高三英语课外阅读love is the best legacy

As a young man, A1 was a skilled artist, a potter. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son developed a severe stomachache. Thinking it was only some common intestinal disorder, neither A1 nor his wife took the condition very seriously. But the malady was actually acute appendicitis and the boy died suddenly that night.Knowing the death could have been prevented if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, A1‘s emotional health deteriorated under the enormous burden of his guilt. To make matters worse his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his 6-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than A1 could handle, and he turned to alcohol to help him cope. In time A1 became an alcoholic.As the alcoholism progressed, A1 began to lose everything he possessed – his home, his land, his art objects, everything. Eventually A1 died alone in a San Francisco motel room.When I heart of A1‘s death, I reacted with the same disdain the world sh ows for one who ends his life with nothing material to show for it. ―What a complete failure!‖ I thought. ―what a totally wasted life!‖As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier harsh judgment. You see, I knew A1‘s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free flow of love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.I hadn‘t heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to defend an alcoholic. One day I worked up my courage to ask him. ―I‘m really puzzled by soothing‖, I said. ―I know your father was basically the only one to raise you. What on earth did he do that you became such a special person?‖Ernie sat qu ietly and reflected for a few moments. Then he said, ―From my earliest memories as a child until I left home at 18, A1 came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‗I love you, son.‘‖Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to judge A1 as a failure. He had not left any material possession behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and he left one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.1. Al's elder son probably died of acute appendicitis due to ________ according to this passage.A. lack of care and nutritionB. the couple's carelessnessC. serious stomachacheD. too much alcohol2. What can we know from the second paragraph?A. Given more attention, the boy could be saved.B. Al eventually became an alcoholic without any reason.C. Al's wife was also dead because of her elder son's death.D. The boy's death couldn't be avoided even if he was given more attention.3. How did the writer evaluate Al's son, Ernie in this passage?A. Kind.B. Caring.C. Loving.D. All above.4. The purpose of writing this passage for the writer is to show ________.A. we should reevaluate Al's meaning of lifeB. love is the best heritage in our lifeC. Ernie is a kind, caring and loving sonD. Al's death is a totally wasted life as wellMy 14-year-old son, John, and I spotted the coat at the same time in a second-hand clothing store. It stood out among big and old coats. This coat was different from the others. It was thick, with a black wool lining(衬里), soft and well preserved. The coat had a black velvet collar, beautiful tailoring, and a Fifth Avenue label at an unbelievable price: $28.I looked at my son and we both said nothing, but John‘s eyes gleamed(隐约闪光). Dark, woolen topcoats were popular with teenage boys, but they could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better. It had a touch of classic elegance. John slid his arms down into the heavy lining of the sleeves and buttoned the coat. He turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror. The fit was perfect.John wore the coat to school the next day and came home with a grin. ―Did the kids like your coat?‖ I asked. ―They loved it,‖ he said.Over the next few weeks, John changed. He was polite, less argumentative, more thoug htful, and overall much happier. ―Good dinner, mom,‖ he would say every evening. He would generously loan his younger brother his tapes and lecture him on his behaviour. Without a word of objection he would carry in wood for the stove. One day when I suggested that he might start on his homework before dinner, John, who always put things off, said: ―You‘re right. I guess I will.‖ When I mentioned this incident to one of his teachers, she joked that the coat must have changed him.At the library, we ran into a friend who had not seen our children in a long time. ―Could this be John?‖ he asked, looking up to John‘s new height, assessing the cut of his coat and extending his hand.John and I both know we should never mistake a person's clothes for the real person within them. But there is something to be said for wearing a standard of excellence for the world to see, for practicsing standards of excellence in thought, speech, and behavior, and for matching what is on the inside to what is on the outside. Sometim es, watching John leave for school. I‘ve remembered what it felt like to be in the eighth grade-a time when it was as easy to try on different approaches to life as it is to try on a coat. The whole future is stretched out ahead, where all the doors are open. And if I were there right now, I would picture myself walking through those doors wearing my wonderful, magical coat.Choose the best answer:1. What does the author try to convey in the first paragraph?A. The coat looked like a magical coat.B. The author and John were good at shopping.C. The coat was well make and selling for a good price.D. The author and John had the same taste in clothes.2. What does the underlined word ―grin‖ in Paragraph 3 mean?A. A big smile.B. A worried look.C. A jealous spirit.D. A joking tone.3. Since John wore the new coat, the author found he __________.a. was happier and more obedientb. received more praise from his teachersc. was willing to following suggestionsd. made rapid progress academicallye. would say sweet words to please herA. a, b, cB. a, c, eC. b, d, eD. c, d, e4. What message does the author intend to deliver in the article?A. That we should not judge people by their appearance.B. That life is full of possibilities when we are young.C. That it‘s beneficial to try different things in our lives.D. What we wear could help shape who we are inside.As a young man, Al was a skilled artist. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his oldest son 1 a severe stomachache. Thinking it was only some 2 intestinal （肠内的）disorder, neither Al nor his wife took the condition very 3 . But the boy 4suddenly that night.Knowing the death could have been 5 if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Al's emotional health became worse under the huge burden of his guilt. To make matters 6 , his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two 7 were more than Al could handle, and he8 to alcohol. In time Al 9 an alcoholic.As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose everything he 10 — his home, his land, his art works everything. 11 Al died alone in a San Francisco motel room.When I heard of Al's death, I thought that Al's life was a complete 12 . I thought. "What a totally wasted life".As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier judgment. I knew Al's now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have 13 known.I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free 14 of love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.I hadn't heard Ernie talk much about his father. One day I worked 15 my courage to ask him. "I'm really 16 by something," I said. "I know your father was 17 the only one to raise you. What on earth did he do that you became such a special person?"Ernie sat quietly and 18 for a few moments. Then he said, "From my earliest 19 as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ' I love you, son.' "Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to 20 Al as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.1. A. formed B. developed C. received D. gained2. A. average B. normal C. ordinary D. common3. A. slightly B. secretly C. seriously D. terribly4. A. died B. choked C. starved D. worsened5. A. cured B. prevented C. forbidden D. saved6. A. better B. heavier C. worse D. happier7. A. disasters B. adventures C. directions D. situations8. A. got B. drank C. turned D. sank9. A. turned B. became C. followed D. created10. A. needed B. shared C. benefited D. possessed11. A. Eventually B. Gradually C. Therefore D. Meanwhile12. A. trouble B. hardship C. failure D. waste13. A. never B. even C. still D. ever14. A. win B. fall C. space D. flow15. A. up B. with C. on D. through16. A. worried B. puzzled C. interested D. attracted17. A. especially B. basically C. merely D. specially18. A. argued B. searched C. analyzed D. reflected19. A. thoughts B. ideas C. minds D. memories20. A. treat B. call C. judge D. feelMy 14-year-old son，John，and I spotted the coat which was hanging at a secondhand clothing store in Northampton Mass. While the other coats dropped（低垂），this one looked as if it were __1__.The coat had beautiful tailoring，a Fifth Avenue label and a（n）__2__ price of $28，which was popular just then with __3__，but could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better，bearing that __4__ of classic elegance. John tried it on and the fit was perfect.John __5__ the coat to school the next day and came home wearing a big smile ―Did the kids like your coat？‖ I asked.―They loved it，‖ he said，__6__ folding it over the back of a chair and smoothing it flat. Over the next few weeks，a __7__ came over John. Agreement replaced contrariness（作对）and reasoned discussion replaced fierce __8__.He became more mannerly and __9__，eager to please. He would generously loan his younger brother his tapes and lecture him __10__ his behavior.When I mentioned this incident to his teacher and __11__ what caused the changes，she said laughin g.―It __12__ be his coat！‖ Another teacher told him she was giving him a good __13__ not only because he had earned __14__ but because she liked his coat. At the library，we ran into a friend ―Could this be John？‖ he asked surprisingly，__15__ John's new height，assessing the cut of his coat and extending his hand，one gentleman to another.John and I both know we should never __16__ a person's clothes for the real person within them.__17__ there is something to be said for wearing a standard of excellence for the world to see and for __18__ what is on the inside to what is on the outside.For John it is a time when it is as easy to try on different approaches to __19__ as it is to try on a coat. The whole world，the whole future is stretched out ahead，a vast landscape __20__ all the doors are open. And he could picture himself walking through those doors wearing his wonderful，magical coat.1．A．turning itself up B．holding itself up C．showing itself up D．hanging itself up 2．A．unreasonable B．expected C．unbelievable D．acceptable 3．A．teenagers B．adults C．women D．strangers 4．A．color B．price C．style D．size5．A．sent B．carried C．lent D．wore 6．A．casually B．comfortably C．carefully D．quickly 7．A．happiness B．change C．smile D．matter 8．A．doubt B．fight C．argument D．war 9．A．thoughtful B．handsome C．hopeful D．curious 10．A．of B．on C．with D．at 11．A．wondered B．confirmed C．concluded D．discovered 12．A．can B．must C．will D．should 13．A．present B．mark C．word D．result 14．A．this B．them C．it D．one 15．A．looking up at B．looking down on C．checking up D．taking up 16．A．trust B．mistake C．exchange D．regard 17．A．But B．Though C．Since D．So 18．A．attaching B．connecting C．relating D．matching 19．A．career B．life C．study D．success 20．A．where B．why C．how D．when。