1 . Instead of being a pacing-up time, winter is a locking-down time. Winter frees us in all sorts of ways.

I once had a neighbor named Earl. An old-timer and a self-made man, he _________ told me stories about Maine winters in the past. He suggested he had _________ the ice age. He backed up his old stories with _________ of old black-and-white photographs of heavy snowstorms that piled up to second-floor windows and completely _________ cars.

And I’ll never _________ what he said as an end to one of his stories, “A man couldn’t get much done once the snow came.” So what did he do once the snow came? He spent a great deal of time _________ to home and hearth, where he _________ the wood stove, sat with his wife, made pots of coffee, and read by the fire.

As I write these words I occasionally raise my head to _________ the window at the woodpile stacked (堆), the garden harvested, the apple tree _________, the lawn mowed, and the bicycle shed newly roofed.

As I tended to all those things, when did I have time to __________?

Some years ago a friend sent me a quote by Socrates that I try to be mindful of: Beware the fruitlessness of a __________ life.

The advice __________ me to look forward to the coming of winter, because I’ve finally learned that it is a slowing-down time, a gift of rest, a (n) __________ to acknowledge that most of the outdoor work that could be done has been done.

A friend of mine who lives in the Southeast recently called. In the course of our __________ he celebrated the climate where he lives, which __________ him to work outside year-round. “I’m always on the go.” he told me.

But I think I need a good time of winter.

1.

A．gradually

B．excitedly

C．angrily

D．unwillingly

2.

A．struggled

B．explored

C．survived

D．celebrated

3.

A．laughter

B．evidence

C．expectation

D．patience

4.

A．buried

B．struck

C．destroyed

D．supported

5.

A．realize

B．forget

C．recall

D．learn

6.

A．designing

B．improving

C．fixing

D．tending

7.

A．bought

B．controlled

C．built

D．filled

8.

A．look at

B．watch over

C．glance out

D．glare at

9.

A．picked

B．cut

C．planted

D．fell

10.

A．settle

B．arrange

C．work

D．breathe

11.

A．busy

B．happy

C．creative

D．special

12.

A．demanded

B．taught

C．appointed

D．assisted

13.

A．amazement

B．surroundings

C．opportunity

D．ability

14.

A．convenience

B．appearance

C．contribution

D．conversation

15.

A．employs

B．forces

C．enables

D．saves

2 . The day I first came across a harp (竖琴) is a memory stored by all my senses. In contrast to the vivid color in which I recall this first encounter, I still remember my parents faces turning pale when I announced “I’m going to play the harp!” My parents’ faces reflected then financial fears. But they still rented me a little harp and hired a man to teach me.

I felt complete every time I played the harp. Then something happened: sheet music. Suddenly I had to learn this foreign language in order to continue to play. What was once an effortless pleasure turned into a constant struggle. My dyslexic (诵读困难的) brain fed on the beauty of the music but fought with the way it was taught. I soon found myself stuck in a love-hate relationship.

For my 16th birthday, my parents used their savings to buy me a harp, in the hope that it might settle my relationship with it. But in the weeks that followed the harp exploded.

The remains of the harp sat at the bottom of our stairs for several weeks. Eventually, my father and I built a fire to burn it. It felt strange to burn something that once represented so much, and we both sat there staring in silence. My father said “I know you find it hard to read music. But have you ever thought about just playing?” What he said changed everything for me, “Yeah, but I don’t have a harp anymore.”

Two weeks later, an old and small harp turned up. I threw away all my music books and started playing by ear and from the heart. All the passion came back. Music is so much more than dots (小圆点) on a page. If you feel it and are excited by it, stick to it. Had I let traditional music teaching techniques put me off playing the harp, I would have lost a part of myself.

1. What was the author’s parents’ reaction to her decision?

A．They were excited and hopeful about it	B．They purchased her a harp immediately
C．They showed concern but agreed to it	D．They hesitated over it for a long time

2. What did the author find out about sheet music?

A．It took away her enjoyment of playing the harp	B．It was beneficial to foreign language learning
C．It led to her encountering difficulty in reading	D．It was an effective way of appreciating music

3. How did the author feel when the harp was burnt?

A．Astonished

B．Sorrowful

C．Frightened.

D．disappointed.

4. What lesson did the author’s experience give her?

A．Hard work pays off	B．Strike while the iron is hot
C．The simplest way is the best way	D．Never give up on what you really want to do

3 . It is strange how a small moment can change a person’s life. My son walked into the kitchen this morning and opened his_________to me. I opened my arms too and gave him a big hug just like I do every morning. And this time a beautiful_________came back to me.

My Italian grandma had been a big hugger when I was a boy, but my mum and dad didn’t hug me much as I got_________. By the time I was a teenager then, except for my grandma, I didn’t hug anyone.

When I was sixteen, I_________on a trip with a group of boys to tour a college. And on our way there, we also_________an old temple. As we entered we were_________there by the largest monk I had ever seen. He was over six and a half feet tall with_________arms. And as he welcomed us, he gave each one of us a huge hug. When my own_________came, I felt scared but_________in and hugged him back. I felt__________in my heart as he shared his loving-kindness. I felt peace and joy in my__________as well. It was amazing. Later that day I began to__________why I had ever stopped giving and__________hugs when they brought so much__________.

When my own children were born then I__________to never stop hugging them and telling them I loved them, no matter how big they grew or how old they got.

1.

A．arms

B．hands

C．mouth

D．eyes

2.

A．flash

B．style

C．topic

D．memory

3.

A．older

B．stronger

C．quicker

D．slower

4.

A．looked

B．opened

C．left

D．put

5.

A．thought of

B．stopped by

C．asked for

D．burned down

6.

A．greeted

B．annoyed

C．checked

D．cheated

7.

A．suitable

B．thin

C．small

D．huge

8.

A．challenge

B．confidence

C．turn

D．impression

9.

A．jumped

B．broke

C．packed

D．stepped

10.

A．warmth

B．anxiety

C．curiosity

D．horror

11.

A．personality

B．adventure

C．spirit

D．stomach

12.

A．realize

B．wonder

C．understand

D．notice

13.

A．exploring

B．designing

C．refusing

D．receiving

14.

A．advice

B．joy

C．blood

D．knowledge

15.

A．decided

B．forgot

C．changed

D．returned