When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard. I remember him as someone who was a lot nicer than most of the adults in our community.
When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. His house sat on ten acres, and his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
The good doctor had some interesting theories concerning plant care and growth. He never watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants spoiled them so that each successive tree generation would grow weaker and weaker. So you have to make things rough for them and weed out(淘汰) the weaker trees early on. He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of moisture. I took him to mean that deep roots were to be treasured.
So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. Smack! Slap! Pow! I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs passed away a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I’d watched him plant some twenty-five years ago. They’re extremely tall, big and robust since they have deep roots now. However, the trees in my garden trembled in a cold wind although I had watered them for several years.
It seems that adversity(逆境) and suffering benefit these trees in ways comfort and ease never could. I stood there deep in thought.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I stand over them and watch their little bodies, the rising and falling of life within. I often pray for them. Mostly I pray that their lives will be easy. But I think that it’s time to change my prayer(祷词) because now I know my children are going to encounter hardship.
【小题1】According to Dr. Gibbs’ theories, trees will become weaker if they _________.

It is impossible not to make a mistake at some point in your life．We may as well accept that something will go wrong and we will be to blame．It is therefore sensible to work out some strategies for apologizing，and the best way to apologize is by letter．This way you can take care over every word you write一 which you can’t do if you say sorry to someone in person．

We all say or do something that we wish we hadn’t said or done．You may say something that accidentally hurts someone，or you may provide a service which doesn't come up to the standards that a client or customer expected,

You may feel that it was a genuine mistake which couldn’t be avoided. Rather than dwell on the mistake, you should quickly try to remedy (补救) the problem．An effective letter of apology is an important part of that process．

For the content of the letter，just remember TABS—Timing，Action，Brevity，Sincerity．

The timing of a letter of apology is crucial—it must be sent as soon as possible．Any delay in sending the letter will only compound the problem．In this case “Better late than never” is not the best motto! The longer you wait before writing a，letter of apology，the more it will seem that you have been coerced (被迫) into writing it．

Although it is important to recognize what has gone before，it is also essential to detail the action you plan to take to rectify whatever it was you did wrong．Research has shown that some indication that you have thought about what future action you plan to take is always well received.

A letter of apology should be brief and the word “sorry” should appear no more than twice．Indicate that you are aware you are using it a second time“Once again，I am so sorry for…”or“As I said earlier，I am really sorry about…”．Finally，the tone of the letter has to be sincere．In fact, the combination of all the above factors will help in this respect．

And don’t think that letters are out of date in the email-oriented 21st century．An apology email can be worse than no apology at all !

56. What kind of advice does the text suggest about apologizing?

A. It’s a good idea to write a letter of apology as soon as something goes wrong．

B．It’s a good idea to send several emails to apologize and show you mean it．

C．Write a long letter apologizing several times to make your point．

D．Wait to see how they react to your letter before planning to do anything．

57．What kind of things do you NOT apologize for?

A．Services that are not as good as they should be．　 B．Genuine mistakes．

C．Car accidents．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Causing offence or hurt．

58. The underlined expression“rather than dwell on the mistake”in the third paragraph means you_____.

A．don’t waste time worrying about what happened　　 B．consider the problem

C．forget about what happened　　　　　　　　　　 D．analyze who was at fault

59．The underlined word“rectify”in the sixth paragraph means to _____________.

A．put right　　 B．improve　　 C．Eliminate （消除）　　 D．apologize

　　　 A Love Note to My Mom

When I was a little girl, I would often accompany you as you modeled (T台展示) for fashion photographers. It was years later that I finally understood what role modeling 　36 in your life. Little did I know you were 37 every penny you earned to go to 38 school.

I cannot thank you enough for 　39 you told me one autumn afternoon when I was nine. After finishing my homework, I wandered into the dining room where you were buried 　40 piles of law books. I was 　41 why you were doing what I do—memorizing textbooks and studying for 　42 ? When you said you were in law school, I was more puzzled. I didn’t know Moms 　43 be lawyers too. You smiled and said, “In life, you can do anything you want to do.”

As young as I was, that statement kept 　44 in my ears. I watched as you faced the 　45 of completing your studies, starting companies with Dad, while still being a 　46 and a Mom of five kids. I was exhausted just watching you 　 47 . With your words of wisdom in my 　48 mind, I suddenly felt unlimited freedom to dream. My whole world 　49 . I set out to live my life filled with 　50 , seeing endless possibilities for personal and professional achievements.

Your words became my motto. I 　51 found myself in the unique position of being either the first (woman doctor in Maryland Rotary) 　52 one of the few women (chief medical reporters) in my field. I gained strength every time I said, “Yes, I’ll try that.”Encouraged by your 　53 , I have forged ahead(毅然前行) with my life’s journey, less afraid to make mistakes, and 　54 meeting each challenge. You did it, and now I’m 　55 it. Sorry, got to run. So much to do, so many dreams to live.

36. A. found 　　　　　　　　　 B. played 　　　　　　　　 C. kept 　　　　　　　　 D. provided

37. A. saving　　　　　　　　　 B. making　　　　　　　　　 C. donating　　　　　　 D. receiving

38. A. business　　　　　　　　 B. fashion　　　　　　　　　 C. law　　　　　　　　　　 D. medical

39. A. what 　　　　　　　　　　 B. that　　　　　　　　　　　 C. which　　　　　　　　 D. where

40. A. at　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. to　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. upon　　　　　　　　　 D. under

41. A. amused　　　　　　　　　 B. worried　　　　　　　　 C. puzzled　　　　　　　 D. disappointed

42. A. roles　　　　　　　　　　　 B. tests　　　　　　　　　　　 C. positions　　　　　　 D. shows

43. A. must　　　　　　　　　　 B. ought to　　　　　　　　 C. need　　　　　　　　　 D. could

44. A. ringing　　　　　　　　　 B. blowing　　　　　　　　 C. falling　　　　　　　　 D. beating

45. A. choices　　　　　　　　　 B. chances　　　　　　　　 C. challenges　　　　　 D. changes

46. A. professor　　　　　　　 B. doctor　　　　　　　　　 C. reporter　　　　　　　 D. model

47. A. in danger　　　　　　　 B. in action　　　　　　　　 C. in trouble　　　　　　 D. in charge

48. A. weak　　　　　　　　　　 B. powerful　　　　　　　 C. youthful　　　　　　 D. empty

49. A. came back　　　　　　 B. closed down　　　　　 C. went by 　　　　　　 D. opened up

50. A. hope　　　　　　　　　　　 B. hardship　　　　　　　　 C. harmony　　　　　　 D. sadness

51. A. constantly　　　　　　　 B. shortly　　　　　　　　　 C. hardly　　　　　　　　 D. nearly

52. A. and　　　　　　　　　　　 B. but　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. or　　　　　　　　　　　 D. for

53. A. description　　　　　　 B. statement　　　　　　　 C. praise　　　　　　　　 D. introduction

54. A. secretly　　　　　　　　 B. curiously　　　　　　　 C. carelessly D. eagerly

55. A. doing　　　　　　　　　　 B. considering　　　　　　 C. correcting　　　　　 D. reading

The rain was coming down heavily and I was going to be late for an important conference. Dressing up quickly, I called for a taxi, 　 1 　 that it would be faster than the subway.

It wasn't.

After a long wait, I finally got one, but the traffic was heavy. I looked at my 　 2　 from time to time. Just as the traffic started moving, the driver 　 3 　 a man up ahead in a wheelchair.

“Wouldn't he be cold sitting right there!” the driver cried and began to 　 4　 .

I could see there would be another 20 minutes' 　 5　 — 　 6　 him into the cab, folding up his chair and putting it into the taxi's small 　 7 , then dropping him off who knows where.

“What are you doing?” I shouted to the driver.

As the 　 8　 came out, I wanted to take them back. The wrongness of my 　 9　 to the driver shocked me. Why did I let out the shout?

The driver 　10　 me and we continued the journey. Eventually I got out of the taxi and

11　 to the office. As I ran, I understood that, though it wasn't my duty to take the time to help others, I shouldn't have 　 12　 the driver's stopping. I should have been able to see beyond my impatience to notice what was most inerrant (不会错的). Whenever I think of this incident, this is my 　13 : I am not a 　14　 self-centered person, but I still feel 　 15

of being self-centered. Living a busy life in a fast-paced big city, do we still need to stop to help those who are in need of help?

1. A. reminding　　　　 B. expecting　　　　　 C. realizing 　　　 D. attempting

2. A. computer 　　　　 B. document　 　 C. message 　　　 D. watch

3. A. witnessed 　　　　 B. picked 　　　　　 C. spotted 　　　　 D. observed

4. A. pull over 　　　　　 B. take off 　　　　 C. pass by 　　　　 D. run away

5. A. complaining 　　　 B. suffering 　　　 C. waiting 　　　　 D. struggling

6. A. indicating 　　　　 B. recommending　 C. lifting 　　　　　 D. urging

7. A. trunk　　 　　　　　　 B. box 　　　　　　　 C. window 　　　　 D. carriage

8. A. anxieties 　　　　　 B. words 　　　　　 C. results 　　　　　 D. comments

9. A. reaction 　　　　　　 B. request 　 　　　 C. comment 　　　 　　　 D. suggestion

10. A. comforted 　　　 　　　 B. prevented　 　　 C. encouraged 　 D. ignored

11. A. escaped 　　　　　 B. fled 　　　　　　　 C. settled 　　　　　 D. flooded

12. A. excited at　　　　　 B. thought about　　 C. made fun of　　　 　　　 D. complained about

13. A. feeling 　　　　　　 B. motto 　　　　　 C. dream 　　　　　 D. determination

14. A. skillfully 　　　　 B. strangely 　　　 C. particularly 　　 D. hopefully

15. A. proud 　　　　　　 B. aware　 　　　　 C. ashamed 　　　 D. confident