本文作者： 21ST
A

As soon as I saw the cat in our yard, I knew he was a stray (流浪儿). He looked __1__ – a wounded warrior with a badly scarred (有伤疤的) body.

I started putting out food for him each day, but he wouldn’t come near me if other people were __2__ . Winter came, and he still wouldn’t __3__ us. Then, one day, a car hit him so we took him to the vets.

After a week, we were eager to bring him home to __4__ our family. But when we went to take the cat home, the vet told us we should put him to __5__ immediately because the cat was so fierce and mean that he would __6__ become tame (驯服的), let alone a pet.

But I have always had __7__ in love’s power to __8__ even the wildest beasts. I told the vet, “I want to take him home.” We __9__ him Paws.

Three days went by, and we only knew Paws was __10__ the bed because when we walked past it we heard deep growling.

I wanted to somehow let him know he was __11__ and loved. So I put on a hard hat and a pair of welding gloves. I __12__ under the bed toward Paws, with my face to the __13__ and only the top of my head facing him. I __14__ out to stroke (抚摩) him gently over and over again.

He growled and tried to __15__ and bite me. It was scary – but I knew he couldn’t __16__ me, so I just kept going. Slowly, he began to __17__ . Then I slid out from under the bed and left the room.

Several hours later, I noticed a cat on the bed. It was Paws – all __18__ on the pillows! I couldn’t believe it.

That dear cat became the __19__ of our household. Although Paws finally died of cancer, his legacy (遗赠) – my __20__ and firm belief in the power of love – lives on.

1. A. cute B. strong C. fierce D. smart

2. A. around B. in C. out D. away

3. A. love B. attack C. refuse D. trust

4. A. please B. join C. see D. satisfy

5. A. death B. sight C. observation D. sleep

6. A. simply B. hardly C. easily D. gradually

7. A. sense B. interest C. faith D. feeling

8. A. comfort B. convince C. protect D. tame

9. A. named B. appointed C. accepted D. made

10. A. on B. beside C. under D. inside

11. A. hopeful B. pitiful C. careful D. safe

12. A. hid B. slid C. sheltered D. slept

13. A. bed B. sky C. floor D. feet

14. A. turned B. picked C. pulled D. reached

15. A. play B. scratch C. lick D. push

16. A. hurt B. bother C. avoid D. betray

17. A. get angry B. give up

C. run away D. calm down

18. A. stepped out B. stood out

C. stretched out D. stuck out

19. A. hope B. love C. support D. comfort

20. A. normal B. noble C. strange D. continued

B

This battle, if I can call it that, started almost two years ago when my daughter insisted that I buy her a talking clock. __1__ as a good father, with the __2__ of teaching her time, I went to the shop and, as instructed by my daughter, __3__ this talking digital clock.

By default (默认值), the __ 4__ appeared in degrees Fahrenheit. I pressed __5__ of the buttons on the clock but no matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t able to __6__ it into degrees Celsius. I had a couple of other digital clocks in which there was a separate button to change the temperature settings. This was __7__ here. I opened a few screws (螺丝钉) but it was all __8__ .

The thing with the digital clock is that when you put the battery in it, it displays all the fields and it now had the all important degrees Celsius sign on it as well. __9__ moved on. Every day when I saw the clock, I would think, “What would be the way to change the __10__ of the temperature?”

Fast-forward to 9:30 am this morning. I just picked up the clock again... my __11__ told me that every time I pressed the “mode” button, there was a(n) __12__ action and so this time I went very __13__ , one by one... and Bingo! There it was – the __14__ had been won. It now proudly displays the temperature in degrees Celsius. I was so __15__ that I even took a picture.

What this small __16__ taught me was that I knew what I wanted was __17__ right in front of me, and all that was required was the right frame of mind to __18__ it.

That’s what life has __19__ for all of us. If you know that something is achievable then all you need is the right attitude. Victory is just a matter of __20__ .

1. A. So B. Yet C. If D. Though

2. A. mood B. belief C. intent D. idea

3. A. took out B. picked up C. put away D. turned up

4. A. time B. picture C. sound D. temperature

5. A. all B. some C. most D. none

6. A. develop B. change C. divide D. make

7. A. left B. broken C. misplaced D. missing

8. A. in place B. in effect

C. in vain D. in practice

9. A. Time B. We C. The clock D. The problem

10. A. state B. display C. degrees D. accuracy

11. A. wife B. daughter C. mind D. judgment

12. A. large B. important

C. necessary D. corresponding

13. A. hard B. fast

C. slowly D. efficiently

14. A. game B. battle C. contest D. clock

15. A. curious B. surprised C. confident D. excited

16. A. incident B. accident C. event D. business

17. A. never B. always C. seldom D. ever

18. A. impress B. remove C. solve D. arrange

19. A. in store B. in need C. in time D. in turn

20. A. chance B. time C. choice D. confidence