I have always believed that “Any man can be a father, but it 1 someone special to be a dad.” This is true. Since the2 of my son, Joshua, things have changed a lot in my life, but the3 have been good! My wife and I have been through many4 moments which have made both of us stronger.

    My son was born 5 a serious breathing problem and he couldn't keep his medicine down. He was put on several different medications, 6he did not get any better. My wife and I were both told many times by people that Joshua 7he was born early; he had not8 much weight since he was born.

    As time progressed his regular doctor advised my wife and me 9 Dr. Eid, a specialist in Louisville. He was 10by my son's condition and so we were sent to Louisville's Children's Hospital. Joshua 11many different checkups. The 12spent there was very demanding for my wife and me. But we did make it13. Our son Joshua was diagnosed (诊断) with asthma (哮喘), and with acid reflux syndrome (酸回流综合症). After the treatment, his14 began to improve slowly.

    Joshua is 1 year and 1 month old now and his progress has been15 he is up to 27 pounds now. I keep telling my wife that if he keeps16 like this he might become a football 17someday. There is a 18 that has helped me get through these troublesome times, “Problems will either 19you or break you.” When you think the20hours are upon you, remember the dawn is just in sight.

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中， 选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

    My friend Samuel, who is a good runner, and I ran a 5K race last weekend. It was my first organized1. “You run ahead,” I said at the starting line. “You2?” he asked. “Go!” I said. “I'll see you at the3”

    Samuel took off, strong and full of energy. My4 hit the ground in a familiar pattern, and I5 it to the half-way point. My legs started to6 and my back hurt. 7, I wanted to give up but my spirit told me not to. I started to think I should have8 a shorter goal as the great distance was too much for me. I began to9 deciding to run the 5K race. I thought about all this while running. The road seemed very10.

    11 I ran along, my feet felt like lead(铅). It seemed as if I would 12 make it. I was so tired that I couldn't move a step further. I tried to13 myself by sayings. Some words appeared in my mind. They were “Do 14 by halves” and “To persevere(坚持) means victory”. They were 15 and they filled me with fresh energy. Anyway, I wouldn't quit. I 16 along. I eventually saw the white tent by the finishing line.

    Samuel was at the finishing line. When I 17 at the end, he put his arm around my shoulders and18 his hand for a high-five.

    I realized that19 you never give up, the goal you set can be reached. Above all, you just have to be20 and take one step at a time.

    In 2005, I had a stroke and was taken into hospital. I was paralyzed down one side, with only a pad and a pen to 1 . But on my first day, after writing a note to the nurse, I found my right 2 wandering across the page. It was so 3 because I just copied a cartoon as a child, and I hadn't drawn since then. The act was 4; 5 when a nurse asked me what I was doing did I look down to see patterns all over the paper.

    From then on I woke up every night at 2 a.m. And kept drawing until dawn. It didn't feel 6. I'd never drawn before in my life but now couldn't 7.

    The 8explained that very occasionally, following a stroke, a patient's brain rewired itself to avoid the damaged area. Sometimes this can 9 a new ability in a patient: in my case, 10.

    I'd never had the 11 interest in art in my life. I was an engineer by trade, and now, 12, memories and thoughts appeared to me as abstract 13 . It was just something that happened. Drawing had become like breathing: something I did instinctively and without 14.

    In 2007, I heard about Second Life, the online virtual world. Inside, I 15art galleries selling digital art for real 16 and I decided to 17 my work for the first time. Two months later, someone 18 me saying he had bought two of my pictures online and wanted one in real life.

    Now I'm a 19 artist—in my first year I've earned around ￡30,000. I've been featured in some art exhibitions, 20 many of my pictures appeared on the cover.

    In August 1999,Yuriko noticed that her daughter,Ayako,was looking thin and pale,1 she insisted that the 22-year-old see a doctor.As they waited for the rest results,the doctor2 gave Yuriko a note while her daughter wasn't noticing.

    In the restroom,Yuriko opened the note,“It is stomach cancer,“said the doctor.“Please3There is no time.”

On September 21,Ayako had a(n)4Three quarters of her stomach were removed.The doctor 5 the situation to Yuriko but the medical terms sounded like a foreign language.

    Ayako was put on anti-cancer drugs,and over the next three months,she 6 from side effects,and lost seven kilograms.

    Yuriko decided to do more to 7 her daughter.She read all kinds of books on cancer.As a single mother,she had no one to share her 8with.

9 the difficulties,Yuriko was able to help her daughter.When Ayako started experiencing breathing difficulties,Yuriko 10 if it could be a side effect of the anti-cancer drug.She told Ayako's doctor and he 11to take her off the drug.

    12in November 2002,Ayako's treatment came to an end.Although she felt her pain 13Yuriko couldn't forget how lost and 14 she felt during her daughter's treatment.She wrote a letter to the local newspaper 15the creation of a support group for cancer patients.

    Phone calls and letters 16 her idea started pouring in.In December 2002,Yuriko formally17 Ikkikai,roughly meaning “sharing the joy”,with the18of providing hope and information for people with cancer,and their families.

    Ikkikai's message has begun to 19Yuriko says,“The simple act of talking to other people who understand your problems can make the greatest 20I hope that more people would join in the group.”

    Susan was a shy but clever girt. She1 thick glasses, which were often made fun of by her classmates. The   2 thing was that Lewis had started calling her “Four Eyes”, and the nickname had become very 3. Now everyone knew her as “Suzy Four Eyes”.

    One day, the class went to visit some famous caves. When walking to the caves, Lewis put his right4in a hole and slipped(滑倒). While5 , he caught Susan, who was walking next to him, and they both fell into the hole.

They 6 in a dark cave. There was only a ray of light coming from the cave roof. Susan and Lewis shouted for help,7 no one came. Sitting together in the cold, dark cave, they 8 a long night.

    The next morning, they still hadn't been9. Lewis continued shouting for help,10 to look for a way out. But nothing was found.

    Hours later, Susan noticed that the light was 11into the hole in a straight line. Quickly, she gathered some leaves.12her glasses as a magnifying glass(放大镜), she focused the 13onto the leaves until a little flame came out. Lewis watched all this with 14and excitement.

    15the light from fire, they began to explore the cave.
    16, they found a way out and Lewis gave Susan his sincere thanks. Now he17 having named Susan “Four Eyes”,18after seeing that it was her glasses that had 19them both. Lewis told everyone20had happened and said, “I couldn't have been with a better friend than Laser Light Suzy!”And from that day there was no longer any Four Eyes at their school, but Laser(激光)Light Suzy instead.

    Last summer, my parents sold our minivan and bought a Dodge Dart. They thought it was “necessary” to 1 a smaller vehicle.

    This decision affected me greatly because the new car had a manual transmission（手动变速）2I only knew how to drive automatic.

    But this summer was supposed to be3 seeing as it was my first summer with my G2 driver's4 In Ontario, having a G2 means you are able to drive without the supervision（监督）of a 9an)5.

    After the long hours I'd spent learning to drive the car, it felt even 6 to drive it around on my own. I felt a new-found sense of maturity and 7 that I really enjoyed. I would drive everywhere8 when I probably didn't need to.

    So9 when my mom asked me to 10some groceries from the local store I decided to11 instead of walk. While turning into the open spot in the store's parking lot, I somehow scratched the car beside me. When I got out to 12 the damage, a bystander ran up warning me to contact the owner of the car I had scratched, or she would tell her husband, who was “a cop”.

    Shocked and at a loss for words, I managed to find a piece of paper to write my13 number on and put it on the 14 car's window.

    I was really 15when I got home, because not only had I managed to 16 our own new car, I'd also damaged another person's car.

    When the owner called me, she was very aggressive and 17 .Though I hadn't hit her car on purpose, I finally said it would probably be better if she 18back and talked to my parents. When it was all settled, the total19were around $2,000.

    From this matter, I learned that as I got older I would get many new 20 but they will also come with more responsibility.