On the Iraq­Syria border，a pack of wild dogs circled American soldiers for food．The leader of the pack was a gray­and­white dog．The soldiers called him Nubs．Nubs was shaking and __36__ able to stand．Marine major Brian Dennis looked closer and saw that there was a knife wound __37__ his chest．
Dennis couldn’t stand seeing the dog __38__．He and his men immediately treated the wound，and gave Nubs medicine．Nubs__39__but was still in pain．The next day，the team had to__40__．Ten days later，Dennis’s unit was back，and so was Nubs．He was still___41__，but the men fed him and played with him．
Before long the unit once again__42__an outpost (前哨) 70 miles away．Nubs，slowly but determinedly，__43__them far into the trackless wasteland until the men lost__44__of him．Two days later，beyond Dennis’s__45__，he saw Nubs just outside the outpost．The dog had tracked him across 70 miles of frozen desert to__46__with the friend who had saved his life．From then on Nubs and the men slept in the same place，and ran around in the same ruins．
Until an order came down from above that they were not__47__to have pets，Dennis__48__to make sure the dog would continue to live the__49__life．So he quickly raised $4,000 from his family and friends to fly Nubs to__50__．
A month later，when Dennis and the dog were__51__in California，at first Nubs didn’t recognize the guy．__52__within minutes，the dog jumped into Dennis’s arms，jumping up again and again to__53__ his friend’s face．
A little__54__and concern in the middle of war will not save a violent world．But small stories，like the story of a soldier and a dog，hold a promise of a(n) __55__world．

Dash of Hope
"Dash" is a symbol which represents every day we've spent alive on earth. Therefore, how you spend your "dash" is important.
Recently I   36  about a little girl named Hope. After learning more about her life, I couldn't help but feel it was not by   37  , nor happenstance（意外事件）, that she had been named "Hope". The strong feeling of sympathy and generosity  38  in her young heart made a lasting impression on me and countless others.  39   I never had the opportunity to meet her, I wish I had. It seems as though she was wise beyond her tender years and very, very special.
Hope was a twelve-year-old girl who was   40  a "wish" in early December 2010 by the "Make-A-Wish" Foundation after being   41  that she had a rare type of bone cancer. However, when she found out that more than 150   42  in her area were waiting for their wishes to be achieved , she unselfishly used her wish to   43  that those children have their wishes granted. She also asked that it be done   44  January 16, 2011. Unfortunately, however, the organization informed her that her   45  request could not be granted as the funds were simply   46 . They calculated that they would need to raise more than one   47  dollars in thirty days in order to grant her wish. 48 , but not discouraged, she turned her disappointment into an enthusiasm that inspired caring   49  to take up helping grant the wishes of the other children, and eventually   50   as well. Newspaper columnists and reporters for radio and TV stations 51   the story of this caring young girl who had   52  the hearts of so many and as word spread, the community was challenged. Committees were fanned and schools, corporations and various organizations assisted in  53  money to help make Hope's dream come true.
Her efforts were not in vain as they continue to help others, not only   54  , but spiritually and emotionally as well. At the gathering to celebrate her life, "A Celebration of Hope" on January 16, 2011 , the   55  was made that they had indeed received donations totaling more than one million dollars. Her wish had been granted!

What on earth does happiness mean? I can’t give you its exact definition, but I’m sure if you love and help 16.        , you’ll get it.
I’ll never forget an old lady. She lives in 17.      small house alone. It is said that her husband and her son 18.    （die）in a road accident years ago. Her life is bitter, but she often helps others 19 .    a smile. Whenever it snows, she is always the first to clean the paths. She looks after several children living nearby. I am one of them. I often remember the stories she told us and her kind smile. Perhaps she is unlucky, but I think she is a happy person. Her life is full of 20.     （laugh）and love.
But I’m sad to see some people getting their happiness in bad ways. They talk 21.    （noisy）in cinemas and meeting rooms; they destroy trees to enjoy themselves and they laugh at others’ shortcomings. Perhaps they feel happy at that time, 22.       they will never get true happiness because they 23.      （lose）their personality already.
Now I know what happiness is. 24.     means kindness, love and unselfishness. Above all, I have come to understand that 25.      （bring）happiness to others is getting ourselves happiness.

The story happened years ago，when my daughter was still little.
I was driving across the country with my daughter to  1 my husband. Since I intended to get to my destination before supper time, I drove   2  for a long time without a stop. Then after driving for many miles, I became tired and needed to stop for a break to get   3 .
I found a rest area. It was mostly deserted, in a quiet area of the highway. I parked the car and carried my  4  into the restroom. When I came out I saw a middle-aged  5   wandering around. Feeling  6  about that, I asked the lady. What   7  me was: they were waiting for us!
The lady told me that she and her husband wanted to see us safely back into our     8  . She explained that sometimes rest areas could be a  9  place for a young lady like me. She told me that she had a daughter almost my age, so they wanted to make sure that I got safely back on my way.
I was very touched by their  10 . Being young, and probably naive to the potential  11  of rest areas, it had never occurred to me that there was any possibility of something going wrong. I  12  them for their kindness. My daughter and I continued our journey and   13  our destination safely.
I never got their names but years have passed and their kindness is still not   14  . Sometimes angels come in make-up and just because you can’t see their   15          it doesn’t mean they aren’t angels.

As educators, we often never know the influence we have on our students. It is always wonderful to have ___35___ students visit us and share the successes they have achieved. And those glorious moments, when we can instantly see the influence we have on a student, fuel us to continue making connections hoping to ___36___ in the life of every child.
As a music teacher for twenty-seven years, I have always known that music ___37___ the soul. It can ___38___ all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the ___39___ for each child to find their light. I would like to share a story about it.
For a few years I was blessed with the opportunity to teach ___40___ students one afternoon a week. One of my most ___41___ students was a five-year-old girl called Vanessa, who had difficulty walking, and could not speak. We ___42___ sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was “John the Rabbit.” It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students ___43___ twice while singing the repeating phrase, “Oh, yes!” Vanessa liked to ___44___ her hands together with mine and clap with me. We probably performed that song during every class, Vanessa and I clapping together. But she ___45___ said or sang a word.
One day late in the school year, when the song was finished, Vanessa turned around, looked me dead in the eye, clapped her tiny hands twice and said the words “Oh, yes!” I opened my mouth in ___46___ and for that moment I was the one who could not speak. When my heart ___47___ started beating again, I looked over at the assistant teacher to find her also ___48___. Through music, we had made an awesome connection.
Several years later, I passed Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big ___49___ on her face and then clapped her hands twice, imitating the song we had ___50___ so many times in our music class. This precious little girl, ___51___ her connection with music, left an impression on me that will last forever. Every child has the ___52___ to learn and grow. It is up to us as educators to ___53___ the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s ___54___.
【題文1】A. late            B. former           C. recent           D. present
【題文2】A. make it     B. make sense       C. make a mess      D. make a difference

Michel is a young girl who works for the police   36 a handwriting expert (專家). She has helped   37  many criminals (罪犯) by using her special talents (天才).
　　When she was fourteen, Michel was already  38  interested in the differences in her friends'  39 that she would spend hours 40  them. After  41  college she went to France for a   42  two-year class in handwriting at the School of Police Science.
　　Michel says that it is  43  for people to hide their handwriting. She can discover 44  of what she needs to know simply   45 looking at the writing with her own eyes, 46  she also has machines   47   help her make    48  different kinds of paper and ink. This knowledge is often   49  great help to the police.
Michel believes that handwriting is a good  50  of what kind of person the    51  is. "I wouldn't go out with a fellow   52  I didn't like his handwriting.” She says. But she   53 she fell in love with her future husband, a young policeman  54  she studied his handwriting. It is later proved to be    55 , however.

As a single mother，I had to do two jobs，which kept me very busy.
Two months ago，I went to a _36__ with Alice. Since I __37__went out with her，she seemed very happy. Many parents were there with their children. I sat down on a bench，_38__Alice playing with other children. About half an hour later，a man of about forty years old came and _39__beside me. As I had to go back to work，I stood up and told Alice that we had to __40__.
“Can I stay here a little longer？”Alice pleaded.
“No，we must go now，”I said，__41__ Alice just didn’t move.
“Just ten more minutes，”she pleaded again，and I became _42__.
“Go now，”I__43__，and Alice started to cry.__44__ that，the man sitting on the __45__stood up and came to us.
“Why don’t you just let her__46__ten more minutes？”he asked. Then he told me a _47__.He used to be very busy，too. Every time his little son wanted to go out and play，he told him he was __48__.One day，his son went out and played __49__，and he didn’t come back again—he was hit by a _50__driver of a car. The father regretted what he had done to his son，but he never had the __51__to play with him again. Hearing the story，I __52__.I knelt down and said  to Alice，“OK，ten more minutes，and Mom will play __53__you.”
__54__is all about making priorities(優(yōu)先)．What are your priorities？Give someone you__55__ten more minutes of your time today.

Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and 36  , making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to 37  . It had taken years, and they had 38  saved enough money and had got passports (護(hù)照) and 39 for the whole family to the United States.
The entire family was filled with 40  about their new life.  41  , seven days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy but he42     a yellow sheet on the Clarks’ front door. 43   the possibility of rabies (狂犬病), they should be quarantined (隔離) for fourteen days.
The family’s 44    was destroyed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had 45  . The father, filled with disappointment and 46     , hurried to the dock to watch the ship leave — without the Clark family. 47    of disappointment came to the father. Five days 48     , the tragic news spread throughout Scotland — the mighty Titanic had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, 49   many lives with it. The Clark family should have been on that ship, 50   because the son had been bitten by the dog, they were51   in Scotland. When Mr. Clark heard the news, he 52    his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning 53  he had felt was a(n) 54  into a blessing.
Although we may not always understand, all things 55   for a reason.
【小題1】