What I noticed first about my new parrot, Chico, was that he couldn’t fly. His wings had been cut short and he was stuck on the   1  just like us humans. When the weather turned nice, I took Chico outside. I sat him on a branch of a tree, hoping to make him   2 . At first he seemed   3 . He walked back and forth on the branch looking anxious or nervous. He didn’t even flap his wings in an attempt to fly. Somehow he knew he was   4 .
One day Chico got especially excited . He paced back and forth and made an incredible amount of   5 . Then all of a sudden he stopped and let out an even louder scream. He started   6  flapping his wings for the first time ever － then he lifted off the   7  like a space shuttle! I was amazed and   8  . Little did I know his feathers had been growing back, and Chico had been   9  until the moment was ripe for escape!
Two days later Chico   10  . First I tried to trick him back with food, but he would not come near me. Then I took his   11  and put it away—still he would not come. Finally, I made him a firm promise that I would let him   12  every day the weather was nice if he did come back.   13  , he flew onto my shoulder.
From that day on, whenever the weather was good I would let him out early and he would fly around and be back before dark. The   14  lasted for two months before suddenly Chico became   15 . The vet said that he had been infected with a disease from the pigeons in the neighborhood. Within a few days he died.
I was very sad. The   16  crossed my mind that if I had not set him free to fly, he would be still alive. But what   17  is there in being a bird if you can’t fly?
Chico made his first break for   18  on a late Monday afternoon in April. When will you make yours? You too can take a   19  when the conditions are right, knowing you too, in your own way, were built to fly. If you don’t    20 , what will be the purpose of your life?

“It’s the best…uhh…What? You don’t want it?...,”the inexpertienced young man uttered,his hope dashed.
“Again,you disappointed me,Andrew.When are you going to learn? You have to be sure and confident. And think how best to make him part with his money. Apply yourself, Son. All your college education will not help if you don’t put your mind to selling. Think on your feet. Use psychology,” Andrew spoke with diffidence overwhelmed by his father’s criticism.
“You’ve been in this shop for six months and you haven’t succeeded in selling a single computer. I tell you what. I’ll give you one more chance. I’ll give you another three more weeks. If you still can’t make one sale, I’ll call in your elder brother to replace you. He will also take over the shop when I retire. There. I’ll just give you one last chance to prove yourself,” said Mr. Whitely, his patience wearing thin.
Andrew’s heart missed a beat. This time he would have to do it. Do or Die! A sense of urgency gripped him. Somehow he must prove himself to his father.
It was now the end of the day and the shop was being closed. The assistant employed by his father, called Mike, chuckled and put his arms round poor Andrew to comfort him,“ Sort it out yourself. It’s gotta come from yourself.” he said.
The shop was located in a bustling shopping center. Andrew left the shop and walked round the complex aimlessly and by chance entered a large bookstore. He glanced at the books and was about to leave when his eyes caught some interesting titles:‘ How to increase your confidence,’‘ The art of communication,’‘How to sell well’amongst others.
The next minute he was out of the store with the shopping bag bugling with books. In his apartment (for he loves separately from his parents and little sister),he settled himself in his easy chair and devoured the contents of the books, one by one. His keen intelligence enabled him to focus the details that matter and pick out the ideas and techniques expounded.In a week his image underwent a transformation. Gone was the stubble that used to give him an untidy image likened to a heroin addict.He was also smartly dressed now. Instead of his usual slurred speech and incoherence ,he spoke with clarity, purpose and forcefulness.He was more convincing and persuasive. Above all, confidence flowed from his being and he seemed to have learned a few tricks of the selling trade. He worked hard at his sales pitch and one day he succeeded in selling a computer. His first sale. He had finally achieved the quota of one sale within the given time frame of three weeks. The job, the shop, was his. He had to thank Mike for it. And now he had to go beyond his first successs and score, consistently and persistently. Nevertheless he had proved himself at last and the future looked bright and promising.
【小题1】
We learn from the story that at the beginning Andrew’s father_________.

单词拼写（共10小题，每题1分，满分10分）

1.C___________ on your success last night!

2.He b________ down and came up with a $20 bill. “ Sir, you must have dropped this.” The waiter said.

3.Every year thousands of college g_____________ crowded in the job fair, hoping to find their desirable jobs.

4.I’m very c_________ about my son in his new school, for he never knows how to take care of himself.

5.He could have finished it on s__________, but somehow he fell behind.

6.In the past, the villagers t__________ their goods by goat not by truck.

7.They built s_________ for the homeless children.

8.Though I haven’t met him for many years, I could r__________ him immediately when I saw him.

9.He was c_______ along the street when he was knocked off his bike.

10.Some animals hibernate (冬眠) under snow, because there is much air in l_____ snow.

Whenever I recall my childhood, there is one thing I remember clearly. My father used his   36 to let my mother   37  her parents who lived far away. There was just my younger brother and myself in the   38 . One evening, our father came home and there was no   39 , not even a piece of bread. My father had no money and he was as   40  as we were. My brother and I went to bed without having anything.
  41  I knew from the expressions on my father’s face that he could not   42  us be hungry for long. He left the house, and about two hours later he   43  and woke us up. He had two small potato pies in his hands. I didn’t know where he got the money for the food but somehow he   44  to find a way. It was clear that he wanted to get his children   45  .
My father did not eat and had   46  all day but he sat there and felt   47  at seeing us eat. This has always stuck in my   48 . At that moment, I felt   49  knowing that he tried his best not to let us   50 , and he wanted us to know he was always there with us.
In   51  times, I think, it is important not to   52  weakness but strength.   53  the mother is the cement(黏合剂)that   54  a family together, then the father is the steel that strengthens that cement.
It is his values and   55  that have carried me forward and helped me deal with my own problems in life.

Whenever I recall my childhood, there is one thing I remember clearly. My father used his   36  to let my mother   37   her parents who lived far away. There was just my younger brother and myself in the   38  . One evening, our father came home and there was no   39  , not even a piece of bread. My father had no money and he was as   40   as we were. My brother and I went to bed without having anything.

   41   I knew from the expressions on my father’s face that he could not    42   us be hungry for long. He left the house, and about two hours later he   43   and woke us up. He had two small potato pies in his hands. I didn’t know where he got the money for the food but somehow he   44   to find a way. It was clear that he wanted to get his children    45  .

My father did not eat and had    46   all day but he sat there and felt   47   at seeing us eat. This has always stuck in my   48  . At that moment, I felt   49   knowing that he tried his best not to let us   50  , and he wanted us to know he was always there with us.

In   51   times, I think, it is important not to   52   weakness but strength.   53   the mother is the cement(黏合剂)that   54   a family together, then the father is the steel that strengthens that cement.

It is his values and    55   that have carried me forward and helped me deal with my own problems in life.