with nobody paying attention to him.
At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him.She was surprised, but due to being
polite, she agreed.
They sat in a nice coffee shop.He was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable,
thinking, "Please let me go home."
Suddenly he asked the waiter, "Would you please give me some salt?I"d like to put it in my coffee."
Everybody stared at him-so strange!His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and
drank it.
She asked him curiously, "Why do you have this hobby?"
He replied, "When I was a little boy, I was living near the sea.I liked playing in the sea, and I could
feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee.Now every time I have the salty coffee, I
always think of my childhood.I miss my hometown so much.I miss my parents who are still living there."
While saying that tears filled his eyes.She was deeply touched.That"s his true feeling, from the bottom
of his heart.A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home, caresabout
home, and has responsibility of home.
Then she also started to speak about her faraway hometown, her childhood, and her family.That
was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.
They continued to date.She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he was
kindhearted, warm and careful.He was such a good person but she almost missed him!
Thanks to his salty coffee!Then the story was just like every beautiful love story-the princess married
the prince, and then they were living a happy life...And, every time she made coffee for him, she put
some salt in the coffee.
After 40 years, he passed away, leaving her a letter which said, "My dearest, please forgive my
whole life lie.This was the only lie I said to you-the salty coffee.
"Remember the first time we dated?I was so nervous at that time.Actually I wanted some sugar, but
I said salt.It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead.
"I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised
not to lie to you for anything.
"Now I"m dying.I"m afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth:I don"t like the salty coffee.What a strange
bad taste!But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life!
"Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you.Having you with me is my biggest
happiness for my whole life.If I can live for a second time, I still want to know you and have you for my
whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again."
Her tears made the letter totally wet.
Someday, someone asked her, "What"s the taste of salty coffee?""It"s sweet, " she replied.
1. After ordering some salt to put into the coffee, the young man must have felt________.
A. touched
B. satisfied
C. disappointed
D. embarrassed
2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Salt coffee is more delicious and sweeter than sugar coffee.
B. The man ordered the salt coffee in order to create a chance to date with the girl.
C. The man had to have salty coffee all his life to keep his word.
D. The woman hardly believed the man"s explanation at their first date.
3. From the passage we can see that the man is________.
A. caring and kindhearted
B. shy and sly
C. dishonest but responsible
D. warm and understanding
4. It is implied in the passage that the woman________when reading the letter left by her husband.
A. was cheated by her husband"s behavior
B. was touched by her husband"s white lie
C. felt sorry to know the truth too late
D. felt angry about his dishonesty
While I was waiting outside my wife"s office building for her to get out of work.I saw a bum (流浪乞丐) coming my way.
"I hope he won"t ask me for any money, " I thought.
He came and sat in front of the bus stop.After a few minutes he spoke."That"s a very pretty car, " he
said.He was in rags, but he had an air of dignity (尊严) about him.
I gave him a smile and continued cleaning my car.
He sat there quietly as I worked.The expected asking for money never came.As the silence between
us widened, it seemed that a voice inside me said, "Ask him if he needs any help."
"Do you need any help?" I asked.
He answered in three simple but meaningful words that I shall never forget.We often look for wisdom
in great men and women, and we expect it from those of higher learning and achievements.I expected
nothing but an outstretched (伸出的) dirty hand from him, but he said three words that shook me.
"Don"t we all?" he said.
I_was_feeling_high, successful and_important above_a_bum_in_the_street, until those three words
hit me like a shot.
Don"t we all?
I needed help.Maybe not for a bus fare or for a place to sleep, but I needed help.I reached in my
wallet and gave him not only enough for a bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the
day.Those three little words still ring true.No matter how much you have, you need help, too.No matter
how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to
sleep, you can give help.
Maybe God looked down, called an angel, dressed him like a bum, and then said, "Go to that man
cleaning the car.That man needs help."
Don"t we all?
1. The writer was near the bus stop________.
A. to meet the bum
B. to wait for his wife
C. to wait for a bus
D. to clean his car
2. At the sight of the bum, the writer________.
A. asked him if he needed any help
B. hoped to give the bum some money
C. wished the bum not to ask him for money
D. pretended to be cleaning his car
3. The underlined part in the passage means "________".
A. I thought I"m better in any way than the bum
B. I felt the bum is as good in some ways as I am
C. I felt I liked the bum very much
D. I thought I should respect the bum
4. What does the story mainly tell us?
A. Those who are poor are in greater need of help.
B. Anybody should give help to others.
C. Poor as a man may be, he has dignity.
D. Whatever we are, we need help.
we had no idea that he was__1__ill. The operation did not go well and he remained__2__. Due to
the laws of our state, we were__3__to keep him on a ventilator (呼吸机) for 72 hours against his wish
of stopping medical treatment if he was too ill.
At the end of day two, I was__4__in the waiting room and watching others walk their fathers
around who had had__5__. Typically, I am very happy for others that are__6__, but that evening,
I guess I was a little__7__because I finally realized I would__8__be able to hold my father"s hand
and walk down the hall again.
I had to jump up and run down the hall to__9__everyone. This was not in my nature but I just had
to be__10__. After running for what seemed like a long time, I went into a rest room.I sat in a stall
(小隔间) and__11__for at least five minutes.
When I came out of the stall there was a__12__by the sink. I went to__13__on the water to wash
my face and she came to hug me though I didn"t know her. She held onto me__14__I finally stopped
crying. Then she grabbed a paper towel, wet it and__15__it to me. She looked at me and smiled and
then left. She never spoke one word but she touched my__16__.
She__17__me that you do not need to be a conversationalist to help__18__the hurt in others.
Never__19__to hug someone who may need it today. You can make a__20__in someone"s life without
ever speaking one word.
( )1. A. slightly ( )2. A. uncomfortable ( )3. A. inspired ( )4. A. sitting ( )5. A. dinners ( )6. A. changing ( )7. A. angry ( )8. A. even ( )9. A. catch up with ( )10. A. single ( )11. A. cried ( )12. A. doctor ( )13. A. turn ( )14. A. but ( )15. A. said ( )16. A. face ( )17. A. taught ( )18. A. see ( )19. A. learn ( )20. A. choice | B. seriously B. uneasy B. trained B. playing B. doubts B. recovering B. pleased B. still B. adapt to B. alone B. shouted B. manager B. put B. since B. handed B. hair B. promised B. remember B. hesitate B. mistake | C. probably C. unfortunate C. forced C. chatting C. ideas C. returning C. curious C. never C. play jokes on C. negative C. laughed C. stranger C. take C. when C. lent C. heart C. reminded C. describe C. continue C. difference | D. simply D. unconscious D. forbidden D. reading D. operations D. leaving D. foolish D. always D. get away from D. impolite D. complained D. nurse D. try D. until D. sold D. leg D. introduced D. heal D. dream D. decision | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Love in a Box When I was a little girl, I found love in a box all because of a class assignment.On a Friday night I __1__at the dinner table, "My teacher said we have to bring a box, a special box, for our Valentines (情人节) on Monday." Mother said, "We"ll see", and she continued eating. What did "We"ll see" mean?I had to have that box__2__my second grade Valentine"s Day would be a disaster.Maybe they didn"t love me enough to help me with my__3__. All Saturday I waited__4__and with Sunday arriving, my concern increased, but I__5__an enquiry about the box might__6__anger or loud voice, for in my house children only ask once.More than that __7__trouble. Late Sunday afternoon, my father called me into the kitchen.The table was covered with colorful __8__of different kinds.A(n)__9__shoebox rested on top of it.__10__flooded through me when Daddy said, "Let"s get started__11__your project." In the next hour my father__12__the shoebox into an impressive valentine box.Colorful paper covered the ugly cardboard with red hearts__13__to what I considered all the right places.He sang while he worked.When he finished, he was so delighted that a__14__smile spread over his face."What do you think of that?" he asked. I answered him with a hug. But inside, __15__danced all the way to my heart.It was the first time that my father devoted so much__16__to me, for his world consisted of work only. The holiday party arrived, and my classmates put cards, and presents into the valentine boxes. Laughter filled our classroom until dismissal time__17__. On the way home, I held out my valentine box for the world to__18__.The love that filled it meant more to me than all inside. The valentine box became a symbol of his love that__19__through decades of other Valentine"s Days.He gave me other gifts through the years, but none__20__compared with the love I felt within the limits of the old, empty shoebox. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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