came to our school.

One day after class, she _______ that I was staying alone during the lunch break. She came to me and began to talk to me. It was just a _______ conversation. After that day, she gave me particular _______ and it made me feel special. I started to work hard because she gave me the feeling that _______ believed me. So my _______ started to improve in her subject.

Months later, she moved into a house near my _______. We would walk home together after school. Her constant support helped me, _______ in my studies. I knew she would _______ my grades both in her subject and the other subjects. So I tried my best and finally ________ second in my class.

Then, after sixth grade, she started to drift apart (逐渐疏远) ________   still kept a constant check on me. By the time I was in seventh grade, we ________ spoke. But by then I had become the ________ in my class. When I left school, I lost ________ with her, as she never answered the ________ when I called her.

Then I graduated and went to a good university. One fine day, our paths ________ again. I met her at a wedding. I could not ________ asking her, “Why did you stop talking to me?”

“Yon are a clever boy. I wanted you to be a tree ________ on your own roots, not depending on others. Now here you are and I feel ________ of you. You are your inspiration and do not need to ________ a shoulder,” she said. I could not say anything, but I smiled. I’ll always thank her.