I met him first in 1936. I rushed into his ugly little shop to have the heels of my shoes repaired. I waited when he did it. He greeted me with a cheerful smile. “You’re new in this neighborbood, aren’t you?”

    I said I was. I had moved into a house at the end of the street only a week before.

    “This is a fine neighborhood,” he said. “You’ll be happy here.” He looked at the leather covering the heel sadly. It was worn through because I had failed to have the repair done a month before. I grew impatient, for I was rushing to meet a friend. “Please hurry,” I begged.

    He looked at me over his spectacles. “Now, lady, we won’t be long. I want to do a good job. You see, I have a tradition to live up to.”

    A tradition? In this ugly little shop that was no different from so many other shoe repair shops on the side streets of New York?

    He must have felt my surprise, for he smiled as he went on. “Yes, lady, I inherited a tradition. My father and my grandfather were shoemakers in Italy, and they were the best. My father always told me, ‘Son, do the best job on every shoe that comes into the shop, and be proud of your fine work. Do that always, and you’ll have both happiness and money enough to live on.’”

    As he handed me the finished shoes, he said: “These will last a long time. I’ve used good leather.”

    I left in a hurry. But I had a warm and grateful feeling. On my way home I passed the little shop again. There he was, still working. He saw me, and to my surprise he waved and smiled. This was the beginning of our friendship. It was a friendship that came to mean more and more to me as time passed.

    Every day I passed his shop, we waved to each other in friendly greeting. At first I went in only when I had repair work to be done. Then I found myself going in every few days just to talk with him.

    He was the happiest man I’ve ever known. Often, as he stood in his shopwindow, working at a pair of shoes, he sang in a high, clear Italian voice. The Italians in our neighborhood called him la luce alla finestra—“the light in the window”.

    One day I was disappointed and angry because of poor jobs some painters had done for me. I went into his shop for comfort. He let me go on talking angrily about the poor work and carelessness of present-day workmen. “They had no pride in their work,” I said. “They just wanted to collect their money for doing nothing.”

    He agreed. “There’s a lot of that kind around, but maybe we should not blame them. Maybe their fathers had no pride in their work. That’s hard on a boy. It keeps him from learning something important.” He waited a minute and said “Every man or woman who hasn’t inherited a prideful tradition must start building one.”

    “In this country, our freedom lets each of us make his own contribution. We must make it a good contribution. No matter what sort of work a man does, if he gives it his best each day, he’s starting a tradition for his children to live up to. And he is making lots of happiness for himself.”

    I went to Europe for a few months. When I returned, there was no “light in the window”. The door was closed. There was a little sign: “Call for shoes at shop next door.” I learned the old man had suddenly got sick and died two weeks before

    I went away with a heavy heart. I would miss him. But he had left me something—an important piece of wisdom I shall always remember: “If you inherited a prideful tradition, you must carry it on; if you haven’t, start building one now.”                                            

1.The shoemaker looked sadly at the shoes because __________

A. they were of poor quality.

B. he didn’t have the right kind of leather

C. he thought they were too worn to be repaired

D. the author hadn’t taken good care of them.

2.The author was surprised when she heard that the shop had a tradition because the shop ________.

A. looked no different from other shoe repair shops        

B. had a light in the window

C. was at the end of a street

D. was quite an ugly and dirty one

3.What does the underlined word “inherit” mean in paragraph 6 mean?

A. develop                             B. receive                           C. learn                                  D. appreciate

4.The author later frequently went into the little shop __________.

A. to repair her worn shoes

B. only to chat with the shoemaker

C. to look at the new shoes there

D. only to get comfort from the shoemaker

5.Why was the shoemaker called “the light in the window” by his neighbors?

A. Because he always worked late at night.

B. Because he always put a light in the window.

C. Because he was always guiding the others.

D. Because he was always happy and cheerful.

6.What’s the best title of this passage?

A. A Proud Shoemaker                                                     B. A Prideful Tradition

C. The Light in the Window                                             D. Treasure Your Shoes

The D-word., It’s most people’s worst fear, but , in a bittersweet way , it was my greatest joy, In divorce, you gain something and you   36   something.

I’m thirteen years old, and I know what it  37   like when parents split up, because mine did last fall,

My parents had been   38   for years, When my father started cheating my mom things went downhill, I   39    they would divorce instantly, I tried to picture my life after my parents    40 up living at my mom’s house during the week, and my father’s  house on the weekend, But my mom decided to be the bigger person and try to  41    it out, so that my sibings and I would know     42     it was like to have a family, Things didn’t get better,      43  

I would always strain to hear the quiet   44   they didn’t want me to hear, They weren’t getting along and they weren’t happy,

My father has never really been there for me, He was there physically but not emotionally, He yelled a lot and never really showed any  45    in going to my piano recitals or watching my dance performances,    46   we asked him to do and he had another    47  -a lie,. We just ignored it and went on with our lives as if nothing was the matter.

Then last summer, there was real   48     in paradise, My siblings and I want out to Los Angeles to pursue acting and while we were out there, my father   49   my mom again , and this time my brother, sister, and I all found out, We decided to stay in L.A and leave my father in Florida.

Our   50    resulted in divorce, We didn’t know if we were making the right   51   or not, My mom went back and forth,. She wanted what was best for her children, She asked me if I thought we should go back to Florida or stay in Los Angeles, I replied mom “There is nothing in Florida for us any more. Out here in L.A, we have so many   52    , that can come true, We shouldn’t let him abuse us any more. Finally , we are free.

The  53   was the best thing that had ever happened to me and the rest of my family. I now know that taking chances is the best thing to do. I accept that   54   doesn’t always, If , in your heart, you can feel something that is not right, then follow your heart. In the end it’s going to be your only true guide, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, your heart will never  55   you down.