本文作者： 山东淄博张店区教研员 张树勇
1

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to 1 the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife 2 his extended family. He would 3 the salary, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The employer was 4 to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one 5 house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, 6 in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy (粗糙的) workmanship and used inferior (差的) 7 .

It was an unfortunate way to 8 his career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to 9 the house, the employer handed the frontier key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my 10 to you." What a shock! What a shame! 11 he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so 12 . Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is 13 us. We build our lives in a distracted (心浮气躁的) 14 , reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best 15 . Then with a shock we look at the situation we have 16 and find that we are now living in the house we have built. What if we had 17 that!

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your 18 . Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. 19 you live it for only one day more, that day 20 to be lived graciously and with dignity (尊严). The plate on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

1. A. start B. learn C. leave D. stop

2. A. enjoying B. appreciating C. dividing D. receiving

3. A. fail B. drop C. refuse D. miss

4. A. regretful B. sorry C. miserable D. happy

5. A. another B. spare C. more D. greater

6. A. so B. and C. then D. but

7. A. materials B. matter C. affairs D. resources

8. A. result B. end C. suppose D. find

9. A. review B. investigate C. observe D. inspect

10. A. talent B. goodness C. gift D. ability

11. A. If B. Whether C. Unless D. When

12. A. similarly B. differently C. equally D. willingly

13. A. in B. on C. to D. with

14. A. way B. method C. situation D. form

15. A. trouble B. success C. effort D. reward

16. A. invented B. created C. composed D. produced

17. A. grasped B. achieved C. recognized D. realized

18. A. house B. points C. favor D. shock

19. A. As if B. If only C. Even if D. But for

20. A. earns B. deserves C. pays D. values

2

From the window of my room, I could see a tall cotton-rose hibiscus(木棉树). In spring, when green leaves were half 1 by mist (薄雾), the tree looked very charming dotted with red blossom. This 2 neighbor of mine often set my mind working. I 3 regarded it as my best friend.

However, when I opened the window one morning, 4 , the tree was almost bare as a result of the storm the night before. 5 by the situation, I was seized with sadness at the thought "all the blossom is doomed to (注定) fall". I could not help 6 with emotion: the course of life never runs 7 , for there are so many ups and downs. The 8 of my life saw my beloved friends parting one after another. Isn't it 9 to the tree shedding (脱落) its flowers in the wind?

This event faded from my 10 as time went by. One day after I came home from the countryside, I found the room hot and casually opened the window. Something outside 11 my eyes and dazzled me. It was a plum tree all red with blossom 12 beautifully by the sunset. The surprise discovery overwhelmed me with pleasure. I 13 why I had no idea of some unyielding (顽强的) life sprouting (发芽) over the fallen petals (花瓣) when I was 14 for the hibiscus.

When the last petal dropped, all the joyful admiration for the hibiscus sank into oblivion (忘却) as if nothing was 15 , until the landscape was again bright with the red plum blossom to 16 people of life's changing and continuance. Can't it be said that life is actually a symphony, a harmonious composition of loss and 17 .

Standing by the window lost in 18 for a long time, I realized that no scenery in the world 19 unchanged. As long as you keep your heart bathing in the sun, every dawn will 20 a fine prospect for you to unfold and the world will always be about new hopes.

1. A. hidden B. revealed C. exposed D. shown

2. A. interesting B. amusing C. exciting D. inspiring

3. A. immediately B. gradually C. gently D. softly

4. A. to my joy B. to my relief C. to my surprise D. to my thinking

5. A. Struck B. Hit C. Awakened D. Beaten

6. A. complaining B. working C. crying D. sighing

7. A. pleasant B. polite C. smooth D. calm

8. A. changes B. performance C. struggles D. revolution

9. A. different B. popular C. familiar D. similar

10. A. brain B. memory C. body D. store

11. A. grasped B. fixed C. caught D. pulled

12. A. set off B. set up C. set down D. set out

13. A. asked B. doubted C. stared D. wondered

14. A. nervous B. sorry C. missing D. happy

15. A. kept B. saved C. left D. preserved

16. A. remind B. remember C. recall D. recognize

17. A. harvest B. earning C. benefit D. gain

18. A. attention B. thought C. consideration D. expectation

19. A. lasts B. continues C. remains D. holds

20. A. present B. form C. award D. design