胡君祥　耿　讓

1

The Golden Years

Years ago, I promised myself that when I retired I would get a pet to share my golden years. From the very first, Cocoa has__1__ been well-behaved. I never have to tell him anything more than once. He has never done anything__2__.

He is a wonderful__3__. He does many amusing things that make me__4__, and when that happens, he is so delighted he just

_ 5__ it up.

One afternoon, I was sitting on the floor

_ 6__ with Cocoa when he started pawing（抓） and sniffing（聞） at the right side of my chest. He had never done anything like this ever__7__, and I told him, “ _8__.” With Cocoa, one “no” is usually enough, but not that day. He__9__ briefly, then suddenly ran toward me from the other side of the room. He crashed__10__me and I yelped in pain.

_ 11__this, I felt a lump(腫塊). I went to my doctors, and after X-rays, tests and lab work were done, they told me I had cancer.

When cancer starts, for an unknown reason, a wall of calcium(鈣) builds. Then the cancer_attaches itself to this__12_ . When Cocoa jumped on me, the force of the impact(沖擊，撞擊)__13__the lump_away from the calcium wall. This made__14__possible for me to notice the lump. Before that, I couldnt see it or feel it,__15__there was no way for me to know it was there. The doctors told me

_ 16__the cancer had gone undetected even six more months, it would have been too__17_ .

Was Cocoa__18__of just what he was doing? Ill never really know. What I do know is that Im glad I__19__a promise to spend my golden years with this wonderful pet—_ 20__Cocoa not only shares his life with me, but also has made sure that I will be around to share my life with him

1. A. always B. seldom

_ C. never D. sometimes

2. A. satisfying B. naughty

_ C. dangerous D. useful

3. A. boy B. student

_ C. doll D. companion

4. A. cry B. smile

_ C. laugh D. worry

5. A. gives B. keeps

_ C. makes D. puts

6. A. fighting B. living

_ C. playing D. arguing

7. A. ago B. since

_ C. once D. before

8. A. No B. Yes C. Sorry D. Not

9. A. continued B. stopped

_ C. jumped D. obeyed

10. A. to B. on C. into D. in

11. A. Long after B. Ever since

C. Long before D. Soon after

12. A. wall B. calcium

C. lump D. patient

13. A. prevented B. broke

C. kept D. separated

14. A. it B. this C. that D. them

15. A. but B. because

C. so D. though

16. A. whether B. unless

C. when D. if

17. A. early B. serious

C. late D. terrible

18. A. aware B. afraid C. fond D. full

19. A. kept B. made C. took D. had

20. A. because_ B. since C. for D. as

Keys: 1-5 ABDCB_ 6-10 CDABC

11-15 DABAC_ 16-20 DCABC

2

Brigadier General Robinson Risner (“Robbie”) spent seven years as a prisoner of war at the “Hanoi Hilton”. There he discovered the power of__1__ . He spent four and a half years of that time in isolation(隔絕). He lived with ten months of total__2__. Those ten months were the__3__ of his life. When they boarded up his little seven-by-seven foot cell, shutting out the__4__, he wondered if he was going to__5__ it.

Robbie spent hours a day exercising and praying. But at times he felt he could do

_ 6__ but scream. Not wanting to give his

_ 7__ the satisfaction of knowing theyd

_ 8__ him, he placed clothing into his mouth to weaken the noise__9__ he screamed at the top of his lungs.

One day Robbie got down on the__10__ and crawled under his bed. He found a hole that__11__outside air. As he_ 12__the hole, he saw a faint(暗淡的) ray of light. Robbie put his eye next to the wall and discovered a__13__crack in the building. It

_ 14__him to glimpse outside, though all he could__15__was one piece of grass. A single piece of grass and a faint ray of light. But when he__16__this, he felt a surge of (一陣)joy, excitement and gratitude that he hadnt had in years. “It__17__life, growth and freedom,” he later said. It was the small hope that helped Robbie through the__18__experiences.

The human spirit is__19_ . It seems to run forever on nothing but a faint hope. Without it, you have nothing. With it, nothing else

_ 20_ .

1. A. plan B. scream

C. dream D. hope

2. A. happiness B. sadness

C. darkness D. silence

3. A. fastest B. longest

C. oldest D. shortest

4. A. light B. wind

C. coldness D. heat

5. A. make B. send

C. bring D. take

6. A. something B. nothing

C. everything D. anything

7. A. soldiers B. friends

C. enemy D. army

8. A. wounded B. quitted

C. satisfied D. broken

9. A. for B. since

C. as D. after

10. A. corner B. floor

C. wall D. roof

11. A. let in B. put out

C. took in D. gave off

12. A. pushed B. approached

C. pulled D. touched

13. A. big B. short

C. new D. small

14. A. allowed B. attached

C. helped D. attracted

15. A. reach B. see

C. hear D. feel

16. A. dealt with B. worked out

C. stared at D. moved to

17. A. included B. followed

C. delivered D. represented

18. A. unbalanced B. uncovered

C. unbearable D. unfinished

19. A. interesting B. strong

C. difficult D. weak

20. A. matters B. relates

C. changes D. happens

Keys: 1-5 DCBAA 6-10 BCDCB

_______11-15 ABDAB _ 16-20 CDCBA