—The skirt is too expensive; its color too dark, and….

       —_______. Is there anyone so particular like you?

   A. Take it or leave it                         B. Can’t complain too much.

   C. Go ahead.                              D. Cheer up.

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s bureau（衣橱）and picked out a wonderful skirt. “Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago .She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion.” Well, I guess this is the occasion.

He took the skirt from me and put it on the bed. His hands touched the soft material for a moment, then he shut the drawer and turned to me, “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.”

I’m still thinking about his words, and they’ve changed my attitude to life. I’m spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to enjoy, not suffer. I’m trying to recognize these moments now and treasure them.

“Someday” and “one of these days” are being lost from my vocabulary. If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now . I’m not sure what my sister would have done if she had known she wouldn’t have tomorrow.

I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend her fences for past things. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food.

If I knew that my hours were limited, those little things left undone would make me angry. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with someday. Angry and sorry because I didn’t tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.

I’m trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute, and every breath truly, is…a gift from God.

1.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Every day is a gift

B. My poor sister

C. Value friendship every day

D. Every day is an important occasion

2.Jan bought the wonderful skirt but didn’t wear it, because(   )

A. She wanted to wear it on special occasions

B. She kept it as a special gift for someone else

C. She saved it until she grew older

D. She wanted to keep it as a sweet memory

3.Which of the following is not the writer’s attitude to life?

A. Spending more time staying with family every day.  

B. Attending social activities as often as possible

C. Enjoying life and valuing every day.

D. Trying to get along well with friends

The seller would sell the skirt for 50 dollars,but the customer ______ only half the price,and finally they agreed ______ the price.
　 A.supplied；on　 B.charged；on　 C.offered；with　 D.offered；on

What a bargain! The price of this dress is_______ that of the skirt.

A. half not as much as                  ????? B. much not as half as

C. not half as much as                  ????? D. as much as not half

The rumors had been spreading for months but it still came as a shock when the hospital would be closing. It had served this poor neighborhood for nearly 100 years but it would close because of the health care crisis.
The day after the announcement co-workers found out that pretzels(椒盐饼干) had been eliminated. Soft pretzels are the lifeblood of this city. So losing access to soft pretzels is no small matter.
I said, “I only have $6. I’m not sure how many pretzels I need. You see, I work at a hospital and it’s closing and they stopped selling pretzels.” The man’s smile disappeared. “What hospital?” “Oh, Northeastern Hospital.”
The guy looked deeply shocked. “I used to sell medical supplies and that was one of my hospitals.” Then he turned around and grabbed a box of 25 pretzels and slid them across the counter.
I was surprised by his generosity and started to reach for my wallet, “Oh I can pay. Please let me …” The guy smiled, “Just tell them Joe Sullivan said to do something nice for someone else.”
And so that day everyone in medical records was treated to a soft pretzel. Word spread fast as people came asking, “Is it really true?” It was as if I’d carried in a box of gold. It mattered to them that a stranger cared.
【小题1】The underlined word “eliminated” in Paragraph 2 means _____.