“Who can ever have imagined that someone like me would make it this far?” asked Chad Wood last week during his high school graduation speech as the best student. Chad offered 1 to his fellow classmates to never give up-and the words 2much more to himself. That's because Chad is deaf, and he told the story of the serious troubles he 3 to graduate first in his class at Harrison High school in Kennesaw, Georgia.

    Chad didn't start to 4 until he was 5, according to his mother, Pam Wood. Although her son was 5 a disadvantage, she was determined not to treat him6.“I've expected him to do everything every other kid does, and I saw no 7 why he couldn't,” she told ABC News.“And if he 8the first time, we just tried again.”

    Chad, 17, worked hard throughout school, 9 no special treatment but sitting at the front of the class and using a special audio system so he could hear the teacher. All his hard work 10. He received full school fare to Vanderbilt University. “Deafness had taught me a lesson to never11 ,” he said in the speech. ”Not when the experts tell you it cannot be done. Not when you have 12 so far behind that escaping seems the only way 13. Not when achieving your dreams seems an entire 14.”

    Chad spoke for about four minutes, after which he received a standing applause from the class and 15 messages from family, friends and strangers. “They've been sending me messages on Facebook, email; they've been talking to me in person telling me how it had a 16 on their lives and how they're really 17 by it,” Chad told ABC News. “It feels 18. Seeing that my words 19 have a power on someone and that they want to work harder 20 my words makes me feel wonderful.”

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

    My dad, “Mutt” Mantle is1 a father to me, sometimes more like a good judge of talent.

    He was 2 about baseball. He made his living working in mines. But he played baseball in several town teams.

    From the day I was born, Dad said he wanted me to make my living as baseball player. He named me Mickey3 a catcher he liked. He hoped I would play for the New York Yankees.

    Dad often 4 a toy baseball to my crib(摇篮). One day, 5. I caught one. Then he was sure that I'd be a ball player!

    I learned about the 6 on a ball field before I learned my ABC's. When I was three, Dad had Mama make me little uniform. He liked to 7 around town in it.

    When I five, I started school. That same day, I had my first 8 in switch-hitting(左右手都能击球)

    Dad and Grandpa were in the yard when I came home from school. They had a small bat and two9“Mickey,” said Dad, “ Grandpa and I have thought up at a new 10. Take this bat and try to hit our

    pitches(投掷).I'm left-handed. When I throw, you swing right-handed 11 you always have. Grandpa's right-handed. When he throws, turn around and swing left-handed.”

    Dad was going to make me a 12 ! He knew that a player who can bat both right and left has a good 13 of making hit.

    That day I tried and tried. But I couldn't swing left-handed. After about 15 minutes, I yelled to Mama for help. She said, “ I know it's easy. But please try.14, to make Dad happy .”

    So, every day after school we had switch-hitting 15. After two weeks, I didn't 16 it any more. My17 were getting trained. I began to hit a few.

    After a year or two, Dad and Grandpa began throwing as 18 as they could. And they put real curves(曲线)on those tennis balls. Then as I grew older, they began to use baseball 19.

    So you know20I, today's baseball star Mickey Mantle, got my star as a Switch-Hitter.

    On August 26,1999,New York City experienced a torrential downpour.The rain caused the streets to1and the subway system almost came to a stop.

    Unfortunately, this happened during the morning rush hour.Many people who were going to work were2to go home.Some battled to3a taxi or to get on a bus.Still others faced the4bravely,walking miles to get to work.

    I 5 to be one of the people on the way to work that morning.I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most6had stopped.After making my way7crowds of people,I finally found a subway line that was 8.Unfortunately,there were so many people waiting to9the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the10.So I took the train going in the opposite direction,and then switch back to the downtown train.Finally,after what seemed like an forever,the train11my stop.Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain. When I finally got to my office,I was12through,exhausted and13.

    My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off.When it was 5:00 pm,I was ready to go home.I was about to turn off my computer14I received an email from Garth,my Director:

    I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and15reported to work.It is always reassuring（今人欣慰）,at times like these,when employees so clearly show their16to their jobs.Thank you.

    Garth's email was short, but I learned more from that17message than I ever did from a textbook.The email taught me that a few words of18can make a big difference.The rainstorm and the traffic19had made me tired and upset.But Garth's words immediately20me and put a smile back on my face.

    Last week I stopped at a red light. To my left stood a young woman. She had a look of 1 on her face, ragged clothes, and a sign that 2, "Just need a little help. Thank you." I was 3 drawn to her. I had no cash in my 4. Instead, I gathered all the change I had in my car. I rolled my 5 down. "Hi. What's your name?" I asked. "Joyce," she 6with caution in her voice. "Hi, Joyce, I'm Kelley." I 7 my arm to give her a handshake. She unwillingly 8 my hand. "It's nice to meet you. I wish I had 9 to help you with but this is all I have right now." She pleasantly 10 her hands and 11 the coins. She started telling me how their house was burned down last year and they 12 everything. With no insurance and both losing their jobs, they were starting over.

    All week I drove by that place hoping to see Joyce and give her more. One week later, I was the first in 13 at the red light and as I 14 the light I smiled. There was Joyce. I asked her what her 15 were. She said that one of her relatives lived in Texas and 16 a few rental houses, and she had agreed to let them stay in one until they got 17. "I have a little something to help you 18 there," and I gave her a 20-dollar bill. "We all need a little help every now and then, don't we?" We both smiled and nodded in 19.

    Who knows if I'll ever see her again? But I know at that moment she smiled and she knew that things really were going to get better for her. And seeing her smile and the hope in her eyes is what I needed to 20 my trouble in life.

    I was appointed to tend to this patient several weeks ago and began to grow closer to her. Communicating with her was1because everything she wanted to say to me had to be written on a notepad. As a nursing graduate, I was able to2her mind by observing even a slight 3 in a patient's facial expression.

    One day, when I was checking the patient, she4me on the shoulder to show me a note," Do you think I could be let go5 the hospital in a month to see my niece get married?" Taking her hand in mine, I told her that I could not 6her, because I did not want to leave her a 7sense of hope. 8, I made her believe that I would be there with her every step of the way on her journey toward9. Hearing that, the patient gave me a10 and a hug.

    Day by day, I built her 11by walking around the floor with her. As I did this, I could see before my own eyes that her health was 12improving and able to walk more steadily. On her last today in hospital, just before her niece's 13, she wrote me last note," I couldn't have done this 14 you; I love you." After kissing goodbye, I had a strong sense of achievement. I realized that moments like this were 15I woke up early for16in the hospital and spent long hours with her. I truly felt, and her 17confirmed, that I was an18part of this woman's recovery. My experience with this patient shows me that this career allows to touch the 19of people in ways that people in other20will never get to experience.

    "Paul must have been trying to carry his waste paper to garbage can and dropped a few pieces." I1, picking them up.2later I found more pieces. No quiet sighing this time. I3, "Who is throwing garbage?" No answer. Instead, I saw more bits of paper4floating down from upstairs. Looking up. I saw my seven-year-old son, Paul.

    "Stop making a mess." "It's not a mess. They're5." "Sorry, what did you say?" I hadn't heard him clearly.

    He didn't answer me. Paul has autism (自闭症) and6answers a question, especially when he's7attentively on something else. He ran down the stairs. "Where are my other butterflies he asked,8around. Every time Paul9five or more words together, my heart says a10of thanks. But lately he seems to11that the benefits of forming complete sentences when communicating are12of the effort.

    Butterflies. Of course. I rushed to13them from the garbage,14them off and handed them to my young artist "Want to see them15again?" he asked with a shy smile. "Oh yes! They're beautiful." I whispered. He ran back upstairs to float his16down again. They really did look like beautiful butterflies.

    That day Paul17me to look up at18instead of down at garbage. How many other masterpieces (杰作) do I miss because I'm too caught up in my19to take time to appreciate what's right in front of me? Life is not what happens to us. It's20we look at it Now, I look up.