高三英语二轮复习学案-名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选：A Dose of Compassion

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 All the Good Things班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选All the Good Things话而惩罚该生。

但Mark每一次都有礼貌地感谢老师。

一次偶然的机会，为了鼓舞学生士气，作者让学生在纸上写下彼此的优点。

多年后，在Mark的葬礼上，作者意外发现Mark及其他的学生都保存了当年的那张纸。

那一刻，作者痛哭欲绝。

A kind word is like a spring day.——Russian Proverb He was in the third-grade class I taught at Saint Mary’s School in Morris, Minnesota. All 34 of my students were dear to me, but MarkEklund was one in a million. Very neat in appearance, he had that happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasionalmischievousness delightful.Mark also talked incessantly. I tried to remind him again and again that talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so much, though, was the sincere response every time I had to correct him for misbehaving. “Thank you for correcting me, Sister!” I didn’t know what to make of it at first but before long I became accustomed to hearing it many times a day.One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark talked once too often. I made a novice-teacher’s mistake. I looked at Mark and said, “If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth shut!”It wasn’t 10 seconds later when Chuck blurted out, “Mark is talking again.”I hadn’t asked any of the students to help me watch Mark, but since I had stated the punishment in front of the class, I had to act on it.I remember the scene as if it had occurred this morning. I walked to my desk, very deliberately opened the drawer and took out a roll of masking tape. Without saying a word, I proceeded to Mark’s desk, tore off two pieces of tape and made a big X with them over his mouth. I then returned to the front of the room.As I glanced at Mark to see how he was doing, he winked at me. That did it! I started laughing. The entire class cheered as I walked back to Ma rk’s desk, removed the tape and shrugged my shoulders. His first words were, “Thank you for correctingme, Sister.”At the end of the year I was asked to teach junior high math. The years flew by, and before I knew it Mark was in my classroom again. He was more handsome than ever and just as polite. Since he had to listen carefully to my instruction in the “new math,” he did not talk as much in ninth grade.One Friday things just didn’t feel right. We had worked hard on a new concept all week, and I sensed that the students were growing frustrated with themselves — and edgy with one another. I had to stop this crankiness before it got out of hand. So I asked them to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then I told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.It took the remainder of the class period to finish the assignment, but as the students left the room, each one handed me their paper. Chuck smiled. Mark said, “Thank you for teaching me, Sister. Have a good weekend.”That Saturday, I wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and I listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday I gave each student his or her list. Some of them ran two pages. Before long, the entire class was smiling. “Really?” I heard whispered. “I never knew that meant anything to anyone!” “I didn’t know others liked me so much!”No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. I never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn’t matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another again.That group of students moved on. Several years later, after I had returned from a vacation, my parents met me at the airport. As we were driving home, Mother asked the usual questions about the trip: How the weather was, my experiences in general. There was a slight lull in the conversation.Mother gave Dad a sideways glance and simply said, “Dad?”My father cleared his throat. “The Eklunds called last night,” he began.“Really?” I said. “I haven’t heard from them for several years. I wonder how Mark is.”Dad responded quietly. “Mark was killed in Vietnam,” he said. “The funeral is tomorrow, and his parents would like it if you could attend.” To this day I can still point to the exact spot on I-494 where Dad told me about Mark.I had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. Mark looked so handsome, so mature. All I could think at that moment was, Mark, I would give all the masking tape in the world if only you could talk to me.The church was packed with Mark’s friends. Chuck’s sister sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Why did it have to ra in on the day of the funeral? It was difficult enough at the graveside. The pastor said the usual prayers and the bugler played taps. One by one those who loved Mark took a last walk by the coffin and sprinkled it with holy water.I was the last one to bless the coffin. As I stood there, one of the soldiers who had acted as a pallbearer came up to me. “Were you Mark’s math teacher?” he asked. I nodded as I continued to stare at the coffin. “Mark talked about you a lot,” he said.After the funeral most of Ma rk’s former classmates headed to Chuck’s farmhouse for lunch. Mark’s mother and father were there, obviously waiting for me. “We want to show you something,” his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. “They found this on Mark when he was killed. W e thought you might recognize it.”Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. I knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which I had listed all th e good things each of Mark’s classmates had said about him. “Thank you so much for doing that,” Mark’s mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.”Mark’s classmates started to gather around us. Chuck smiled rather sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.” John’s wife said, “John asked me to put his in our wedding album.” “I have mine, too,” Marilyn said. “It’s in my diary.” Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. “I carry this with me at all times,” Vicki said without batting an eyelash. “I think we all saved our lists.”That’s when I finally sat down and cried. I cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.- Helen P. Mrosla【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 Best Friends班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选Best Friends的一双小小的鹿皮靴给了Ann。

靴子送出去了，Ann陪我玩着，我却快乐不起来。

为自己所作的事情耿耿于怀，以至于饭也没有吃，一个人呆在房间里。

我最终确定去要回这双承载了我对姑妈全部美妙记忆的小小的靴子，同时也思索究竟什么是真正的挚友？真正的挚友是情愿和你陪你一起，也从不要求回报的。

We’re swallowed up only when we’re willing for it to happen.“Please stay,” I begged.Ann was my best friend, the only other girl in the neighborhood, and I didn’t want her to go.She sat on my bed, her blue eyes blank.“I’m bored,” she said, slowly twirling her thick red pigtail around her finger. She had come to play a half hour ago.“Please don’t go,” I pleaded. “Your mother said you could stay an hour.”Ann started to get up, then spotted a pair of miniature Indian moccasins on my bedside table. With their bright-colored beads on buttery leather, the moccasins were my most cherished possession.“I’ll stay if you’ll give me those,” Ann said.I frowned. I couldn’t imagine parting with the moccasins. “But Aunt Reba gave them to me,” I protested.My aunt had been a beautiful, kind woman. I had really adored her. She was never too busy to spend time with me. We made up silly stories and laughed and laughed. The day she died, I cried under a blanket for hours, unable to believe that I would never see her again. Now, as I cuddled the soft moccasins in my hands, I was filled with fond memories of Aunt Reba.“Come on,” prodded Ann. “I’m your best friend.” As if she needed to remind me!I don’t know what came over me, but more than anything, I wanted someone to play with me. I wanted someone to play with so much that I handed Ann the moccasins!After she stuffed them in her pocket, we rode our bikes up and down the alleya few times. Soon it was time for her to go. Upset at what I had done, I didn’t feel like playing anyway.I pleaded “not hungry” that evening and dragged off to bed without dinner. Once up in my room, I began to really miss those moccasins!When my mom had tucked me in and turned out the light, she asked me what was wrong. Through my tears, I told her how I had betrayed Aunt Reba’s memory and how ashamed I felt.Mom hugged me warmly, but all she could say was, “Well, I guess you’ll have to decide what to do.”Her words didn’t seem to help. Alone in the dark, I began to think more clearly. Kids’ code says you don’t give, then take back. But was it a fair trade? Why did I let Ann toy with my feelings? But most of all, is Ann really my best friend?I decided what I would do. I tossed and turned all night, dreading daylight.At school the next day, I cornered Ann. I took a deep breath and asked for the moccasins. Her eyes narrowed, and she stared at me for a long time.Please, I was thinking. Please.“Okay,” she said finally, producing the moccasins from her pocket. “I didn’t like them anyway.” Relief washed over me like a wave.After a while, Ann and I stopped playing together. I discovered the neighborhood boys weren’t half bad, especially when they asked me to play so ftball. I even made girlfriends in other neighborhoods.Through the years, I have had other best friends. But I have never again begged for their company. I have come to understand that best friends are people who want to spend time with you, and they ask nothing in return.Mary Beth Olson【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 At Face Value班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选At Face Value指定地方看了全部的狗，都没有发觉梦里的那只狗。

就在我快要离开的时候，无意中发觉了它，却被告知已经被别人收养。

后来那家人把那只狗送给了我。

小狗两岁时，我患上癫痫。

About five years ago I had a recurring dream. The message was clear and precise, directing me to go to a specific shelter and adopt a particular dog. It was obvious from the dream that I would know the dog by something unusual about its face. But when I woke up, I could never recall what the unique facial feature was. I could only remember it was important for identifying the right dog.I was very curious and felt compelled to follow the instructions in the dream. So early one Saturday morning, I went to the specified shelter to check the available canine adoptees. After looking carefully at all the dogs, I was disappointed that not one dog had anything unusual about its face. There were lots of cute puppies and just as many appealing older dogs, but I didn’t feel a connection to any of them.On my way out of the shelter, I noticed a box of puppies just outside of view from the main area. My attention was drawn to one puppy in particular, and I decided to take a closer look. The one puppy appeared to have no fur on his face, while the rest of the litter were all black with spots of white. I was worried about the strange-looking pup, and hoped he hadn’t been injured. The puppies were a mix of black Lab and Chesapeake Bay retriever, called Chesapeake Labs. Each pup was named after a type of pasta. The one who had captured my interest was Fettuccine. On closer inspection, I realized he did have fur on his face, but it was a very odd shade of gray that made it look like skin. Satisfied that he was okay, I turned to leave the shelter.And then it hit me: The face—it’s the dog with the unusual face! Immediately, I returned to the puppy and picked him up. As I lifted him from the box, his large and clumsy paws reached over my shoulders to cling tightly to my back. We bonded instantly, and I knew we belonged together. I could not leave without him, so I headedfor the adoption desk. In that short amount of time, the gray-faced pup had wrapped his paws around my heart.Meeting with the adoption counselor, I was informed that a family had already selected him. There was, however, still a slight chance since the family had not made their final decision. They were choosing between Fettuccine, the gray-faced pup, and his littermate, a female named Penne. I decided to wait for their decision.I hung around outside, watching the door. After an anxiety-filled hour, I saw the family leaving the shelter carrying Fettuccine. I began to cry inside. Then I realized a member of the family, the mother, was walking straight toward me. They knew I was awaiting their decision, and I was prepared for the worst. My heart pounded and I stood frozen in place as she approached. For a moment she didn’t say a word or give any indication of her decision, then, with a broad grin, she said, “Here’s yo ur dog.”I was speechless as grateful tears gushed from my eyes. I hugged the puppy to me and again felt those big front paws securely hugging my back. Although I was thankful to have him then, I didn’t know how thankful I would be later.I took the gray-faced pup home and named him Dominic, keeping Fettuccine as his middle name. From the start, he was not at all a typical, rambunctious puppy. He was very calm, serious and didn’t play much. However, he was obedient, intelligent and very attentive. We lived happily together, and as Dom grew into a healthy, robust dog, he became my valued companion.When Dominic was two years old, I was diagnosed with a seizure disorder. I was having full-blown grand mal seizures as well as milder petit mal types. These seizures caused me to collapse into unconsciousness. Upon awakening, I would always find Domon top of me. At first I was not at all happy to have a ninety-pound dog lying on top of me, until I came to realize he was preventing me from hurting myself by restricting my thrashing movements.During mild seizures, Dom stood rock solid, so I could hold onto his front legs until the seizure passed. He was also helpful after a seizure. As I began to regain consciousness, I was aware of his “voice.” Focusing on his barkin g became a means to bring me back to full consciousness. I soon came to rely on Dom to warn me before a seizure would take hold, and we’d work through it together, each of us knowing what we had to do till the crisis passed. Dom was my four-legged medical assistant.During my worst period, I had five grand mal seizures a day. They came without warning, but the force of the seizures and the physical injuries I received were minimized when the vigilant Dom sprang into action. Dominic, the puppy I was led to in a dream, turned out to be a natural-born seizure-assistance dog—a one-in-a-million pup with astounding instincts.For about a year I had seizures every day, then they gradually started to subside.I am now well, and seizure-free. Dom has returned to his previous daily doggy activities, though still watchful of me and ready to be of assistance. He finds ways to help out around the house—and I indulge his sense of duty, since that is what he lives for.Some heroes wear a uniform or a badge; my hero wears fur.Linda Saraco【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 A Perfect Exchange班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选A Perfect Exchange化妆品上。

一枚饰针是她唯一的配饰。

一件美丽的裙子，只有在正式场合才穿。

今年姨妈和我们一起过圣诞节。

我为姨妈打算的礼物——迷人的果酱，一个红色蝴蝶结。

当姨妈打开礼物时，她特别激烈。

而姨妈送给我的礼物是几本她的亲笔日记和她一生最宠爱的饰针，我视之为珍宝。

这个圣诞节我和姨妈都收到了彼此最宠爱的礼物，这个圣诞节令我至今难忘。

An aunt is someone special to remember with warmth, think of with pride, and cherish with love.~Author UnknownThe unexpected, tube-shaped gift from Aunt Maisy was wrapped in familiar paper —the same wallpaper that had graced her outhouse walls. I giggled to myself thinking how my thrifty aunt had saved that scrap of leftover wallpaper in her attic for years.Hard as I tried, I couldn’t imagine what Aunt Maisy, who was not one to s pend money on store-bought “gifts,” would possibly be giving me for Christmas! We had never exchanged gifts before. In fact, we only saw her and Uncle Chill a couple of times a year in the summer when Dad would drive us nearly a hundred miles to visit them.But Uncle Chill was gone now, and Mom and Dad had coaxed Aunt Maisy into coming to spend Christmas with us. They hoped she might stay since, according to Mom, she wasn’t well enough to live on her own anymore.I hadn’t planned on fitting a gift for Aunt Maisy into my Christmas budget, but Mom insisted I buy her something. I browsed through Eaton’s and drooled over the boxed chocolates, thinking what a great gift they’d make since she would have to share them with me! But I remembered Aunt Maisy was not supposed to eat anything with sugar because she had diabetes.I sprayed my coat with perfumes from the test bottles, but I knew Aunt Maisy would scold me for wasting money on store-bought toiletries that she claimed were “far too expensive” and “good for nothing but making you sneeze.”I rummaged through bins of scarves, shawls, and handkerchiefs, but nothing seemed suitable for Aunt Maisy, who wasn’t one to wear frilly or fancy things. Sheonly had one good dress, which she wore to church or when she was having company.I admired an endless array of jewellery, but all the glistening strings of beads, chains, earrings and bracelets seemed far too flashy. The only piece of jewellery I ever recalled seeing my aunt wear was a tiny,enameled strawberry brooch, which Uncle Chill had given her when they were young and courting. Whenever she wore her good dress, the little brooch was pinned to its collar.It was nearing noon, but I still hadn’t found anything suitable for Aunt Maisy!I figured I’d pop into the drugstore and buy myself some bubblegum before meeting Dad.As I stood in line while people were getting their prescriptions filled, I spotted the cutest little jars of jam I had ever seen! There were three little jars per set, nestled in a pretty red tartan box with a cellophane front. But what really caught my eye was the word on the sign above the boxes. It read “diabetic” and stated that the jams were “sugar-free” and “doctor approved.”My heart was pounding with excitement as I remembered hearing Aunt Maisy tell Mom how much she missed her “sweets.” I eagerly chose the box that contained three of her favourite backyard fruits: gooseberry, strawberry and currant. I paid the cashier, who talked me into buying a red bow with my leftover change from the purchase.To this very day, I can still picture the look of delight on Aunt Maisy’s face as she opened her gift from me! She fusse d and fussed as though the box of jams was the finest gift she had ever received. I hadn’t expected my gift to give her such pleasure, and I was even more surprised at the unexpected joy I felt in watching her open it. She even asked Mom to pin the red bow onto her collar, and it was only then I noticed Aunt Maisy was not wearing her beloved strawberry brooch.Finally, my turn came to peel the outhouse wallpaper off the funny, tube-shaped gift. Tucked inside the tube were several old, yellowed notebooks, which we call “scribblers” in Canada, rolled up and bound with rubber bands, along with a tiny box that rattled when it was shaken.I slipped the bands off the scribblers and found the fragile pages were filled with Aunt Maisy’s handwriting.In her journals, she had recorded all of our summer visits and the things we did together —things I took for granted. I never realised, until then, how much she and Uncle Chill had cherished the time we spent together. And inside the tiny box was Aunt Ma isy’s beloved strawberry brooch.Today, the scribblers and the precious little pin are two of my most prized possessions. And that Christmas of so long ago still holds a special place in my heart.— Linda Gabris —【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 Artie班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选Artie助听器电池的时候，才能静静跟它玩耍，所以每次我都会在药店耽搁很长的时间，这是我的隐私。

后来哥哥发觉了我的隐私，但他并没有拆穿我，每次都会让我陪土豚玩。

有一天土豚不见了，我很难受难受。

圣诞节的时候，哥哥把它当成礼物送给了我。

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero.~Marc BrownI rushed through the big glass doors of Lehman’s Pharmacy. I was thereto buy my grandmother’s hearing aid batteries while my mother waitedoutside in the car. She would notice if I took too long, but this was my chance to visit the love of my life — Artie.I rushed to his aisle, and there he was, right where I last saw him: a brown, fuzzy little guy with a large tan nose that fit perfectly over my shoulder as I squeezed him tightly. I adored that aardvark stuffed animal.But my mother noticed, saying, “You took a long time in Lehman’s —and I looked —there weren’t huge lines. Next time, your brother is going in with you.”Oh, great! My brother, Rich, was going to accompany me into the pharmacy. He would watch me like a hawk and report everything to our mother.I wasn’t going to give up seeing my precious Artie. So, as we walked into the store together, I suggested to Rich that he get the batteries, since he was older. He agreed but said I shouldn’t be going off to look at the cosmetics, as I wasn’t allowed to wear them yet.He needn’t have worried about t hat; I was already heading toward Artie. There he was, awaiting me. I grabbed him and hugged him tightly, his tan nose fitting perfectly on my shoulder. Just then, I heard him: “What in the world are you doing?”My cover was blown. “This is Artie,” I said.“His nose rests perfectly on my shoulder, and I hug him every single time I come here. Don’t tell Mom. I know we can’t afford him, and I hope he doesn’t get sold, because I just love this little guy.”The look on Rich’s face was unreadable, but I knew deep down that he wasn’t going to make fun of me. In fact, a few times when he accompanied me to the pharmacy, he said, “Go on and hug your ugly animal, if it’s still there, and I’ll get Gram’s batteries.”One day, Rich was working with Dad somewhere, so Mom took me to Lehman’s alone and said, “You get to go in by yourself, again. Just don’t take forever, okay?”I rushed into the pharmacy and went straight to Artie’s shelf.But he was gone.I searched high and low. I wanted to cry, but I kept holding out hope that Artie would be on one of the shelves that I hadn’t checked.Suddenly, a voice from the counter interrupted my search. It was Mrs. Lehman herself. “Are you looking for that stuffed animal you hug every single time you’re here?”“How did you…?”“Know? W e do have mirrors in the store, dear. See them? We can see almost everything. Honey, I’m sorry to tell you but someone came in here the other week and bought the aardvark.”I was crestfallen.“Dear, I am truly sorry. I know how much you loved him, but we c arry stuffed animals to sell —not to hug and put back on the shelf.”She was right — I knew she was right. So why did I feel so empty and upset? I weakly thanked her as I paid for Gram’s hearing aid batteries. Then I slowly walked out to my mom’s car with my head hanging low, trying to hide my tears. I prayed that Artie had found good home.A month went by, and it was Christmas Eve. We were allowed to open one present that night and save the rest for Christmas morning.Rich walked up to me and said nonchalantly, “Here, you may want to open this one, or you may not —it’s up to you.”My interest was piqued. I shook it. It was soft. But it didn’t feel like clothing. My heart was thumping as I ripped open a section of wrapping paper and revealed a tan piece of cloth — a piece that resembled an aardvark’s nose! It was Artie!I squealed with delight, my mother looked confused, and my brother smiled proudly as I hugged him. Then I hugged Artie close to me, his little tan nose resting perfectly on my shoulder.【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 An Accidental Discovery班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选An Accidental Discovery然无恙，尤其是女儿毫发未损。

并且还得到一块上帝送出的石头。

另外那辆车子里母亲因为此次车祸而及时发现自己患上了肺癌。

最后还发现那位母亲走那条路线是临时确定的。

我不禁感叹：真巧呀！I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way, we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.~Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha On a blustery afternoon in February, I decided to leave a few hours early to pick up my three-year-old daughter from her dad’s house. The trip was forty-five minutes each way, and I didn’t wan t to risk the weather getting any worse.The roads were slick, and the visibility wasn’t great, but we were toasty in the car, listening to music and chatting about her weekend. When we reached the edge of our little village, I began to feel a bit tired. We were only about six miles from home, though.The next thing I remember was the horrific sound of screeching metal and bursting glass. There was an explosion of screams and confusion. And the smell of burning.Before I knew what was happening, I was being yanked out of my seatbelt. “Your child. You need to get her out. The car could catch on fire. Get her out now. You need to move now!” I was fumbling with the handle in shock. When I finally got the door open and saw my daughter’s red face twisted up in terror, I snapped into reality enough to get her out of her car seat and hold her close.“I’m okay, Mommy, I’m okay,” she repeated through sobs, her body tense, and her knuckles digging into my sweat-soaked shirt.We were ushered into a van, along with the woman and her six-year-old son who had been in the vehicle we hit. I trembled uncontrollably as we waited for an ambulance. When the officers and EMTs arrived, they flooded me with questions —none of which I could answer. I did n’t know what had happened. Did I fall asleep?I had been tired. Did I slip on black ice? The roads were slick. “I don’t know” seemed to be the only thing I could muster.According to the police, the collision was so severe that nobody should have survived, let alone walked away.The EMTs explained that the entire front passenger side of my car was gone. Since my daughter was in the back on that same side, she was closest to the point of impact, yet she was completely unharmed. She didn’t even have a scratc h. On the other hand, I was pretty bruised, but opted to be driven home rather than go to the ER. We’d been through enough.About a week later, ready to get back on the road, I scheduled a rental car service to pick us up at home. I brought my daughter’s c ar seat out into the sunlight to examine it for cracks or any other signs of damage. I tipped it over, lifted the cushions, and went over every inch. It looked fine, so I decided to continue using it until I could get a new one.The rental car company was late at this point, so I made a quick call reminding them about my pickup. I wandered down the driveway a bit, and when the call ended, I headed back up to where my daughter was standing next to her car seat.She had something clenched tightly in her fist. “What do you have?” I asked. She opened her palm, revealing a smooth, polished stone. When I looked closer, I realized it had a large cross etched in black in the middle of its surface.“Where’d you get that?” I asked.She pointed her chubby, little toddler finger to the car seat and said, “Right there in my seat.”I was perplexed. I had just examined this seat minutes before — surely I would have seen a stone that was larger than a golf ball. Why didn’t it fall out when I turned over the seat?So aga in I asked, “Seriously, honey. Where’d you get that?”And in her small voice, she explained, “God gave it to me so I won’t ever be scared in the car. And it will protect us if we get in another accident.”We hugged for a long time, giggling about how lucky we were to get a rock from God. We took it with us in the rental car that day. And when we got our new car, we made a spot for it right up front under the dashboard controls.In the meantime, I couldn’t stop thinking about the family we’d hit. I found the woman’s name in my accident report paperwork and hunted down her address. Iwrote her and her family a card, expressing my confusion over what had happened, my gratitude for their lives, and my strong belief that our paths had crossed for a reason. I hesitated before tossing it into the mailbox, but sent it just the same.A year later, while perusing my Facebook newsfeed, I stumbled on a story that caught my attention. The article was about a young woman who was diagnosed with lung cancer after a car accident sent her to the hospital. The article said that she was driving her son home from his ski lesson at a nearby mountain and she decided to take a different route than usual because of the snow. Then her car was hit by a white SUV driving straight at her in her lane.I blinked back burning tears as I realized that white SUV was my car. I gulped and continued to read.The boy had a concussion and a broken arm, and the mother agreed to have a scan because she felt some whiplash. What happened next was a shock. The scan revealed that the woman, who had never smoked a day in her life, had a mass on her lung —stage IIIa lung cancer. She was only forty years old and had no symptoms. She would not have started treatment at that stage if it weren’t for the acc ident. She shared the card I had sent to her with the reporters covering the story, including this section:I believe that everything happens for a purpose. I’ve yet to find out why our paths had to literally cross the way they did, but I am confident that it will be made obvious in time.【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 A Cookbook and a Prayer班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选A Cookbook and a Prayer还是把书弄脏了。

哪儿也买不到这本书，他只能祈祷，希望出现奇迹。

最后在差不多不得不向妈妈承认这件事的时候，他们外出买东西时看到了一家书店卖面包烹饪书。

真诚的祈祷真会出现奇迹！I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.~G.K. Chesterton “M om, can I borrow your bread cookbook?” My mother shot me an incredulous look.I knew exactly what she was thinking; she didn’t even have to say it. The expression on her face said it all. “I don’t think so, dear.”When it came to cooking and baking, my mother and I were of the same mind. We both clipped recipes from women’s magazines and could spend hours perusing cookbooks and planning special dinners as though it were sport. Oh, we were both creative in the kitchen, all right, and frequently joked that our talent must have been an inherited gift. After all, my grandmother could craft anything from apple strudel complete with homemade phyllo dough, to barbecue with all the fixings. What I didn’t inherit, however, was both ladies’ meticulous style.Since childh ood, I’d watch in awe as my two mentors operated with nary a spill or so much as a grain of sugar dropped to the floor. On the other hand, I was a mess. I’d start off with the best of intentions, ingredients lined up like soldiers with measuring cups at th e ready. But then I’d turn to grab the salt shaker and catch a cup of milk with my elbow, spilling it across the counter, or pour the flour a bit too fast from the container, dusting the floor. I tried to be neat, I really did. But despite it all, some unhappy little accident always seemed to happen.My clumsiness didn’t deter me, though, and I continued to increase my repertoire by mastering the art of baking with yeast. My mother made wonderful loaves of bread from recipes in this special cookbook. Walnut and oatmeal, raisin-cinnamon, or my favorite, a crusty French bread — her house smelled divine whenever she baked. I wanted to borrow that book. I needed to have it. “Mom, won’t you reconsider?”“Don’t you remember what happened to the last book you borrowed?” she reminded. “You spilled buttermilk on the corner, and the pages stuck together.”“I won’t do that again,” I assured her. “Besides, that was an accident.”“It’s always an accident with you.”I suppose I must have looked especially pitiful that day, or perhaps my mother was anticipating the extra loaf of bread she knew I would bake for her, but with a sudden change of heart, she reached into her cabinet and pulled out none other than The Bread Book. “Nothing better happen to this,” she warned.“Nothing,” I parroted as I grabbed the book with one hand and crossed my heart with the other. “Promise.”Back at my house, I cradled the open cookbook in a clean kitchen towel and placed it on a shelf above my counter. I wasn’t taking any chances. This was my opportunity to redeem myself, and I wasn’t going to blow it. One by one, I measured, stirred and sifted each ingredient slowly and cautiously. Then it came time to turn the dough into a bowl rubbed with oil so that it could rise freely without sticking to the sides. With a sure hand, I unscrewed the cap. Then I lifted the bottle of oil and, in nothing short of a gymnastic maneuver, it flew from my fingers into the air and landed on top of my mother’s precious cookbook.I tried every trick I knew to minimize the damage. I mopped the pages with paper towels and placed tissues between them to stop the oil from spreading. I even dusted the book with baby powder and cornstarch to absorb the grease, all to no avail. It was ruined. I thought quickly, but could come up with no other good solutions. The only hope I had was to come clean to my mother and buy her a new book to replace the one I had damaged.In the days long before the Internet, that required some footwork. When I finished baking my bread, I began calling bookstores in the area to see if they had a copy in stock. All too soon, I found out the sorry truth: The Bread Book was out of print. Furthermore, it had been a small print run, and chances were no store —anywhere — had any remaining copies.I started to shake. And then I started to pray. Even though it seemed frivolous to make such a request in prayer, I could think of no other course of action. Oh, Lord, I thought. You know my heart. I meant to do something good, yet it turned out bad. I don’t want to disappoint my mother. Please help me find a way out of this mess.The following weekend, my mother and I had a date to do some holiday shopping. My stomach churned as I thought of seeing her again and having to tell her the truth.I would confess after we finished our errands, I decided. There was no use ruining the whole day. Besides, there was a bookstore in the mall and maybe, by some miracle, they might have a copy.Yet, it was not to be.On the drive home, I was getting ready to tell her when my mother pointed out a dollar store on the main road. “Let’s stop in and take a look,” she said. “I need some wrapping paper anyway.”So, we did. And as I walked through the doors of the most dusty, dingy dollar store I had ever seen, there, right at the first end cap, was a pile of scattered books with a copy of The Bread Book right on top. I can’t say for certain this was a miracle, but it sure felt like one. I paid my dollar and gave my mother the book. She was happy. I was happy. And after I filled her in on the details of my story, we both agreed that perhaps no honest request made in prayer is ever too frivolous to be answered.~Monica A. Andermann【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 The Greatest Teacher of My Life 班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选The Greatest Teacher of My Life乐观，她从不在意别人的嘲笑和训练的艰辛，花了三年半的时间学会系鞋带，六岁学芭蕾舞，五年级的时候学打篮球。

从女儿的身上，作者学会了坚持，见识了信仰和热爱的力量。

女儿就是她一生最好的老师！Parents learn a lot from their children about coping with life.~ Muriel SparkI had already been a teacher for 15 years when I met my greatest teacher. It wasn’t in a classroom but in a hospital. She was my daughter Kelsey.Kelsey was born with cerebral palsy, and at age five she faced a battle with cancer that she later won. She has taught me many vivid lessons about courage and determination, and I’m a better person forever because of her patience with me.When she was four, she wanted to learn to tie her shoes just as her best friend had done. I was stumped. Because of her cerebral palsy, Kelsey has very little use of the finger s on her left hand. If I couldn’t tie a shoe single-handedly, how was I going to teach her?After three and a half years of persistence, Kelsey finally did it. I remember that first day of summer vacation, when she was seven and a half years old, as I watched and encouraged her. When she took her hand away to reveal two neatly worked loops, she beamed from ear to ear and I cried for joy. And the truth is, no one ever asks Kelsey how old she was when she learned to tie her shoes. I learned about determination from her accomplishment—and much more. Pace wasn’t going to be the important thing in Kelsey’s life—accomplishing her goals within her own timetable would be what mattered most.Throughout her cancer treatment, Kelsey took charge of her circumstances through creative play. In the hospital, the game was always “restaurant,” with Kelsey playing waitress and the rest of us cast as customers. For hours on end, she lost herself in the drama, as if we weren’t in the hospital at all, but out in the world away from doctors and tests—a world Kelsey was certain she would be a part of someday.At home, where she felt safer exploring deeper feelings, the play turned to “hospital.” In this game Kelsey was doctor-in-charge for a change. Her game included medical terms e ven we adults didn’t understand. We’d just play along, knowing that Kelsey had found a way to cope.When she was six, she wanted to take ballet lessons. I’m embarrassed to admit how much this frightened me. Her muscles were weak from chemotherapy, she had poor balance, and her weight had slipped to 34 pounds. I wasn’t just afraid for her body, but for her feelings. She had no fear at this point and wore a patch over one eye, so I worried about the teasing she might get from the rest of the dance class. But I didn’t know how to tell Kelsey all of this, and she wouldn’t let up, so I enrolled her in a ballet school.Kelsey danced with abandon! Did she fall? Of course. Was she awkward? Very. But she was never self-conscious or inhibited, throwing herself into the process, completely unaffected by what she couldn’t do. The sheer joy of dancing was enough. Every person who saw Kelsey dance came away with something special. She danced for four years. When she quit, it was only to announce that she wanted to take horseback riding lessons instead. This time I enrolled her without hesitating.In fifth grade, Kelsey excitedly brought home a registration form for intramural basketball. Now this was going to be a major challenge for her. She could run only slowly, she’s sh ort, and she still had the use of only one hand. Bells of caution went off inside my head again, but I had learned to ignore them. The excitement in her eyes emphatically canceled out all the drawbacks, and we signed her up.After the first practice the coach said that he was afraid to let her play in a game. When he explained how she might get hurt, I could see visions of lawsuits dancing in his head. But every child who plays sports takes risks, I reasoned with him, and if her risk was greater, her need to belong was greater still. After a few discussions and a little more encouragement, he decided to let her play. For two years, Kelsey played harder than any girl in the league. And while she never made a basket during a game, she brought other gifts that were more valuable to her teammates. In two years, I never once saw a player treat her as anything other than an asset. And after weeks of trying, when Kelsey finally made her first basket during practice, every girl in the entire gym—from both teams—stopped and applauded.On game days, when we stopped at the grocery store, Kelsey quickly shed her winter coat and flung it into the grocery cart. It took me a while to realize why. She wasso proud of her team shirt, she didn’t want it to go unnoticed. Now Kelsey wasn’t just winning her own personal triumphs, she was part of a team, too.Today, Kelsey is a happy, healthy seventh grader, still lapping up life, trying new challenges, and still teaching her friends and parents a lot about persistence, the power of belief and compassion.Kelsey, I’ll never have a greater teacher!【词汇过关】1.cerebral palsy ['serɪbr(ə)l 'pɔ:lzɪ] n. ________________________________2.stump [stʌmp] vt. ________________________________3.loop [lu:p] n. ________________________________4.beam [bi:m] vi. ________________________________5.chemotherapy [ˌki:mə(ʊ)'θerəpɪ/] n.________________________________6.patch [pætʃ] n. ________________________________7.enroll [in'rəul] vi. & vt. ________________________________8.with abandon [ə'bænd(ə)n] pp. ________________________________9.inhibited [ɪnˈhɪbɪtɪd] adj. ________________________________10.sheer [ʃɪə] adj. ________________________________11.intramural [ˌɪntrə'mjʊər(ə)l] adj. ________________________________12.emphatically [im'fætikəli] adv. ________________________________13.asset ['æset] n. ________________________________14.fling [flɪŋ] vt. ________________________________15.triumph ['traɪʌmf] n. ________________________________p up [læp]________________________________请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

高三英语培优·名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选An Impromptu Dance at Dusk（答案在最后）班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________【文章梗概】在某日的黄昏，儿子邀请我与他共舞。

一开始想要拒绝，但被Rosemary的诗中表达的关于人生的遗憾所影响，我答应了儿子的请求并坚持遵从他在舞蹈时所提出的要求。

同时，儿子向我表达的爱令我深受感动。

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.Charles R. SwindollEngrossed at the computer, I was typing some very impassioned poetry written by my eighty-two-year-old neighbor, Rosemary. My six-year-old son, Jake, ran up to me. “Mom, let’s do something fun together. Now! C’mon!”Deeply engrossed in the stories of Rosemary’s unfulfilled dreams and missed opportunities, I was ready to reply, “Jake, we’ll do something in a little bit. I want to work a little longer.” Instead, Rosemary’s words haunted me, carrying new meaning in my own life. I thought of her sad laments. The wisdom of her years spoke to me, and I decided the poems could wait. My son could not.“What would you like to do?” I asked, thinking of the new library books we could read together.“Let’s dance,” he replied.“Dance?” I asked.“Yes, just you and me . . . pleeeeez; I’ll be right back,” he said as he dashed out of the room. He returned a few moments later with his hair a bit wet and combed over to the side, a shy smile and his black, flowing Batman-turned-into-Prince-Jake cape over his shoulders. He pulled me off my chair and led me upstairs.The blinds were up and the descending sun was casting shadows against the picturesque night sky. Jake led me to the middle of his braided wool rug and then turned on the radio. “There Mom. I found us some rock and roll.” He took my hand, and we danced, twisted, turned and twirled. We giggled and laughed and danced some more.My side aching, I told him I needed a rest. Ever so seriously he responded, “Mom, let me put something romantic on now.” He found a beautiful slow song, bowed, and then took my hand as we began to slow dance together. His head was at my waist, but our feet kept rhythmic time.“Mom,” he said a moment later as he looked up at me, “can you get down on your knees and dance with me so we can look at each other’s face while we dance?” I almost responded with why I wouldn’t be able to comply with his ridiculous request. Instead, captured by the moment, I laughed, dropped down on my knees, and my little man led me in a dance I will always cherish.Jake looked deep into my eyes and claimed, “You’re my darling, Mom. I’ll always love you forever and ever.” I thought of the few short years I had left before an obvious list of my faults would replace Jake’s little-boy idolization. Of course, he would still love me—but his eyes would lose some of the innocence and reverence they now revealed.“Mommy,” he said. “We’ll always be together. Even when one of us dies, we’ll always be together in our hearts.”“Yes, we will, Jake. We’ll always be together no matter what,” I whispered as I wiped a silenttear.Dusk quietly settled in as this Mom and her Little Prince danced together, ever so slowly, cheek to cheek . . . and heart to heart.【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 The Code of the Road班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选The Code of the Road人道理——父亲曾经帮一位路人换轮胎而不求回报，只求自己的妻女遇到困难时也能得到同样的帮助。

多年后的一天我的车在高速上抛锚，一位卡车司机如父亲当年所做，帮我换了轮胎，也说了和父亲一样的话，此时我体会到了助人为乐的“马路法则”，并深深感谢父亲和帮助过我的好心人。

Blessed are those that can give without remembering and take without forgetting.~Elizabeth BibescoAs the daughter of a truck driver and a secretary, I grew up knowing my mother far better than my father. As a young child I was “Daddy’s little girl,” but then I hit those teen years and my relationship with my father no longer existed. He had spent most of my life on the road, leaving before 4:00 A.M. and arriving home well after my bedtime. By the time I was old enough to stay up past 9:00 P.M., I was no longer Daddy’s little girl, I was a teenager. Now we were strangers—I didn’t know him and he couldn’t have known me. It was almo st as if one day he went out on the truck, and, when he returned, I was 13. It took me years to understand that he had no idea what to do with me. He didn’t know how to handle a teenage girl with crazedhormone s and a big mouth. The little girl who adore d her daddy was replaced by a horrendous teen who liked nothing better than to have the last word in every argument. And so began a lesson I will never forget...I was a rebellious teenager with big dreams and an open mind. During the hardest parts of my life, I believe my mother sustained me. When she attempted to guide me, of course I fought every inch of the way. But she never let go—she held on for dear life, and finally I outgrew those raging hormones and outrageous behaviors. It was during this time that I learned an important lesson from my father. A lesson of strength, love, honesty and kindness.One evening he returned from another day on the truck, probably delivering cargo to Brooklyn, the Bronx, Harlem or Philadelphia. He told us how that afternoon he was on the highway and saw a woman opening her trunk to take out a spare tire. He stopped, introduced himself and proceeded to take over the task of changing theblown-out tire. While he jacke d up the car, the woman told him how grateful she was for his kindness. She said people’s fear of crime in urban areas often dissuade local people from stopping to help one another. When Dad finished changing the tire and returning all of the equipment to the trunk of her car, she offered him a $20 bill for his help. He smiled at her and said, “No need. I have a wife and a daughter who just started driving, and my only hope is that if ever one of them breaks down on the side of the road, someone honest and friendly will stop and do for them what I just did for you.” He said good-bye and headed back to the 18-wheeler he had left with its motor running on the shoulder of the road.This was a side of my father I didn’t see often. Instead, thro ughout my life, my Brooklyn-Italian father nonchalantly taught me the rules of the road and life through loud funny stories shared boisterously with his trucking buddies at family parties. Through the laughter, I heard explanations of “on the road” safe pl aces to sleep, where to eat, definitions of respect, honesty and hard work, and “blue collar” survival. I was 24 years old before I realized how much I had really learned from him.In 1992, I moved from my parents’ New Jersey home to an apartment in easter n Kansas, where I worked as a volunteer for a civil rights organization. During those three and a half years I traveled almost continuously. One day, the 12-year-old daughter of a friend suggested we head to western Kansas to join the “Walk Across America for Mother Earth.” As a firm believer in recycling and saving our environment, I agreed. The next day I borrowed my roommate’s car for the four-hour trip.We were almost halfway there when the left rear tire blew out. I maintained control of the car and pulled off of I-70onto the shoulder of the road. Quite shook-up took a deep breath and got out of the car. I went into the trunk for the spare tire. As I was removing the jack, an 18-wheeler went flying past us at top speed. I was positioning the jack when I heard the screeching of air brakes across the road. I looked up to see a trucker running across four lane s of interstate to our aid. The trucker explained that the driver of the previous 18-wheeler radioed ahead informing him that we were in trouble. He introduced himself, asked where we were going and took the jack from my hands. Within 20 minutes, the tire was changed and the jack was placed back in the trunk.I was instructed by the driver to stop at the first auto plaza for a new tire. He explained tha t the spare “donut” could not make that round-trip. As we said our good-byes, I reached into my pocket and offered him a $20 bill for his help. He smiled and said in his Midwestern accent, “I have a daughter just about the same age as you—the only thanks I need is to hope that if she ever breaks down on the road, someone honest would stop to help her as I’ve done with you.” I heard my own father’s Brooklyn dialect repeating almost the same sentiment. I told the driver about my father and his experience in New Jersey. The truck driver smiled, and as he crossed the interstate, he turned and said, “Your daddy’s a good man . . . he knows the code of the road.”I stopped at the next auto plaza to replace the tire. Using my calling card, I then dialed my parents’ number, knowing everyone would be at work. I left a message for my father telling him about the truck driver who helped me and thanking Dad for knowing the code of the road.Special thanks from a trucker’s little girl to all of the drivers who know and understand the code of the road . . . especially the two gentlemen in Kansas who helped me!Michele H. Vignola【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 Act 3班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选Act 3彼此的思念让我们最后原谅和解。

爸爸过世后，我发现了他写给妈妈的情书，这刷新了我对爸爸的认知---他不是只有严肃的样子，也有温柔多情的一面。

这封信也重新点燃了我对写作的热爱。

人生如戏，这就是我和爸爸的故事---第一幕，是误解；第二幕，是争执；第三幕，是爱。

We cannot destroy kindred: Our chains stretch a little sometimes, but they never break.~Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de SévignéMost of my childhood memories of my father include watching him as he sat at his desk, typing away on his typewriter for hours almost every night. He dreamed of publishing a novel. He worked tirelessly on it for years. It was a serious, unsentimental novel, much like my father, who was a serious, unsentimental man. Or so I thought.Despite being fearful of my father, I could not help but be fascinated by his never-ending typing. Dad used his index fingers to type, and he typed very loudly. Peck, peck, peck emanated constantly from his corner of the family room.Although I was a generally obedient child, I morphed into a teenage hellion.While I was busy rebelling against my overly protective parents, my father continued working on his novel. Between heated arguments, he and I ignored each other. Looking back, I believe this was how it had to be for us. During this time, I fell in love with the written word, but never shared this new passion with Dad. His peck, peck, peck was just background noise to me during those teenage years.When I was twenty-two years old, my father and I had a monumental argument that led to my dramatic departure from his house. I refused to return for another four years. And during those four long years, I did not utter a single word to him.While I was on this self-imposedsabbatical from my father, my careerprogressed nicely. My life appeared to be pleasant and stable. And yet, I often dreamed about my father, feeling melancholy and empty when I awoke. Eventually, my mother shared with me that he frequently cried in his sleep, fretting about my absence. Given that he was an outwardlyunemotional man, I did not know how to react except with disbelief. I wanted to return to him, but he and I were worlds apart, at least in my mind. It seemed like we could not coexist peacefully.Still, I was completely torn. Throughout my twenties, I did some extensivesoul-searching. Finally, I had a stunning breakthrough: My father and I were actually the same! Both of us were strong-willed and proud and, most importantly, we missed each other dearly. I realized it wasn’t his job to be the person I wanted him to be. It was my job to love and accept the person he was. These epiphanies led to a miraculous and long-awaitedreconciliation with Dad that shocked everyone. Our silent war was finally over after four emotionally excruciating years.He never asked me why I drastically changed my attitude toward him. He just took me back into his open arms without asking for even a semblance of an explanation — just what one would expect a loving and forgiving father to do. To be honest, at the time, I didn’t know if he had forgiven me or I had forgiven him. But looking back, I realize that we had forgiven each other.During the golden years of his life, we had a wonderful time together. Eventually, he started to talk to me about his novel. Peck, peck, peck became a newly comforting sound to my ears. But I still never talked to him about my love for writing. Mostly, I felt I had to “forget” about writing to pursue a more practical career. Or perhaps I feared I would never be as talented a writer as he was. After all, the last thing I wanted to do was to disappoint my father.As I grew closer to Dad, I thought I knew everything there was to know about him. Little did I know about the surprise he would leave me.When I was thirty-two, he passed away right before Father’s Day. After the funeral, I was organizing his belongings when I found a very old manuscript that I did not recognize. As I began to read it, I realized that it was an extremely romantic account about my mother, a love letter so to speak, written by my father!I was in shock as I read his beautiful words. Was the hopeless, sentimental romantic who wrote this letter actually my frequently stern, serious father?I could not believe it, and neither did anyone else.My mother had little recollection of this letter, which led me to suspect that I was the first person to read it. It was as if my father had let me in on his life’s secret so that we could continue our relationship even after he had left. I missed him even more.One of the biggest ironies of my life is that I understood my father better in death than I did when he was alive. The way I see it now, this love story between Dad and me happened exactly the way it was meant to. For most of my life,I didn’t really understand him, and when I was ready to truly know and appreciatehim, he was gone. But in his absence, Dad left me a hidden treasure in the form of a romantic account, a love letter, about my mother so that I could discover the man that he was underneath.Perhaps I was meant to find his letter later in life so that he could inspire me to write again. Dad passed away before realizing his dream of completing his novel. However, I know in my heart that he is sitting right next to me, finishing his novel as I type these very words. I can hear the peck, peck, peck— the sound of my father, the secret hopeless romantic.As an aspiringscreenwriter, I have been taught to tell my stories in the classic three-act structure of most films. When I look back at my relationship with my father, I realize that our relationship played out just like a classic tale of forgiveness. In Act 1, I misunderstood him. In Act 2, I fought him. But in Act 3, I loved him.【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 A Tenth of a Mile班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选A Tenth of a Mile【文章梗概】因为不良的饮食习惯和生活习惯，我体重超重，但我并不想改变。

在居家颓废生活的日子里，我偶然浏览到旧时的小伙伴胖子已瘦很多。

第二天，在女友的鼓励下，我从改变饮食入手，到在小区周围散步和走路，再到定跑1/10公里的小目标。

我在放弃和坚持间抉择，一点一滴的进步着。

我终于在一周之内完成了既定目标，增强了运动的信心。

ck bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. ~J.K.RowlingAll my life, I have been overweight. Many factors have played into that simple fact. Poor eating habits and a picky appetite left me eating bulk amounts of the least nutritious foods. A larger interest in video games thansports left little desire for participating in school activities. Mostly, it was the lack of desire to better myself.Losing my job made matters worse than they ever were as a kid. With plenty of money in my bank account, I decided to coast for a while. Why not enjoy the break? Naturally, my car decided to spring an oil leak a week later. Though still operable, it was in my best interest not to drive here and there.This resulted in my already-deep depression getting even worse. I lounged around my apartment, barely moving. Having my own money meant I could have whatever I wanted for dinner. Often, I ended up ordering pizza. The calories racked up fast. Since I had no scale, I can only guess what the overall damage was.The turning point came from an odd place. One night, scrolling through Facebook, I found a picture of an old school friend. Obesity was no stranger to him back in the day. Weighing well more than me, I imagined he would never change.So imagine my surprise when I saw that he had shrunk to half the size I remembered.I started my process of bettering myself the next day. Getting groceries from the store was step one. Thanks to my girlfriend, my food palate had expanded ever so slightly. A $30 bill for somewhat healthier meals that lasted a week bested $20 deliveries every day. The next step — which I dreaded most — was exercise.I started slow. Running was not on my agenda for a while. I began with walks around the neighborhood, circling the shortest block I could find. Even that was taxing at first. Don’t get me started on the proper regimen I went through next. Push-ups, lunges and squats, oh my!My body ached, and nothing excited me more than the prospect of quitting. My girlfriend’s encouragement was my only deterrent.Then, it happened. My walks eventually expanded to several blocks’ worth. On the fifth day of my fitness binge, I stared far down the road, probably a tenth of a mile in length. That might sound short to some, but back then it might as well have been an ocean wide.“Way too far to run,” I told myself. The rare bursts beyond simple walking had lasted mere seconds. But, in the back of my mind, another voice spoke.It said, “I can do this.”My feet took off without a second thought. Right away, familiar burning pulsed through them, all the way up my legs. Passing parked cars and houses alike, a similar pain throbbed in my lungs. I was desperate for air. Silly me had forgotten my water at home. Nothing was going to help me but stopping. It would have been so simple to stop.“I can do this,” I croaked aloud, sounding like a dying man.My body disagreed. Less than halfway to the end of the street, I started wavering. Running turned to jogging, which turned to a halfhearted trot. It must have been quite a sight for the neighbors. I bet they thought the same thing I did: I should quit.“I can do this,” I said instead.Embellishment might sell this story a little sweeter, but I won’t lie. By the end, I came up a little short. Thirty feet or so divided me from my goal. I thought myself a fool. Clearly, I was never going to make it. But when I looked back, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The distance seemed farther then, after almost crossing it all. After months of doing nothing but sitting and eating, I had almost achieved my desire in less than a week.I’d call it breathtaking, but you can blame th e running on that.Ignoring the agony, I walked home and performed my workout. I must have lain down for hours after my shower. Yet, throughout it all, my smile never faded. By morning, I was ready to take on the challenge again. And, to my surprise, I surpassedit. I blazed through the stop sign and rounded the corner, not halting until I returned to my apartment.My physical and mental health improved hand-in-hand. The farther I pushed myself, the better I felt. It’s been a month now. While I haven’t comp letely escaped thoughts of giving up, they’re quieter now. Quieter than the voice that urged me forward, a voice I scarcely recognized as my own.“I can do this.”【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

高三英语培优·名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选Blue Stitches（答案在最后）班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________【文章梗概】在与母亲玩拼字游戏时，我告知母亲我将参加学生会竞选秘书或副主席，而不是主席，因为认为自己一位白人女孩赢不了参加竞选的西班牙男孩埃迪。

然而，母亲鼓励我竞选主席，并为我准备了竞选演讲的服装——一条美丽的蓝裙子。

妈妈在缝制时，为每一根蓝色的针脚注入了她的自信和力量。

穿着这条裙子，我对自己的信心满满，最终赢得了学生主席的竞选。

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what theworld needs is people who have come alive.~Howard ThurmanM y mother winked as she asked her seemingly innocent question. “How ’bout a game of Scrabble?”“You win all the time, Mama.”“Someday, you’ll beat me. Today just might be your day.”I acquiesced and set up the board. In 1980, I was a junior in high school, and my siblings were long gone to college and beyond. Mama relied on me for her daily dose of conquering someone.That Scrabble game in 1980 holds another special remembrance for me. No, I didn’t win. But that night, as we waged war with words, I brought up another competition — one that would change the way I saw myself.“Mama, student council elections are in two weeks.”“Uh-huh.”She spelled out Q-U-I-E-T on a red triple-word space and whistled.“That’s pretty good, if I do say so myself.” She smiled at me and then started counting her gazillions of points.“Mama, did you hear what I just said?”“Uh-huh. Forty-two points for ‘quiet.’ Your turn.”I looked at my tiles and sighed. I plopped down M-A-K-E-R on a double-word space and counted: 22.“I like the idea of being part of student council my senior year.”“Sounds good. Twenty-eight points.”“So, I have to go to the office tomorrow and pick up a form to fill out if I want to run.”“Do you want to run for student council?”“I don’t know. Sounds fun.”“Fun?” She finally looked up from the board and into my eyes.“Mother, it will be my senior year. I want to have fun.”She looked back at her tiles. “Leadership is about serving. How do you want to serve?”As Mama spelled out a Z word I’d never heard of, I thought about serving. She’d run for elected office in my small town three times, winning the office of District County Clerk.“Maybe I won’t run.”Again, Mama looked up at me.“You aren’t going to run because you have to serve?”I felt flustered at the way this conversation, not to mention the score, was headed.“Robbie, think about your talents. What do you have to offer others? Once you get a clear picture of that, I bet you that service will sound… well, it will sound fun.”Mama won the game. I went to bed undecided.The next day, I came home with the application. After dinner, Mama called me into the living room.“How about a game of spades?”The wink accompanied the request.“You’re on, Mama. I’ve beaten you at spades. Do you remember?”Mother grinned and started shuffling the deck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“I am going to run for student council,” I announced as we each drew our cards.“Excellent.”“But I don’t know what position. I don’t really want to be treasurer, but maybe secretary or even the vice president.”Her eyes met mine.“Why not president?”I couldn’t believe this woman. Mom knew my high school’s enrollment was 250, grades 9 through 12. She also knew that we lived in a town of 3,000 people, 85 percent of whom were Hispanic, 15 percent white.“You know why.”“No.”“Mother, I am a white girl.”“Really?”“White girls don’t win against Hispanic guys. Eddie Rodriguez has already told everyone he is running for president. No way will I win.”“Robbie, what talents do you have? How are you going to serve?”“I think I could be a good leader.”“Leading? Sounds like a perfect talent for president.”“I told you, Eddie is running. Most of the time, the president is a guy, and Eddie is really popular.”“So, you are not running for president because you are a girl and your competition is popular?”“Mother, you don’t understand the politics of high school.”“Robbie, believe in yourself and who you are meant to be. Do this for the right reasons. Win or lose, play the game well.”With that, she won our first hand. And the second…The next day, I drew in a deep breath as I wrote the word “president” on the application.Mama happened to be an excellent seamstress, so I asked her to make me a dress for my Election Day speech. Immediately, she headed over to Mrs. Woods’s fabric store and found a bolt of royal-blue rayon knit. It was my favorite color and so soft.“You will look very presidential in this,” she teased me. That night, I went to sleep to the hum of her Singer sewing machine.The next day, as I sat in the library working on my speech, Susan Banks approached me.“Robbie, is it true? You’re running for student council president?”I took a deep breath. “Yes.”“Wow, you got guts. But you do know that Eddie is running, right?”“Yes.”“Um, no offense, but you aren’t going to win. Eddie is really popular.”With that, Susan turned and left.She wasn’t the only classmate who offered the same encouragement. But I couldn’t back down; everyone knew I was running. Besides, Mama was sewing my new blue dress.Two days before the election, I tried on my mother’s creation. I looked and felt beautiful.“Mama, this is incredible. Thank you.”“Robbie, listen to what I am about to tell you. I prayed for you as I made this dress. It doesn’t matter if you win. It matters that you are being who you are meant to be.”It was the only time I remember my mother saying she prayed for me.On Election Day, all the students were herded into the auditorium. Eddie and I sat on the stage with Robert, Laura and Maria. They were running unopposed for vice president, treasurer and secretary. They would give their speeches, and then Eddie and I would go.As I watched Eddie give his speech, my knees knocked. He was calm and easygoing, encouraging the students to do the best thing for our high school by voting for him. His speech was very short and ended with cheers from the student body.What had possessed me to subject myself to this? Suddenly, I was hot and sweaty. No way was I going to win this.My turn came, and I walked to the podium and looked out at my classmates. That’s when something powerful happened. I launched into my speech confidently, even making my classmates laugh.When I reflect on that day, I like to think that my blue dress was my Superman outfit. As Mama sewed, she infused each blue stitch with her confidence and strength. After that day, my belief in myself quadrupled. No longer was I mild-mannered Robbie, scared of revealing my true identity. I was Robbie Floyd, a young lady meant to be exactly who she was.When I came home that day, my mother was frying chicken on the stove.“Mama, you will never believe it!”“You think you can beat me at Scrabble?”She grinned, but kept focused on the chicken.“Mama, I won!”Mama looked up at me. No wink.“Of course, you did.”Robbie Iobst【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 Eli Has Left the Building 班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选Eli Has Left the Building动，小精灵感受到了家庭的温温煦家庭的归属感，可是伊莱快要离开回到北极了，家里的孩子对小精灵恋恋不舍，小精灵也给孩子们留下来信条和礼物，期盼来年的相遇。

Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life.~ Lisa Weedn“I don’t want Eli to go,” whispered six-year-old Madi, the youngest of our three girls. It was December 23rd, almost time for Eli, our house elf, to return to the North Pole.Madi looked up at Eli perched on the fireplace mantel, his lips frozen in a joyous smile that reached right up his rosy cheeks. She crawled onto the couch with me, squirming her way under my quilt and resting in my lap. I stroked her hair. “Eli will always be part of our family. Enjoy the time we have with him now so it’s special,” I said. She still looked worried.“I’ll miss him,” she said.“I bet he’ll miss you too.”Eli wa s named after Madi’s kindergarten crush, and we were now stuck with the name even after she decided that the human Eli was icky. He arrived every year on the first of December to observe our three girls and report back to Santa on their behavior.Eli takes an interest in our family activities. When we painted acrylic Christmas trees and Santa Claus’s boots, we left out a brush and canvas for Eli. While snug in our beds, Eli painted us a picture of a wrapped present and signed his name. We hung his canvas on the wall with ours.We dug out our big book of short Christmas stories to read a few each night leading up to Christmas. One morning we caught Eli sitting with the book in his lap turned to the first page of the next story. Eli likes to hear holiday stories just like us.When we baked chocolate chip cookies to prepare for Santa’s arrival, we awoke in the morning to find Eli had decorated them with red and green sprinkles.Madi looked forward to getting up every morning to see what Eli had done overnight.On Christmas Eve morning, Madi woke me with urgent news. Her little face was almost touching mine and her eyes were wide as saucers. “Mommmm,” she whispered breathlessly.“What, honey? You hungry? What time is it?”“There’s a big present in the living room.Can I open it?”“Um, really?” I swung my legs to the floor. Madi grabbed my hand and led me to the living room. Sure enough, there sat a large box wrapped in shiny red and white striped paper and topped with a big red bow. I sent Madi to wake up everyone else.Then, with everyone gathered around the mystery present, I lifted the tag and read aloud, “To my family. From Eli, your house elf. Thank you for welcoming me into your home and for letting me join your family activities. I’ve never had a family befor e. Now I can say I do. I will miss you all so much this year. I can’t wait until next December. I hope we paint again. That was my favorite. I cannot wait to report all the good things about your family to Santa. Love, Eli.”“We’ll miss you too, Eli!” Madi said. The three sisters went to work tearing off the paper and opening the top of the box.The girls shrieked as they pulled out the gifts inside. There were Christmas-themed pajamas for each member of our family, popcorn, cocoa and a Christmas movie. They ran off to try on their pajamas.I looked up at Eli’s favorite perch on the Christmas tree, now empty.“Thanks, Eli,” I said. I looked forward to sharing our traditions again with him the next year. I would miss him, too.【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 A Pocket Full of Quarters 班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选A Pocket Full of Quarters嘉奖她一枚25分的硬币。

六周的治疗结束时，她已经收获的一口袋25分的硬币。

当作者想知道她要用零钱买什么玩具时，小女孩却说她要为奶奶买样东西。

Searra, an eight-year-old brain tumor patient, was a “regular” in the Radiation Oncology Department, much like the other patients who came to the cancer center everyday for a five-or six-week period. With my office located near the main entrance, I could hear Searra, also called CC, coming from a distance.Sure enough, she popped her head in every morning around 10:00 A.M. to say “hi” or, more important, to check out the toys and coloring materials I had stashed in my office. Several steps behind, CC’s grandmother, also called Mommie, since she served as her guardian, would trail in as she tried keeping up with CC’s anxious pace.CC was not the least bit interested in hearing more about her cancer or her hair loss. When she walked into the department, it was time to socialize with the staff, who became her instant friends, and to see what kind of masterpiece she could color for Mommie before she was called back for her treatment.I was taken aback by the love CC had for Mommie. Whenever I asked her about home life, school work or how she was feeling, every response referred to her time spent with Mommie, the funny stories they shared and how much she loved her. On numerous occasions, CC made it clear that Mommie was the center of her world.When CC was first treated with radiation therapy, the therapists told her that they would give her a quarter each day if she promised to keep her head still on the treatment table. Certainly, after six weeks of therapy, she had a pocketful of quarters! So on the last day, the therapists wanted to know what big toy she was going to buy with all her change. CC replied, “Oh, I am not going to buy a toy.I am going to buy something for Mommie because of all the nice things she does for me.”CC’s sincerity, unselfishness, warmth and loyalty to Mommie taught me about what is really important in life. She constantly showed that loving others with truecommitment is the best gift you can give another—whether a family member or a friend. Certainly, CC has an excuse to complain or be angry at the world for a childhood totally different from the other children’s in her third-grade class. I have never heard her complain about her bald head, swollen face and body (as a result of the steroids), or low energy level, which keeps her from playing outside. CC continues to live her life the way she chooses, and that includes giving of herself to make the world a better place for others, especially Mommie.CC reminds me to not take those people I love for granted and to look beyond the superficiality that is often found in day-to-day living. I am reminded to be more thankful for what I have today and to not dwell on what is behind me or what lies ahead. CC, just like many other cancer patients, is a true example that we aren’t always dealt the perfect hand, so we have to make the best of what we have today.Anne C. Washburn【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 With Every Footstep班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选With Every Footstep紧张害怕，但我抓住这次宝贵的机会。

在队长和家人的支持下，我信心满满地参加决赛，但在起跳过程中步伐仓促，最后导致落地不稳。

我非常羞愧。

在家人的安慰下，我重拾信心参加第二天的平衡木决赛。

以享受比赛的心态参加平衡木决赛，我完美地完成了动作，意料之外获得了金牌。

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. . . .Ps. 16:11I was not only a little surprised, but worried to find myself in the Vault Finals at the 1996 Olympic Games when Kerri Strug was forced to pull out as a result of an ankle injury. I had done well during the team competition, but had just missed qualifying for the Vault Finals competition. When my coach, Steve, and I were notified that I’d become eligible to compete in this event, I wasn’t feeling prepared to be Kerri’s replacement.My first reaction was, How can I? Due to an extremely sore wrist, I had not been able to work a second vault. Vault Finals require that the gymnast compete on two vaults from two different vault families. This was a moment when all of my gymnastics experience had to be there to support me. Steve encouraged me to give it a try.Once I recovered from the initial shock, I knew that I didn’t want to give up the opportunity to compete in another event of the 1996 Olympics. I fully intended to give it my best shot from that moment forward. With a positive attitude, and with support from Steve and my parents, I gave it everything I had during my workouts, and they went great. I didn’t miss a single vault—even while warming up for the actual competition. I focused on how great an opportunity it was to be given the chance to compete.However, my positive attitude and joy quickly turned to tears of embarrassment and discouragement. When the time came to compete, I sprinted hard down the runway, but as I approached the springboard, I knew that my steps were off. I was not comingonto the vault horse at the right place! In an instant, it was all over. I had missed placing one of my hands down on the horse, which resulted in my performing an outrageousflip in the air and landing on my seat right in front of literally hundreds of thousands of people! I felt the hot flush of embarrassment swimming from my stomach straight up to my bright red face.As soon as the event was over, I headed up to the USA gymnastics suite, where I knew my parents would be waiting for me. My tears were flowing pretty freely, so my parents took me aside so that we could have a little privacy. I try always to place my trust in God to direct my path. I never pray to win, but I always ask God to help me do my best. I had been so full of joy and confidence going into the competition. What had happened?Mom asked me if I remembered the poem Footprints that hung on the wall of my room. She reminded me that God had always been walking with me. Never had he abandoned me. Maybe it was time for me to allow God to carry me. Rather than be worried about once again failing, I could remember that I didn’t have to do this all by myself. All I needed to remember was that God is always by my side. Instead of dreading Beam Finals the next day, I needed to be grateful for the opportunity to express the talent that God had given me, and not to be concerned about winning or losing.The next evening, I was calm and at peace while I waited for my turn to compete. When I mounted the beam, I heard a man yell at someone in the crowd, “Turn y our [camera] flash off!” I consciously thought, “How sweet of him to be concerned about my welfare.” A camera flash can cause an accident that could potentially end a career, or worse. It struck me that I had never before heard what was going on around me when I was competing. I was usually so tremendously focused, I had blocked out everything else. But that night’s competition was different from any other. I felt an emotional connection with the audience whose love of gymnastics, and the athletes who represented the sport, seemed to completely surround me. At that moment, I was able to let in all the joy of the evening, of being in the Olympic Games, and of the sport of gymnastics.I took a few calming breaths and thanked God for being with me, and for the talent that he has given me. And then, I went for it!I aced my routine! I felt so great when my feet hit the mat. I honestly had no idea as to whether or not I would win a medal. But at that moment, medals truly did not matter. I had accomplished something far greater than a world record ingymnastics. I had felt the comfort and strength of God’s presence with every footstep of the routine.I took home an Olympic Gold Medal to remind me of that night. But the night was golden in more ways than one. I will always treasure in my heart what it is like to experience God’s presence.Shannon Miller【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 A Divine Creature班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选A Divine Creature舍得把它送给她。

圣诞节到来之际，我决定把它作为礼物送给姐姐。

第二年圣诞节，我收到了姐姐送的礼物——正是这只燕子。

此后二十多年里，我们两家轮流把燕子当成礼物送给对方，这变成我们两家圣诞节的传统。

Christmas is the season of joy, of holiday greetings exchanged, ofgift-giving, and of families united.~Norman Vincent Peale The painted navy blue swallow, artistically perched on its ceramic nest, caught her eye. My sister Rosemary, being a country girl and no stranger to real diving swallows in her barns, had a passion for the “divinecreatures,” as she called them.“I really love it,” she said about my new piece of art.“Thanks. I love it, too.”My two-dollar yard-sale find looked perfect on my kitchen wall, and, although it held little significance, I did think it was a lovely bit of décor. Rosemary always admired it when she came over. I was tempted to give it to her, but it looked great on my kitchen wall.When the holidays approached, I got busy finding gifts and crossing names off my list. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much Rosemary had loved that little bird. She was a single mom with six children and she didn’t have a lot of her own treasures.I had to do it. I climbed up the stepstool and lifted the little ceramic piece off its nail. I found a box and wrote a note: “A true gift is something you really treasur e yourself. . . Love you, big sister. And Merry Christmas!”When Rosemary carefully peeled back the tissue on Christmas Day and saw the swallow, she was in awe. Then when she read the note, her eyes welled. We hugged and she promised she would care for “our swallow.” If I ever changed my mind she would give it back to me in a heartbeat. I assured her I would not change my mind.The following Christmas, I opened a lovely square box and pulled back the tissue. The swallow was back! Rosemary’s note expressed h er thankfulness for having the swallow on her wall for a year.And so the tradition of the Christmas Swallow began. It has become the highlight of our gift exchange and our children and grandchildren look forward to the swallow exchange every year.Now, when my year is up, I remove the swallow from my wall and smile. I know it doesn’t look nice but I leave the nail empty during the years when the swallow is hanging at Rosemary’s.That empty nail reminds me of the importance of family and how giving from the heart is the best kind of gift. Our little bird has flown back and forth between our homes each Christmas for twenty-four years now. Rosemary and I are not getting any younger but each year when one of us opens “the box” we giggle like schoolgirls.One year, Rosemary almost forgot to bring the swallow. She had to turn the car around and run inside to take it down and wrap it up. One year, I almost dropped it. But so far, so good. We haven’t missed a beat. Who would have guessed that a seemingly insignificant two-dollar treasure could bring so much Christmas joy year after year?【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。

名著阅读之心灵鸡汤精选 Acceptance班级：____________学号：____________姓名：____________心灵鸡汤精选Acceptance不上甚至遭到别的女孩的嘲笑。

随着时间的推移，我对美有了重新的认识，我养育了俩孩子，我壮硕的身体能为他们“遮风挡雨”；我的身体帮我度过最艰难的考验；我宽阔的肩膀扛起了数百磅东西；我花了几个小的时间，把我的院子从一片沙地变成了一座美丽花园。

此时的我已经完全接纳了自己的身材。

我意识到：“很抱歉多年前我不喜欢你，”我向镜中的自己道歉。

“那时候我不知道你有多美。

”One day, I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl. It doesn’t have anything to do with how the world perceives you. ~Gabourey SidibeA heap of clothing sat discarded on the bench as I wiped my reddening eyes. “I hate my body. I hate that I’m bigger than all the other girls. It isn’t fair,”I cried in the dressing room. I was only thirteen, but I was tall and plus-size so my options were very limited. I never fit in the clothes the other girls could wear, and I often ended up having to wear clothes that seemed matronly to me.I couldn’t fit in any of the dresses I had brought into the changing room in the juniors department. I loved all of them, but they were designed to fit lean young girls.It wasn’t just my weight. As my mothe r had explained, we were descended from peasant stock. This meant we had wide hips and broad shoulders and were built for labor. I had never been small or delicate, and deep inside I hated myself for this.Staring at the mirror, I glared at my round belly and thick thighs. I hugged myself, trying to cover my fleshy upper arms.I didn’t understand how this could happen to me; I ate the same amount as the other girls. I wasn’t athletic, but I wasn’t lazy. I worked hard and kept active in other ways. Yet, on more than one occasion, I’d heard the other girls whisper “fat” and “cow” behind my back.Standing in my underwear and bra, I continued to sob as I re-hung all the pretty dresses.Thirty years later, a more adult version of myself stood admiring myself in themirror in my bedroom. The black mermaid dress fit perfectly and clung to my ample curves. Clothing had most definitely evolved to include fuller-sized women. This dress made me feel glowing and vibrant.I thought of the girl crying in the fitting room all those years ago.I’ve made peace with my body over time. This body has borne two children. My thick thighs were their pillows, and my breasts nursed them.This body survived abuse. This body carried me during the heaviest of trials. During a natural disaster, it showed me how much it could do as I lugged and heaved furniture and boxes from the bottom floor of my house, salvaging what I could of my family’s belongings. My arm s toiled as I ripped up carpet and repaired what I could.My wide shoulders have lugged hundreds of pounds of soil, woodchips and plants, and toiled for hours as I transformed my yard from all sand to an urban homestead.“I’m so sorry I didn’t believe in you all those years ago,” I apologized to my older self in the mirror. “I didn’t know how beautiful you were back then.”【词汇过关】请写出下面文单词在文章中的中文意思。