I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice.

    “Mom，come here！There's this lady here my size！”

    The mother rushed to her son；then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her，“It's okay.”

    Then I talked to the boy，“Hi，I'm Darryl Kramer. How are you？”

    He studied me from head to toe，and asked，“Are you a little mommy？”

    “Yes，I have a son，” I answered.

    “Why are you so little？” he asked. “It's the way I was born，”I said.“ Some people are little. Some are tall. I'm just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions，I shook the boy's hand and left.

My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.

    It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall .I was born an achondroplasia dwarf(侏儒)．Despite this，I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.

    I didn't realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids picked on me，calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.

    But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height，I made up for in personality.

    I'm 47 now，and the stares have not diminished as I've grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude，I remind myself，“Look what else I have－a great family，nice friends.”

    It's the children's questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers(a person of the same age，class，position，etc.)，whatever size and shape they come in，and treat them with respect.

    I remember believing in Santa when I was a very young girl. However, as I grew older, I learned many 1 that “proved” his nonexistence. Always 2 by nature, I was determined to use 3 to decide whether Santa Claus was 4

    The first year of tests5 when I was 5. I decided that if I 6 all night on Christmas Eve, I could see if Santa really came down the chimney. 7,that was a useless 8. I fell asleep that year, and when I woke up, I saw a 9wrapped present under the10.

    At age 7, I came up with another test to see if Santa was real. That year, I didn't send out my Christmas letter to Santa because I wanted 11 for Christmas, but this turned into a plot. By then, I 12 knew Santa wasn't real, but I wanted enough 13 to support this. That year was 14, because on Christmas Eve, my mother dragged me to our local Wal-Mart and led me around the toy section. I 15 to say a word, but did let my eyes 16 on a ballet set. I 17 that “Santa” wouldn't know what I wanted because he shouldn't be able to read my 18. However, mother would know everything that caught my eyes in the store. If I got the ballet set the next morning, I would have my evidence. Christmas morning, there was the ballet set, sitting under the tree again. 19 I didn't use it much, mother ended up returning it a few days later. She 20 Santa was generous enough to leave a receipt. That was the end to my task to discover the existence of Santa.

    The Open Hand — a Universal Sign

    When meeting people at the airport, We know that a smile is usually a sign that people feel friendly and happy, but what if we don't know who the new person is? What if we are meeting a stranger in an unfamiliar place? Sometimes people are dangerous and humans have to find ways to protect themselves. We have to make sure we can trust people we do not know, Showing our hands means that we are not armed（武装）. In many cultures today, the Western custom of shaking hands is used. We use our right hand, which is usually stronger than the left one. If we are using our hand this way, it cannot be holding a knife or a gun. It shows that we trust the other person,

    Not all cultures use the handshake, Japanese people might cover one hand with the other and, depending on whom they are greeting, bow slightly or quite low. In India, Hindu people join their hands in front of their faces and bow their heads. A Muslim will touch his heart, mouth and forehead（前额）to show respect. Even young people in the West now give each other the “high five”, when they slap（拍）each other's hands high in the air. They are all keeping their hands busy. In almost all cultures, to smile and show an open right hand means, “Welcome, you are safe with me.”

A. What if I want to show that I am bored?

B. most people smile and shake hands with people they meet.

C. and that the other person can trust us.

D. What if we are not introduced by a friend?

E. and people in many Asian cultures do not always touch another person.

F. and we have to show that we are not dangerous.

G. nor are they comfortable in the same way with touching or distance between people.

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。

    We were standing at the top of church tower. “Look down, Elsa,” Father said. I gathered all my 1and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the crisscross (十字形) of twisting, turning streets 2to the square.

     “See, my dear,” Father said gently. “There is more than one way to the 3 Life is like that. If you can't get to the place where you want to go by one road, try 4.”

    In the years that followed I often remembered the5Father taught me. I knew where I wanted to 6 in life. I wanted to be fashion designer. But on the way to my first small success I found the road 7.

    That year I was busy getting ready to show my winter fashions. Then just 13 days before the 8 the sewing girls were called out on strike. I found myself9 with one tailor and woman who was in charge of the sewing room! I was as gloomy as my models and salesgirls. “We'll never10 it,” one of them cried.

    Here, I thought, is the 11 of all tests for Father's advice. Where is the way 12 this time? I wondered and worried. I was certain we would have to 13 the presentation or else show the clothes unfinished. Then it 14 to me. Why not show the unfinished clothes?

    We worked hurriedly. And, exactly 13 days later, right 15 time, the Schiaparelli showing16.

    What a showing it was! Some coats had no sleeves; others had only one. Many of our clothes were still in a(n)17 stage. They were only patterns made of heavy cotton cloth. But on these we 18 simple pictures and pieces of material.

    All in all, the showing was different. It was so different that it was a great success. Our19 showing caught the attention of the public, and 20 for the clothes poured in.

    Father's wise words has guided me. There is more than one way to the square always.

阅读短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

    Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and, at its best, it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively（不引人注意地）and leave no mark.

    Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner's permission, except in natural parks.

    Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully-equipped campsite（野营地）seems to go against this, so seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access: walking in makes a real adventure.

    Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night's sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy and minimum（最小化的） influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot. When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite is found, not made—changing it should be unnecessary.

    Quick tips for better time management

    Are you a good time manager? If your answer is “no”, here are some tips on how to be a better time manager:

⒈Create a daily plan. Plan your day before it starts. The plan gives you a good description of how the day will go on. That way, you will be ready to deal with most of the things you meet.

    ⒉Focus. Are you multi-tasking so much that you're just not getting anything done? Only focus on what you're doing. You'll be more efficient that way.

    ⒊Stay away from your time wasters. What takes your time away from your work? QQ? Email checking? One thing you can do is make it hard to check them— remove them from your browser quick links.

    ⒋Don't take on more than you can deal with. For the distractions that come in when you're doing other things, give a firm no. Or do it later.

    ⒌Decide to be early. When you prepare to be on time, you'll either be on time or late. However, if you decide to be early, you'll most likely to be on time. For appointments, try to be early. For your deadlines, meet them earlier than required.

A. Learn to say “No”.

B. Most of the time you'll be late.

C. Great ways to know your time spent.

D. Cut off when you need to.

E. Stop checking them so often.

F. Your job for the day is to follow the plan as best as possible.

G. If so, focus on just one key task at one time

    Xie Lei a plane for London six months ago to complete a business .She is now halfway through the       3    year. At the beginning, she had to learn almost everything again. She lives with a      4    family, which gives her the         5     to learn more about everyday life and      6     in her new country.

    She wrote her first      7    to her        8     ， but she only got an E. Now she has    9    the life and she feels much more at home and is going to join a few university clubs in order to have a balance between study and a social life. We wish Xie Lei all the best with her    10   Keep it up! Xie Lei.