Last spring, I was fortunate to be chosen to participate in an exchange study program. In my application letter, I was careful to 1 how much I wanted to see France; evidently, my excitement really came through in my words. Once I 2 that I was going, all I could think about was the fun of foreign travel and making all sorts of new and 3 friends. While traveling was inspiring and meeting people was 4, nothing about my term in France was what I 5.

    The moment I arrived in Paris, I was 6 by a nice French couple who would become my host parents. My entire experience was joyous and exciting 7 I received some shocking news from my program coordinator（协调人）: there had been a death in my host parents' extended family. They had to travel outside France for several weeks. That afternoon, I had to 8 out of one family's house into another. The exchange coordinator told me I'd have a 9this time and asked whether I could share a bedroom with an English speaker. To avoid the temptation(诱惑) to 10my native language, I asked not to be 11 with an English-speaking roommate. When I got to my new room, I 12 myself to my new roommate Paolo, a Brazilian(巴西人), the same age as I, whom I was surprised to find playing one of my favorite CDS! In just a few hours, we knew we'd be good friends for the rest of the 13.

    I left France with many 14, so when people asked me what my favorite part of the trip was, they are always 15 to hear me talk about my Brazilian friend Paolo and scores of weekdays in class, weeknights on the town, and weekends16 France we enjoyed together. I love how people 17 seem so different, but end up being so18. The most valuable lesson I gained from studying in France wasn't just to respect the French people 19to respect all people, for your next best friend could be just a continent away. I would recommend an exchange program to anyone who wants to experience foreign cultures and gain meaningful 20.

    Six years ago, I walked into a local animal shelter on a cold, rainy day.1my house was already full of cats and dogs, I still couldn't 2an occasional visit to the shelter. This time as I was walking down the row of pens(畜栏) full of barking dogs, I3a small boy looking into one of them.

    He had a malnourished（营养不良的）looking body and a4face with a big nose5out of the middle of it. He was looking at a small golden dog. Its ribs（肋骨）were showing and its thin tail was folded between its legs. It wasn't begging for6like the other puppies7was hiding in the corner instead. The boy looked up at me with8eyes and asked what was wrong with it. “It was probably abused and9 ” I said. “That is why it is so 10 ”

    The boy 11turned to an old lady and said, “ Grandma, I want this one.” The old woman smiled and walked to the front desk to fill out the 12forms. I followed her and asked 13the boy. She told me that he'd had a 14start in life, too. She had just gotten custody(监护权) of him15the state had taken him from his parents. She hoped getting a dog would make his life 16for him. I looked back at him, holding his scared puppy, and said a prayer for them both.

    It was yesterday that I was driving down the road enjoying a gloriously sunny, spring day. Then in a green front yard I saw the boy. His 17body was tall and strong. His nose no longer 18big but fit well into his smiling face. He was throwing a ball to a healthy, happy dog shining golden hair. His little act of love and 19had indeed gone a long way. It had saved a dog's life, 20his own heart, and given this middle-aged man fresh hope for the whole world.

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

    He was known everywhere as a great artist. People1 from miles around to admire his beautiful2 His name was Pygmalion，and he lived long，long3 in Athens，Greece.

    Pygmalion4 his art for many years. His desire 5excellence made him spend months6a single work of art. He would not stop7he felt it was perfect.8the years passed，his work became9 Pygmalion painted flowers which looked 10natural that people tried to11them. He painted fruits which looked so12that people wanted to eat them. Everyone13 looked at the pictures he had painted was14by their beauty.

    As the years passed it15only his pictures that made him famous，Pygmalion16 made perfect pieces of sculpture.He could take a plain piece of wood17stone and make it beautiful. He could make a rough stone as18as glass. He worked long and hard to make his statues as real as possible. Often visitors who came to see his work began talking to someone. They were surprised when that person didn't19They were even more surprised20they realized they were talking to a statue. It always gave Pygmalion pleasure when people were surprised this way.

One afternoon, I was walking with Evan on the second floor. I talked on and on and Evan walked 1in front of me. As we turned a corner, Evan 2me and said the ten words. "Why are you talking to me? I'm not your friend." Those were the exact words he said to me that day. I stood there 3. He kept walking and never looked back. I4 to my next class with tears coming up in my eyes.

    We 5 spoke to each other after that. I 6 into a shell, like a turtle, to hide from the world. For the rest of my time in middle school, I didn't 7 myself to get close to anyone. I push away most of my friends8 being hurt again. I avoided unnecessary9.

    It wasn't until high school that I was able to 10my head out of my shell and begin 11people again. But even today, I am still 12 in choosing who I open up to. It takes me a very long time to warm up to 13.

    I was twelve then. I was too trusting and I took what Evan said 14. Maybe he was having a bad day15 maybe I was talking too much. In my view, what he said to me that day 16 the course of my life, but if weren't for that 17, I wouldn't have met my best friends in high school.

    I understand that, in middle school, we were all young. I've been able to 18 all the people who bullied me, but for some 19 I can't seem to forgive Evan. Those words that day hurt me more than anything. I believe that one day I'll be 20enough to forgive Evan too. But right now I'm still that twelve-year-old running down the hall with tears filled with his eyes.

    This is a simple T-shirt, but it has taught me the significance of 1. Looking at it, I go back into the past.

    It was a warm day when I 2my elementary school. It made me quite 3. I lay in my front yard in the warm sun. As I fell into sleep, I vaguely heard my mother's steps approaching. Then, I sat up, 4 lemonade or some apples. But she was carrying 5, and her face was just as 6. There must be something wrong. "Simon is in 7," she said.

    Simon was my stepfather's nephew. 8 we were not related by blood, Simon in some way meant more to me than any blood relative. Being both 9, we always went hiking and surfing together. I really enjoyed his 10 I wished to attend middle school with him, too.

    "He has cancer," my mom added. When I heard that, my stomach got heavier. "But he will 11, right?" I asked. "Because he has a rare case, it's not clear whether he can defeat it." My mom replied.

    Day by day, Simon seemed to be getting weaker and his 12 was bad, making him lack nutrition (营养). Throughout his 13, Simon suffered allergic shock (过敏) due to the medicine's side effects. Somehow, Simon was having a (an) 14 later. The whole family were thrilled. 15, Simon's improvement turned out to be a flash in a pan (昙花一现).

    It was around then that I 16 the "Simon Says…" T-shirt, which was designed with letters, "Simon Says… Cancer is a detour (绕行), instead of a stop sign." I proudly wore Simon's present in the summer vacation and 17 wearing it when later attending middle school. That sentence taught me however that challenge fought against us, we shouldn't 18.

    At last, Simon didn't 19it. But his T-shirt would have a lasting positive impact on the world. Simon 20and inspired countless people with his spirits.

    I was at a crowded grocery store not long ago. It was a weekday evening, cold and tense. People were carelessly 1 aisles(过道) and at one point, two women 2 for several minutes after running into each other.

    Things got 3 at the checkout line. The cashier scanned a man's discount card, but he misread the savings on her screen as an additional 4. He decided she was acting 5 and began to argue. The cashier tried in vain to reason with him. She 6 a manager, who accompanied him to customer service and moved to the next 7 in line.

    We've all witnessed 8 scenes like this in public places. My reaction when I see them is both personal and 9. I am a sociologist who studies how and why people communicate with one another — or why they 10 not to. To me, the grocery scene was another example of how our 11 in others has declined. But it was also a teachable 12 on how we can rebuild our faith — 13 with just one person.

    I 14 the nervous cashier. I got a bottle of water from a nearby cooler and handed it to her. "I felt 15 about how that man treated you and wanted to buy this for you," I said. Her face lit up, and we 16 as she scanned our items. She told me she had been 17 that evening through severe foot pain and would be having an operation later that week. I wished her well in her 18, and she thanked me as I left.

    Those are the balancing 19 that will add up to restore (重建)trust between people. You can start that pattern in someone else's life, even in a 20 as ordinary as the neighbourhood grocery store.