I still remember my first day in the U.S. very clearly. My friend was waiting for me when my plane landed at Kennedy Airport at three o’clock in the afternoon. The weather was very      and it was snowing, but I was too excited to       _. From the airport, my friend and I        a taxi to my          . On the way I saw the skyline of Manhattan for the       _time and I stared in surprise at the famous skyscrapers and their man-made        . Helping me unpack at the hotel, my friend left and       to return the next day.

           my friend had left, I went to a      near the hotel to get something to eat. Since I couldn’t speak a single      of English, I couldn’t tell the       what I wanted. I was very upset and started to make some    , but he didn’t understand me. Finally, I ordered the same thing the man at the next table was      . After dinner, I started to walk along Broadway       I came to Times Square with its theatres, neon lights, and crowds of people. I didn’t feel tired, so I       to walk around the city. I wanted to see     _on my first day, although I knew it was impossible.

  When I     to the hotel, I couldn’t fall asleep, lay     and thought about New York. It was a very big and amazing city with many high-rise buildings and streams of cars, and full of      and busy people. I also decided right then that I had to learn to       English.

1.A.hot      B.      warm         C.      cold  D.      cool          

2.A.look    B.      listen         C.      enjoy         D.      mind                  

3.A.sat       B.      took C.      rode D.      used         

4.A. home          B.      hotel         C.      office        D.      school               

5.A. first    B.      one  C.      last   D.      only          

6.A.satellites     B.      lakes          C.      beauty      D.      parks                 

7.A.advised       B.      liked C.      promised  D.      hoped               

8.A.Before long         B.      Shortly after      C.   Soon          D.  Then

9.A.restaurant  B.      shop C.      supermarket     D.      pub           

10.A.letter         B.      word         C.      sentence  D.      phrase               

11.A. boss          B.      cook C.      waiter       D.      waitress            

12.A.voices       B.      suggestions       C.      sounds      D.      gestures            

13.A.looking      B.      ordering   C.      picking      D.      eating                

14.A. until          B.      when         C.      before      D.      after         

15.A.tried B.      stopped    C.      decided    D.      continued                  

16.A.anything   B.      everything         C.      something         D.      some things      

17.A.came         B.      went          C.      returned  D.      arrived              

18.A.asleep       B.      awake       C.      afraid        D.      alive         

19.A.noise         B.      voices       C.      streets      D.      places                

20.A.say    B.      talk   C.      speak        D.      tell            

Last week I went to a supermarket. After I   36  the bill and was passing through the door, the alarm suddenly started to ring. Suddenly, a young guard ran toward me and ordered me to   37  him. I felt so upset and   38 . He took me to a small room, but I was   39  frightened that I stopped at the door. Finding me   40  to enter the room, he shouted that I had to go into the room.
He closed the door. I thought he was going to hurt me. Suddenly, a   41  voice said in my ear, “Take out the things you've stolen!” “I stole nothing.” I said. “Do as I tell you. If we find them, you’ll be in trouble.” “There is nothing.” I answered. “I didn't take anything.” I said, taking everything out of my pockets and bag.
  42  this point, a guard came in and asked a salesgirl to   43  me.   44 , they found nothing.
But they didn't believe that I hadn't stolen anything. So the young guard ordered me to pass through the door alarm again.
I was   45  when it rang again. I felt   46  and burst into tears. I didn't know how to prove   47  I was innocent.
They made me go into the small room again.
“Take out the stolen things quickly,   48  we will dial 110.” They said.
“OK, call the police. I’ m not afraid.” I said   49  .
Suddenly, they   50  their tone. After a while, a salesgirl asked me to raise my feet. I did   51   she had told me. There was a label (標簽) on the bottom of my shoe. That was it! That was the   52  thing that had brought me such great trouble. But it  53  my innocence.
After that, they   54  to me in the small room. But they should have apologized   55  , shouldn't they? A lot of people were there when I was taken away. What did they think of me?

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項(A、B、C、D)中選出最佳選項。
Last week I went to a supermarket. After I   36  the bill and was passing through the door, the alarm suddenly started to ring. Suddenly, a young guard ran toward me and ordered me to   37  him. I felt so upset and   38 . He took me to a small room, but I was   39  frightened that I stopped at the door. Finding me   40 to enter the room, he shouted that I had to go into the room.
He closed the door. I thought he was going to hurt me. Suddenly, a   41  voice said in my ear: “Take out the things you’ve stolen!” “I stole nothing.” I said. “Do as I tell you. If we find them, you’ll be in trouble.” “There is nothing.” I answered. “I didn’t take anything.” I said, taking everything out of my pockets and bag.
  42  this point, a guard came in and asked a salesgirl to   43  me.   44 , they found nothing.
But they didn’t believe that I hadn’t stolen anything. So the young guard ordered me to pass through the door alarm again.
I was   45 when it rang again. I felt   46  and burst into tears. I didn’t know how to prove   47  I was innocent(清白的).
They made me go into the small room again.
“Take out the stolen things quickly,  48  we will dial 110.” They said.
“OK, call the police. I’ m not afraid.” I said   49 .
Suddenly,  they  50  their tone. After a while, a salesgirl asked me to raise my feet. I did   51  she had told me. There was a label (標簽) on the bottom of my shoe. That was it! That was the   52 thing that had brought me such great trouble. But it   53 my innocence.
After that, they   54  to me in the small room, But they should have apologized  55 , shouldn’t they? A lot of people were there when I was taken away. What did they think of me?

Last week I went to a supermarket. After I   36  the bill and was passing through the door, the alarm suddenly started to ring. Suddenly, a young guard ran toward me and ordered me to   37  him. I felt so upset and   38 . He took me to a small room, but I was   39  frightened that I stopped at the door. Finding me   40  to enter the room, he shouted that I had to go into the room.

He closed the door. I thought he was going to hurt me. Suddenly, a   41  voice said in my ear, “Take out the things you've stolen!” “I stole nothing.” I said. “Do as I tell you. If we find them, you’ll be in trouble.” “There is nothing.” I answered. “I didn't take anything.” I said, taking everything out of my pockets and bag.

  42  this point, a guard came in and asked a salesgirl to   43  me.   44 , they found nothing.

But they didn't believe that I hadn't stolen anything. So the young guard ordered me to pass through the door alarm again.

I was   45  when it rang again. I felt   46  and burst into tears. I didn't know how to prove   47  I was innocent.

They made me go into the small room again.

“Take out the stolen things quickly,   48  we will dial 110.” They said.

“OK, call the police. I’ m not afraid.” I said   49  .

Suddenly, they   50  their tone. After a while, a salesgirl asked me to raise my feet. I did   51   she had told me. There was a label (標簽) on the bottom of my shoe. That was it! That was the   52  thing that had brought me such great trouble. But it  53  my innocence.

After that, they   54  to me in the small room. But they should have apologized   55  , shouldn't they? A lot of people were there when I was taken away. What did they think of me?

My wife and I went to a supermarket, there we bought some cold drinks and cakes. After we came out of the supermarket, we noticed that in the front of the supermarket was a nice little garden with benches for people relax on. We sat there and started enjoying the things we have just bought. There was ten small cakes in the bag and we couldn’t eat all of it. I wanted to share, but of whom? A young boy appeared. He was looking into the trashcan for nothing to eat. We had just finished three of the ten cakes. So, I took the remained pieces and gave them to him. He thanked me and ran away in a happily mood.

My wife and I went to a supermarket, there we bought some cold drinks and cakes. After we came out of the supermarket, we noticed that in the front of the supermarket was a nice little garden with benches for people relax on. We sat there and started enjoying the things we have just bought. There was ten small cakes in the bag and we couldn’t eat all of it. I wanted to share, but of whom? A young boy appeared. He was looking into the trashcan for nothing to eat. We had just finished three of the ten cakes. So, I took the remained pieces and gave them to him. He thanked me and ran away in a happily mood.

Last week I went to a supermarket. After I   36   the bill and was passing through the door, the alarm suddenly started to ring. Suddenly, a young guard ran toward me and ordered me to   37   him. I felt so upset and   38  . He took me to a small room, but I was   39   frightened that I stopped at the door. Finding me   40   to enter the room, he shouted that I had to go into the room.

He closed the door. I thought he was going to hurt me. Suddenly, a   41   voice said in my ear, “Take out the things you’ve stolen!” “I stole nothing.” I said. “Do as I tell you. If we find them, you’ll be in trouble.” “There is nothing.” I answered. “I didn’t take anything.” I said, taking everything out of my pockets and bag.

  42   this point, a guard came in and asked a salesgirl to   43   me.   44  , they found nothing.

But they didn’t believe that I hadn’t stolen anything. So the young guard ordered me to pass through the door alarm again.

I was   45   when it rang again. I felt   46   and burst into tears. I didn’t know how to prove   47   I was innocent.

They made me go into the small room again.

 “Take out the stolen things quickly,   48   we will dial 110.” They said.

 “OK, call the police. I’ m not afraid.” I said   49   .

Suddenly, they   50   their tone. After a while, a salesgirl asked me to raise my feet. I did   51    she had told me. There was a label (標簽) on the bottom of my shoe. That was it! That was the   52   thing that had brought me such great trouble. But it  53   my innocence.

After that, they   54   to me in the small room. But they should have apologized   55   , shouldn’t they? A lot of people were there when I was taken away. What did they think of me?

36．A．buy                        B．paid                      C．passed                  D．spent

37．A．obey                       B．beg                       C．follow                  D．listen to

38．A．a(chǎn)ngry                     B．excited                  C．happy                   D．puzzled

39．A．very                       B．much                    C．such                     D．so

40．A．disagree                 B．unwilling               C．voluntarily             D．willingly 

41．A．gentle                     B．cold                      C．sound                   D．polite

42．A．Of                          B．In                         C．At                        D．From

43．A．look at                    B．watch                   C．examine                D．keep

44．A．Needless to say       B．So far                   C．On one hand         D．As a result of

45．A．a(chǎn)fraid                     B．frightened             C．shocked                D．sad

46．A．wronged                 B．a(chǎn)nnoying               C．confused              D．unpleasant

47．A．what                      B．whether                C．that                      D．how

48．A．a(chǎn)nd                        B．but                       C．or                        D．so

49．A．unhappily                B．forcefully             C．terribly                 D．widely

50．A．changed                  B．raised                   C．increased              D．closed

51．A．like                         B．a(chǎn)s                         C．a(chǎn)ccording to          D．a(chǎn)s if

52．A．only                       B．last                       C．very                     D．just

53．A．tested                     B．showed                 C．proved                  D．gave

54．A．said                        B．a(chǎn)pologized             C．a(chǎn)greed                  D．promised

55．A．loudly                     B．together                C．politely                 D．in public

Last week I went to a supermarket. After I 　36 the bill and was passing through the door, the alarm suddenly started to ring. Suddenly, a young guard ran toward me and ordered me to 　37 him. I felt so upset and 　38 . He took me to a small room, but I was 　39 frightened that I stopped at the door. Finding me 　40 to enter the room, he shouted that I had to go into the room.

He closed the door. I thought he was going to hurt me. Suddenly, a 　41 voice said in my ear: “Take out the things you’ve stolen!” “I stole nothing.” I said. “Do as I tell you. If we find them, you’ll be in trouble.” “There is nothing.” I answered. “I didn’t take anything.” I said, taking everything out of my pockets and bag. 42 this point, a guard came in and asked a salesgirl to 　43 me. 　44 , they found nothing.

But they didn’t believe that I hadn’t stolen anything. So the young guard ordered me to pass through the door alarm again.

I was 　45 when it rang again. I felt 　46 and burst into tears. I didn’t know how to prove 　47 I was innocent(清白的).

They made me go into the small room again.

“Take out the stolen things quickly, 48 we will dial 110.” They said.

“OK, call the police. I’ m not afraid.” I said 　49 .

Suddenly, they 50 their tone. After a while, a salesgirl asked me to raise my feet. I did 　51 she had told me. There was a label (標簽) on the bottom of my shoe. That was it! That was the 　52 thing that had brought me such great trouble. But it 　53 my innocence.

After that, they 　54 to me in the small room, But they should have apologized 55 , shouldn’t they? A lot of people were there when I was taken away. What did they think of me?

36．A．buy　　　　　　　　　　　 B．paid　　　　　　　　　　 C．passed　　　　　　　　 D．paid for

37．A．obey　　　　　　　　　　　 B．beg　　　　　　　　　　　 C．follow　　　　　　　　 D．listen to

38．A．a(chǎn)ngry　　　　　　　　　　 B．excited　　　　　　　　 C．happy　　　　　　　　　 D．puzzled

39．A．very　　　　　　　　　　　 B．much　　　　　　　　　 C．such　　　　　　　　　　 D．so

40．A．disagree 　　　　　　　 B．unwilling　　　　　　　 C．voluntarily　　　　　　 D．willingly

41．A．high　　　　　　　　　　　 B．low　　　　　　　　　　 C．sound　　　　　　　　　 D．sharp

42．A．On　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．In　　　　　　　　　　　　 C．At　　　　　　　　　　　 D．From

43．A．look at　　　　　　　　　 B．watch　　　　　　　　　 C．examine　　　　　　　 D．keep

44．A．Needless to say B．So far C．On one hand　　　　 D． As a result of

45．A．a(chǎn)fraid　　　　　　　　　　 B．frightened　　　　　　 C．shocked　　　　　　　 D．sad

46．A．wronged　　　　　　　　 B．upset　　　　　　　　　 C．scared　　　　　　　　 D．unpleasant

47．A．what　　　　　　　　　　 B．whether　　　　　　　 C．that　　　　　　　　　　 D．how

48．A．a(chǎn)nd　　　　　　　　　　　 B．but　　　　　　　　　　　 C．or　　　　　　　　　　　 D．so

49．A．unhappily　　　　　　　 B．forcefully 　　　　　 C．terribly　　　　　　　　 D．widely

50．A．changed　　　　　　　　 B．raised　　　　　　　　　 C．increased　　　　　　 D．closed

51．A．like　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．a(chǎn)s　　　　　　　　　　　　 C．a(chǎn)ccording to　　　　 D．a(chǎn)s if

52．A．only　　　　　　　　　　　 B．last　　　　　　　　　　　 C．very　　　　　　　　　　 D．just

53．A．tested　　　　　　　　　　 B．showed　　　　　　　　 C．proved　　　　　　　　 D．gave

54．A．said　　　　　　　　　　　 B．a(chǎn)pologized　　　　　　 C．a(chǎn)greed　　　　　　　　 D．promised

55. A．loudly 　　　 B． together 　　 C．politely 　　　　 D．in public

Last week I went to a supermarket. After I1the bill and was passing through the door, the alarm suddenly started to ring. Suddenly, a young guard ran toward me and ordered me to2him. I felt so upset and3. He took me to a small room, but I was4frightened that I stopped at the door. Finding me5to enter the room, he shouted that I had to go into the room.
He closed the door. I thought he was going to hurt me. Suddenly, a6voice said in my ear, “Take out the things you've stolen!” “I stole nothing.” I said. “Do as I tell you. If we find them, you’11 be in trouble.” “There is nothing.” I answered. “I didn't take anything.” I said, taking everything out of my pockets and bag.
7this point, a guard came in and asked a salesgirl to8me.9, they found nothing.
But they didn't believe that I hadn't stolen anything. So the young guard ordered me to pass through the door alarm again.
I was10when it rang again. I felt11and burst into tears. I didn't know how to prove12I was innocent.
They made me go into the small room again.
“Take out the stolen things quickly,13we will dial 110.” They said.
“OK, call the police. I’ m not afraid.” I said14.
Suddenly, they15their tone. After a while, a salesgirl asked me to raise my feet. I did16she had told me. There was a label (標簽) on the bottom of my shoe. That was it! That was the17thing that had brought me such great trouble. But it18my innocence.
After that, they19to me in the small room. But they should have apologized20, shouldn't they? A lot of people were there when I was taken away. What did they think of me?

1. 1.
   1. A.
      buy
   2. B.
      paid
   3. C.
      passed
   4. D.
      spent
2. 2.
   1. A.
      obey
   2. B.
      beg
   3. C.
      follow
   4. D.
      listen to
3. 3.
   1. A.
      angry
   2. B.
      excited
   3. C.
      happy
   4. D.
      puzzled
4. 4.
   1. A.
      very
   2. B.
      much
   3. C.
      such
   4. D.
      so
5. 5.
   1. A.
      disagree
   2. B.
      unwilling
   3. C.
      voluntarily
   4. D.
      willingly
6. 6.
   1. A.
      gentle
   2. B.
      cold
   3. C.
      sound
   4. D.
      polite
7. 7.
   1. A.
      Of
   2. B.
      In
   3. C.
      At
   4. D.
      From
8. 8.
   1. A.
      look at
   2. B.
      watch
   3. C.
      examine
   4. D.
      keep
9. 9.
   1. A.
      Needless to say
   2. B.
      So far
   3. C.
      On one hand
   4. D.
      As a result of
10. 10.
    1. A.
       afraid
    2. B.
       frightened
    3. C.
       shocked
    4. D.
       sad
11. 11.
    1. A.
       wronged
    2. B.
       annoying
    3. C.
       confused
    4. D.
       unpleasant
12. 12.
    1. A.
       what
    2. B.
       whether
    3. C.
       that
    4. D.
       how
13. 13.
    1. A.
       and
    2. B.
       but
    3. C.
       or
    4. D.
       so
14. 14.
    1. A.
       unhappily
    2. B.
       forcefully
    3. C.
       terribly
    4. D.
       widely
15. 15.
    1. A.
       changed
    2. B.
       raised
    3. C.
       increased
    4. D.
       closed
16. 16.
    1. A.
       like
    2. B.
       as
    3. C.
       according to
    4. D.
       as if
17. 17.
    1. A.
       only
    2. B.
       last
    3. C.
       very
    4. D.
       just
18. 18.
    1. A.
       tested
    2. B.
       showed
    3. C.
       proved
    4. D.
       gave
19. 19.
    1. A.
       said
    2. B.
       apologized
    3. C.
       agreed
    4. D.
       promised
20. 20.
    1. A.
       loudly
    2. B.
       together
    3. C.
       politely
    4. D.
       in public

My First Trip in the United States

I still remember my first day in the U. S. very clearly. My friend was waiting for me when my plane   36  at Kennedy Airport at three o’clock in the afternoon. The weather was very  37 and it was snowing, but I was too excited to   38  . From the airport, my friend and I took a taxi to my    39   .On the way, I saw the skyline of Manhattan for the   40  time and I looked in surprise at the famous skyscrapers（摩天大樓） and their man-made   41  .  42   me unpack at the hotel, my friend left and promised to return the next day.

  43  my friend had left, I went to a   44   near the hotel to get something   45    . Since I couldn’t speak a single word of English, I couldn’t tell the    46   what I wanted. I was very worried and started to make some   47   ,but he didn’t understand me. Finally, I ordered the    48  thing as the man at the next table was   49   . After dinner, I started to walk along Broadway   50   I came to Times Square with its theatres, neon lights, and crowds of people. I did not feel tired, so I   51  to walk around the city. I wanted to see   52  on my first day, although I knew it was impossible.

When I returned to the hotel, I couldn’t fall asleep, lay    53  and thought about New York. It was a very big and amazing city with many high-rise buildings and streams of cars, and full of   54  and busy people. I also decided right then that I had to learn to    55  .

My First Trip in the United States

       I still remember my first day in the U. S. very clearly. My friend was waiting for me when my plane   16  at Kennedy Airport at three o’clock in the afternoon. The weather was very  17 and it was snowing, but I was too excited to   18   . From the airport, my friend and I took a taxi to my    19    .On the way, I saw the skyline of Manhattan for the   20   time and I looked in surprise at the famous skyscrapers（摩天大樓） and their man-made   21   .  22    me unpack at the hotel, my friend left and promised to return the next day.

         23   my friend had left, I went to a   24    near the hotel to get something   25     . Since I couldn’t speak a single word of English, I couldn’t tell the   26    what I wanted. I was very worried and started to make some   27    ,but he didn’t understand me. Finally, I ordered the   28   thing as the man at the next table was   29    . After dinner, I started to walk along Broadway   30    I came to Times Square with its theatres, neon lights, and crowds of people. I did not feel tired, so I   31   to walk around the city. I wanted to see   32   on my first day, although I knew it was impossible.

       When I returned to the hotel, I couldn’t fall asleep, lay    33   and thought about New York. It was a very big and amazing city with many high-rise buildings and streams of cars, and full of   34   and busy people. I also decided right then that I had to learn to   35   .

16．A. took off     B. landed               C. dropped            D. reached

17．A. hot            B. warm                C. cold                  D. cool

18．A. look           B. listen          C. enjoy                D. mind

19．A. home         B. hotel          C. office                D. school

20．A. first    B. one                   C. last                   D. only

21．A. satellites B. lakes       C. beauty               D. parks

22．A. Helped       B. Helping       C. Had helped        D. Being helped

23．A. Before long B. Shortly after      C. Soon                 D. Then

24．A. restaurant B. shop                   C. supermarket      D. pub

25．A. to drink B. to read            C. to eat                D. to listen

26．A. boss          B. cook                 C. waiter               D. waitress

27．A. voices B. suggestions C. sounds                     D. gestures

28．A. similar B. different     C. same                D. right

29．A. looking       B. ordering            C. picking              D. eating

30．A. until   B. when                C. before               D. after

31．A. tired    B. stopped             C. determined        D. continued

32．A. anything     B. everything  C. something         D. some things

33．A. asleep B. awake        C. afraid                D. alive

34．A. noise   B. voices        C. streets               D. places

35．A. drive a car  B. cook meals C. teach Chinese    D. speak English

It s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree．It has been there for the past 10 years or so．It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas—the commercial aspects of Christmas-overspending．Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to avoid the usual presents．The idea came in an unusual way．

       Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored by a church．These youngsters, dressed in ragged clothes, presenting a sharp contrast to our boys in their beautiful dresses and shoes．As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears．It was a luxury that the poor team obviously could not afford．Well, we ended up defeating them．Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said．"They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them．" That's when the idea for his present came．That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought wrestling headgear and shoes for the youngsters and sent them anonymously （匿名地） to the church．On Christmas Eve? I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me．His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in the following years．

       For each Christmas, I followed the tradition．The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas．It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed expectation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to show its contents．As the children grew, they joined．

       May we all remember the reason for Christmas, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always．God bless梡ass this along to your friends and loved ones．

The author avoids usual Christmas presents because her husband _____．

       A．likes cheap Christmas presents

       B．likes expensive Christmas presents

       C．dislikes spending much on large Christmas presents

       D．dislikes spending much on unmeaningful Christmas gifts

The underlined word "luxury" in Paragraph 2 means "_____"．

       A．something of poor quality          B．something abundant

       C．something strange        D．something expensive

From the passage we can infer that in character the husband is _____．

       A．modest and mature     B．kind and practical

       C．strong-willed and vain             D．optimistic and outgoing

What is the most exciting thing for the family at Christmas?

       A．Preparing gifts．             B．Exchanging gifts．

       C．Opening the envelope．        D．Writing Christmas cards．

At the age of seven, I went to see my grandma in Warwick and spent the summer with her. One day I went to a general store with a   34 full of what Grandma needed.
“Excuse me, I need to   35  these,” I said .
“So ? I’m not your   36 ! You should get yourself a basket and start filling,” Miss Bee, the owner of the store, said   37  without smiling. “If you’re   38  you’ll be home by sunset.” Sunset was five hours away.   39 , the store was a puzzle, and I wasn’t sure if I would make it.
I visited Miss Bee several times a week that   40 . One afternoon when I watched her adding 35 cents instead of 29 for a can of beans, I   41  her immediately. Though being caught overcharging , she didn’t seem   42 , and she just fixed the price.
All summer long I was always tricked by Miss Bee. No sooner had I memorized the soda’s location on the shelf than she rearranged the shelves and made me  43 it all over again. But by summer’s end the   44 trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes.
The morning I was to return to Brooklyn, I stepped in to get a bottle of water.
“What did you   45  this summer?” she said.
“That you’re so mean!” I whispered.
To my   46 , Miss Bee laughed. “When you get older, you’ll be glad our paths crossed!”
Glad I met Miss Bee ? No!
Until one day my daughter came to me with homework  47 . “It’s too hard,” she said. “Could you finish it for me?”
“If I do it for you, how will you ever learn to do it yourself?” Suddenly, I was   48  at that general store where Miss Bee had really taught me something all those years ago.

I believe that families are not only blood relatives, but sometimes people who show up and love you when no one else will.
In May 1977, I was living in a Howard Johnson’s motel off Interstate 10 in Houston. My dad and I  41  a room with two double beds and a bathroom was too  42  for a 15-year-old girl and her father. Dad’s second marriage was   43  and my stepmother had   44  us both out of the house the previous week. Dad had no  45_  what to do with me. And that’s when my other family   46 .
Barbara and Roland Beach took me into their home   47  their only daughter, Su, my best friend, asked them to. I   48   with them for the next seven years.
Barb washed my skirts the same as Su’s. She   49  I had lunch money, doctors’ appointments, help with homework and nightly hugs. Barbara and Roland attended every football game where Su and I were being cheerleaders.  50 I could tell, for the Beaches there was no  51 between Su and me; I was their daughter, too.
When Su and I 52 college they kept my room the same for the entire four years I attended school. Recently, Barb presented me with an insurance policy they bought when I first moved in with them and had continued to pay on for 23 years.
The Beaches knew  53 about me when they took me in – they had heard the whole story from Su. When I was seven, my mother died and from then on my father relied on other people to _54 his kids. Before I went to live with the Beaches I had believed that life was entirely   55__ and that love was shaky and untrustworthy. I had believed that the only person who would take care of me was me.
 56 the Beaches, I would have become a bitter, cynical (憤世嫉俗的) woman. They gave me a(n)  57 that allowed me to grow and change. They kept me from being paralyzed by my _58  , and they gave me the confidence to open my heart.
I   59  family. For me, it wasn’t the family that was there on the day I was  60 , but the one that was there for me when I was living in a Howard Johnson’s on Interstate 10.

I stayed at a hotel the last time I went to Bei Daihe. The window of my room 　　　 the sea.

When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Week by week her list 【小題1】 : I was very thin; I wasn’t a 【小題2】 student; I talked too much; I was too 【小題3】, always feeling superior to(勝過) others, and so on. I tried to hear all as long as I could. 【小題4】, I became very angry. I ran to my father with 【小題5】 in my eyes.
He listened to me 【小題6】 , and then he asked,“Are the things she says true or not? Janet, don’t you ever wonder 【小題7】 you’re really like? Well, you now have that girl’s 【小題8】 . Go and 【小題9】a list of everything she said and mark the points that are 【小題10】 . Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did【小題11】he told me. To my great 【小題12】, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t 【小題13】 (like being very thin),but a good number I could--- and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I went to a fairly 【小題14】 picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He 【小題15】to take it.“That’s just for you,” he said，“You know 【小題16】 than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to 【小題17】, not just close your ears in anger, feeling 【小題18】 when something said about you is true, you will find it of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your affairs. Don’t shut your 【小題19】. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”
Daddy’s advice has always 【小題20】 to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.