1 . “Your mother needs a new heart,” my father told me when I called on that December afternoon. An unrelenting optimist, he spoke as if she merely needed to have a part replaced. But, although my two sisters and I knew that our mother had heart problems, this news still made us frozen for a while with our eyes widening in disbelief.
Dr. Marc Semigran of the transplant team reviewed my mother’s medical history. She’d had an irregular and rapid heartbeat for most of her life. Her present treatment — the use of a series of cardioversions, or electric jolts, to restore a normal heartbeat — would not work in the long-term. She had an enlarged and weakened heart, as well as a faulty valve.
“With medication,” Dr. Semigran said, “you have a 60 percent chance of living six months. You could have a longer life with a transplant, but there are risks. You’re at the top end of the age group of sixty years old. The lungs and other organs must be healthy and strong. While the transplant surgery is actually a straightforward procedure, acceptance by the body is the difficult thing.”
My family came together, trying to provide strength and work out what to do. We’d already gone from shock, over our mother’s condition, to worry that she wouldn’t be a suitable recipient. Despite of the risk, we chose to believe that she would make it eventually.
Word came later in December that she had been accepted into the programme. Dr. Jeremy Ruskin told us one of the reasons she had been accepted was that she had such strong family support.
One Monday in May, at about 8 p. m., my mother received a phone call from the hospital that a heart was available. As she was about to be wheeled off, my father took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. His look said everything about their 42-year relationship.
The heart transplant operation was successful and the conditions could not have been better.
The irony of the transplant process is that one family’s loss is another’s gain; that tragedy begets fortune. It is a kind of life after death, our hearts beating beyond us. We developed a feeling of love for this new part, of gratitude for the doctors, for the process, and for those people who made a decision just for humanity.
1. How did the sisters feel to the news that their mother needed a new heart?A.Frightened. | B.Astonished. | C.Worried. | D.Annoyed. |
A.Her abnormal heart beat. |
B.The age of over sixty years old. |
C.Her willingness to the transplant. |
D.The adaptation of the new heart in the body. |
A.That her lungs were healthy. |
B.That a new heart had been found. |
C.That her family were expecting the operation. |
D.That her family trusted the doctors' medical level. |
A.Family support is of great importance. |
B.Fortune favors those who are optimistic. |
C.Confidence helps patients overcome difficulties. |
D.Getting prepared before accepting a treatment matters. |
Having quarreled with her husband Tom, Jane boiled with anger and she
3 . My faith in human nature has never been so great as it was last weekend after our family get-together in the town of Vail.
On Saturday, we all went to the market right in the middle of the town. Near the end, we all
After we returned to the hotel late in the afternoon, my 7-year-old son Ponder
Ponder has never lost anything. So we just take for granted that he needs no guidance on managing his
He was upset, not about the Gameboy, but about the watch. “But Dad,” he said, through massive
Our dinner reservation was at a restaurant just on the other side of the bridge, so I
As we exited from the parking garage, we could see the fountain as we walked down the long staircase. I saw something black
“See it, Dad?” Ponder shouted. “Don’t get too excited because that may not be it,” I said. But that was it. It had been five or six hours since we left the fountain, and it was still there. There was no ID in it, and it looked like someone had looked through it and then set it right out where all could
I literally
What a charmed life, eh? I believe this was a perfect lesson for a child in losing something important. . . lose it and feel the full
A.drove | B.hiked | C.met | D.united |
A.landed | B.left | C.settled | D.slept |
A.responded | B.recognized | C.realised | D.recalled |
A.contained | B.combined | C.comprised | D.covered |
A.preparation | B.checkup | C.revision | D.search |
A.emotion | B.time | C.money | D.stuff |
A.tears | B.fists | C.reliefs | D.outbreaks |
A.promised | B.informed | C.warned | D.taught |
A.worm out | B.caught up | C.put away | D.turned in |
A.hiding | B.sitting | C.swinging | D.flowing |
A.assess | B.declare | C.tell | D.predict |
A.take | B.see | C.touch | D.protect |
A.panicked | B.exploded | C.collapsed | D.cried |
A.dreams | B.claims | C.efforts | D.passions |
A.range | B.pressure | C.weight | D.harvest |
4 . Quite often my mother would
One evening as I was setting the table, Marge, a neighbor woman,
“No, it’s all right,” replied my mother. “We’re not expecting company.”
“Well then,” said Marge with a(n)
“Because,” my mom answered, “I’ve prepared my family’s favorite meal. If you
“Well yes, but your beautiful china will get chips,” responded Marge.
“Oh well,” said Mom
Mom walked to the cupboard and
We all laughed. At that moment, I knew for sure that the china held for mother a number of love
A.beg | B.request | C.push | D.stop |
A.occurred | B.started | C.covered | D.exchanged |
A.remembered | B.admitted | C.questioned | D.observed |
A.settled down | B.came across | C.dropped by | D.passed on |
A.knocked | B.beat | C.lay | D.hit |
A.aiming | B.laughing | C.glaring | D.glancing |
A.company | B.delivery | C.cooks | D.strangers |
A.annoyed | B.puzzled | C.exhausted | D.depressed |
A.buy | B.set | C.polish | D.repair |
A.guest | B.neighbor | C.family | D.boss |
A.coolly | B.calmly | C.cautiously | D.casually |
A.mistake | B.trouble | C.debt | D.price |
A.turned in | B.tidied up | C.took down | D.threw away |
A.helpful | B.harmful | C.grateful | D.graceful |
A.accidents | B.stories | C.explanations | D.dishes |
5 . The train had been long delayed. Running out of
He lay down and fell asleep but was soon woken up by a woman. She handed him his bag and
Andy's thoughts drifted (飘) to when he was
Andy woke up later feeling much better. Then he noticed the woman, who’d
Without thinking twice, Andy wrapped his mother’s scarf around the baby. To his
A.luck | B.patience | C.time | D.energy |
A.train | B.truth | C.cause | D.notice |
A.insisted | B.explained | C.apologized | D.admitted |
A.surprised | B.ready | C.thankful | D.frightened |
A.checking | B.leaving | C.planning | D.packing |
A.hurt | B.annoyed | C.ashamed | D.puzzled |
A.Lately | B.Finally | C.Suddenly | D.Instantly |
A.look | B.pill | C.rest | D.sandwich |
A.for safety | B.on purpose | C.in case | D.by accident |
A.calmness | B.confidence | C.comfort | D.concern |
A.warmth | B.memory | C.smell | D.touch |
A.helped | B.pleased | C.disturbed | D.greeted |
A.carefully | B.casually | C.gently | D.tightly |
A.relief | B.amazement | C.mind | D.advantage |
A.arms | B.scarfs | C.passengers | D.mothers |
Looking at the breakfast, the mother was dominated with profound happiness. She imagined
①童年时,父母常常把许多美德传给孩子,其中不自私是最重要的。
②孩子们被教导要珍惜生命、友谊,在遇到困难时不要灰心。
③当父母告诉孩子这些美德时,孩子不会立即理解。
④渐渐地,当孩子们长大了,经历了各种各样的事情之后,他们就会成熟并消化这些美德。
⑤在成年后,在某一时刻,孩子们会想起父母曾经说过的话,完全赞同他们。
⑥因此,有时他们会把这些美德传给他们的孩子。
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8 . When I was a little boy growing up, my Mom, Dad, brothers and I lived in my Nana’s old house. It was surrounded by four huge vegetable gardens. And around the house so many flowers were planted. It was so beautiful there in the spring and summer. That wasn’t all, though. On the back porch Nana had dozens of potted plants hanging on hooks. She watered them, talked to them and nurtured them. And in the winter she would carry them all inside and set them on shelves near the windows of our enclosed front porch. There with a little water and a lot of love she kept them alive, green, and growing even during the coldest, darkest months.
As a boy I was puzzled by all the effort she put into them. I understood the vegetable gardens. They helped to feed the family all winter long. I even understood the flowers around the house. They were pretty and smelled so sweet in the summer months. The reason she put so much effort into caring for those potted plants, however, eluded me. They didn’t give us any food and they rarely had any flowers on them. They remained a mystery to my child’s mind.
Now as I’ve grown older I am beginning to understand why my Nana had those potted plants. It is the same reason I have so many pictures of sunrises and forests hanging in my home. They remind me during the dark, cold, winter months full of bare trees and yellow grass that light, love, and growth still exist. They remind me that Spring will come again. They remind me that God loves us and is still with us even when the earth doesn’t show it.
Today I see Nana’s potted plants in a new light. They are worth every bit of the love and care she put into them. But what tells me most about light and love is Nana herself. She is light to my soul even in my darkest times. And her love lives on in my heart even if she is in Heaven. May we all learn to love as she loved, shine as she shined, and live as she lived.
1. Which of the following is close in meaning to the underlined word “eluded” in paragraph 2?A.Upset. | B.Misguided. | C.Confused. | D.Distracted. |
A.They were a sign of hope. | B.They resembled sunrise and forests. |
C.They constantly kept Nana company. | D.They were portable and easy to nurture. |
A.To advocate growing potted plants. | B.To sing the praise of Nana’s spirit and love. |
C.To stress the benefits of a positive lifestyle. | D.To recall beautiful memories spent with Nana. |
A.A non-fiction. | B.A book review. |
C.An agricultural leaflet. | D.A celebrity biography. |
我祖父经营他的诊所已经50多年了。他是我们村和周围村庄最有影响力的人物之一。他一直致力于用简单有效的方法缓解病人的病痛。他总是免费为贫穷的村民治疗伤病。他认为他所做的是值得的。
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10 . The arrival of spring always means a trip to the bamboo forest for Kaitlyn Hennacy and her family, followed by an afternoon making bamboo buns (包子). This
The trip to
To make buns, the bamboo has to be cut into small pieces and
Hennacy said she and her family are
Hennacy said. “She shows her love through cooking.”
1.A.season | B.journey | C.tradition | D.gathering |
A.wild | B.dried | C.cheap | D.tough |
A.dropped out | B.came back | C.moved on | D.grew up |
A.eat | B.buy | C.choose | D.collect |
A.grab | B.fill | C.carry | D.clean |
A.life | B.group | C.process | D.advantage |
A.nature-loving | B.hard-working | C.quick-thinking | D.food-enjoying |
A.honors | B.displays | C.inspires | D.highlights |
A.mixed | B.covered | C.paired | D.compared |
A.calling | B.visiting | C.serving | D.watching |
A.interest | B.memory | C.practice | D.imagination |
A.ready | B.fortunate | C.hopeful | D.eager |
A.knows | B.accepts | C.appreciates | D.respects |
A.wants | B.stores | C.orders | D.fixes |
A.caring | B.daring | C.demanding | D.promising |