2 . 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

“Hurry up you guys, or you will be late for school!” called Mom. We went downstairs and had a quick breakfast. I was eating my favorite — very sweet porridge, and Sara was. having eggs. When I rose to have my bowl washed, Mom whispered, “You know you need to be cautious today when you’re walking Sara to school. It’s your job to assure (保证) me she gets there all right.” Then she cast me. a very serious look. I thought to myself, wondering why Mom was making such a big deal out of this. It was Sara’s first day of Kindergarten, but I could manage it. I wish Mom would treat me like an adult.

Then Sara ran out of the house, and I went behind her, skipping down the front walkway to the sidewalk. Along the way, I could feel Mom’s gaze on us.

I grabbed Sara’s hand. “Are you eager and excited for your first day of school?” I asked, trying to sound like a grown-up. Sara smiled and nodded her head yes. Meanwhile, my mom was staring at us through the window. “When will she treat me like an adult?” I thought. “I will show you the way.” I said. I felt proud to be the elder sister. We walked past beautiful gardens and big, leafy trees. Suddenly, I heard a growl (低吼) and saw a dog walking towards us. He was big and fierce looking with long sharp teeth. “GRRRR!!!” the dog barked. I didn’t see its owner or anyone who could help us. My hand became sweaty and Sara stopped walking. “I’m scared, Julie,” she said. I didn’t want her to be scared. I wanted to appear brave. “Everything will be okay,” I said.

“GRRRR!!!” The dog stepped closer and we could see it was the size of a small horse — with red eyes and sharp teeth.

5 . My dad came to America from Greece at the very young age of fourteen. He ________ an average of fourteen hours per day, six to seven days a week, for over thirty­five years.

Because of his ________ work, he owned many restaurants in New Jersey. He was proud of his achievements and what he could ________ for his family.

When I was graduating from college, Dad told me he decided to ________ the restaurants and retire. “If you are graduating, my ________ is over. I have educated my children and provided for all of you. I am going to ________.”

“Great, but what will you do? I ________ know you cooking in the kitchen and serving customers. I can’t imagine you doing anything else,” I said.

“I am going to play golf!” he ________.

“Golf? You have never played golf. I never heard you mention golf,” I was ________.

And then Dad began to play golf. He taught my brother and me the ________ and shared his interest with us. Dad would look at us and say, “If you live your life as you play the game of golf, you will be ________.”

He repeated often, “When you get to the green, stay focused and hit straight down the fairway (平坦球道). Don’t think about anything else, and just know where you want to put the ball. Do this and you will ________ your goals.”

Dad wanted us to have ________ and to stay focused on them to achieve success. He also wanted us to ________ ourselves and take time to have fun with friends and family.

Dad retired at the age of fifty­-six and played golf every day until his death at the age of eighty-­six. What a ________ role model!

8 . My nephew Tyden and I were celebrating another nephew’s birthday at a local amusement center. It was the kind of place where you got tickets for scoring points in the games and then cashed them in for prizes.

Tyden won top prize of tickets，so we went to cash them in and select his gifts. I felt a little sad because my loved one and I had our first date at this center and had exchanged little things from the showcase. I noticed a turtle and remembered my partner loved it. I asked the young man behind the showcase if I could just buy the turtle without tickets. He said. “Unluckily. that is not a choice.”

I needed to win 350 tickets to cash the turtle in.so I left Tyden choosing his gift alone there. I bought game tokens（代币）and entered the game room. I had just chosen a game I thought I could win when I heard Tyden's excited voice，“Auntie，Auntie！Look！”

He pulled the turtle out from behind his back and gave it to me. My eyes were filled with tears. and my heart burst with love. He had listened to that whole conversation and chosen to give the turtle to me instead of getting whatever he wanted.

Before I could thank him. he said，“I wanted you to have it，so you didn't have to spend money，which would cause you to work hard”.

I held him in my arms，and told him how much I loved him. I am beyond thankful to have the title of his Auntie

9 . Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher.

If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important, both when you disagree and when you get along. With any relationship, you need to let the other person know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate, your relationship drifts apart. When you are mad at your parents or anyone else, not talking to them doesn’t solve anything．

Communication begins with the concerns of another. It means that you can’t just come home from school, go up to your room and talk to nobody. Even if you just say “Hi” and see how their day is for five minutes, it is better than nothing. If you look up the word “communication” in the dictionary, it will say “the exchange of ideas, conveyance (传递) of information, correspondence (通信), means of communication; a letter or message”. To keep a good relationship, you must keep the communication strong. Let people know how you feel, even if it’s just by writing a note. When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as parents. If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you listen to what they have to say, but ask them politely to listen to you. Shouting or walking away only makes the situation worse.

Here is an example. One night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks. but they didn’t feel she could just ask to go home. That would be rude. After all, they had been nice enough to take her along with them. Needless to say, she was late getting home. Her parents were mad at first, but when Sophie explained why she was late, they weren’t as mad and let the incident go. Communication was the key factor here. If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.

Communication isn’t a one-way deal. It goes both ways. Just remember: if you get into a situation like Sophie’s, telling the other person how you feel and listening are key factors to communication．

10 . For ten years my father had been fighting cancer. Now he was forced into the hospital because of an infection. I sensed he_________being there, but he hardly complained. That wasn't his_________

One night after_________ to call a nurse, he tried to reach the bathroom on his own and fell, getting his_________ injured. When I saw his wounded head the next day, I felt my helpless anger_________.Why isn't anything I can do? I thought. As if_________ my thoughts, when the lift I waited for opened, two dogs greeted me. I was_________ that hospital rules should allow it.

A(n) _________ grew as I walked to my car.I_________ that if I could give my dad nothing else, I was going to give him some__________ with his beloved dog Boots. When dad was at home, Boots was always there, watching him protectively. When dad had to go to the hospital, Boots waited and jumped every time a car__________ to the house. Later that day I came back for another__________, bringing Boots. Upon arrival, Boots flew out of the car and dragged me through the hospital lobby.__________, she knew to stop directly in front of the very lift.__________ she had never been here before, when the lift door opened, she ran directly into the room. Ever so gently, she crawled into my father's open arms, not touching his __________ sides and laid her face next to his. For the first time in a long time, I saw my father’s broad smile.