Jack was born without eyes. He's very lucky with his timing. He grew up having other kittens to play and socialize with, and was used to people from the moment he was born since there are always kids hanging around the barn. He was a favorite amongst the students at the barn. However, when it came time to find the kittens homes, no one knew where Jack would end up. That's when I got an e-mail from my friend. All she asked was “Do you still want one of the kittens? There's one here with no eyes and no one can take him.” Without thinking I told her that I did want the kitten.

    When we first brought him home Jack stayed mostly in my room. He walked cautiously around, sniffing everything. After about a day he had no issues running around, jumping onto my bed and climbing on everything. He went through a time where he could climb the stairs, but couldn't get down. He would sit at the top and cry until someone came and got him. Every now and then when he gets disoriented he'll stop and cry. But we just call his name and talk to him and it isn't long before he finds his way back to us.

    Also, a few weeks after getting Jack, we got a new barn cat named Bear. I always take Jack outside at that time for some fresh air and exercise. He loves to run (at top speed!) around the back yard and gardens. Bear and Jack have become best friends. It doesn't matter that he can't see, Jack always knows when Bear is around. He'll run across the yard straight to Bear and wrap his front legs around his neck in a big hug. They chase each other around and wrestle, and when they're tired they'll lie down in the grass together.

    Jack is truly an inspiration. I've owned a lot of kittens in my life, but Jack is the happiest, most playful of them all. He doesn't feel sorry for himself. Heck, for all he knows, all cats are just like him. People who know Jack don't feel sorry for him. They cherish him for the treasure that he is. I have talked to a few people who haven't met him personally who tend to pity him, but they just don't understand. Jack doesn't need pity. I think Jean (who has Gumbo the eyeless ginger) said it best when she told me that cats don't have disabilities, they have adaptabilities.

    Maybe you have heard the expression “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. So when you want to do business in France, you have to get to know French culture, to make marketing plans, and to run your business by local laws.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The French take great pride in their language, so anyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners. Also, another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country's culture and language.

    The first thing that you should do when meeting someone new is to shake his hand firmly and always look the person in the eye. In social meetings with friends, kissing is common.

    Use first names only after being invited to.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The French will sometimes introduce themselves using their surname first, followed by their first name.

    Dress well.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Your business clothing is a reflection of your success and social status. Always try to be tasteful and stylish. Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly.

    The French are passionate about food, so lunches are common in doing business m France, which usually consist of an appetizer, main meal with wine, cheese, dessert and coffee, and normally take up to two hours.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Do not begin eating until the host says, “bon appetite”. Pass dishes to the left, keep wrists above the table and try to eat everything on the plate.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This may suggest that you find the food tasteless.

A. The French draw information about people based on their appearance.

B. This is a time for relationship building.

C. Wearing make-up is practiced widely by business women.

D. Language should be the focus of anyone planning to do business in France.

E. Be careful with adding salt, pepper or sauces to your food.

F. Use Monsieur or Madame before the surname.

G. If eating in a restaurant, the person who invites always pays.

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词尾（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：⒈每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

⒉只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

    It was a freezing winter night. I pulled myself along the way before a long day's work stand behind the counter. An empty stomach and only ten-dollar note and a few pennies in the pocket, my life seemed hopelessly. Despite the warm Christmas atmosphere, my heart was frozen to dead. “Excuse me, Madam. Would you please be too kind as to give a few pennies? The little angels will appreciate for it.” A sweet voice rise behind me. I turned and found a plain-looking girt with two abandoned dogs. Without hesitations, I handed over the note in my pocket. Cheerfully the girl wait away and she would never know how she saved my day and my life.

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词尾（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：⒈每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

⒉只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

    It was a freezing winter night. I pulled myself along the way before a long day's work stand behind the counter. An empty stomach and only ten-dollar note and a few pennies in the pocket, my life seemed hopelessly. Despite the warm Christmas atmosphere, my heart was frozen to dead. “Excuse me, Madam. Would you please be too kind as to give a few pennies? The little angels will appreciate for it.” A sweet voice rise behind me. I turned and found a plain-looking girt with two abandoned dogs. Without hesitations, I handed over the note in my pocket. Cheerfully the girl wait away and she would never know how she saved my day and my life.

Grandparents Answer a Call

    As a third generation native of Brownsville, Texas, Mildred Garza never planned to move away. Even when her daughter and son asked her to move to San Antonio to help their children, she politely refused. Only after a year of friendly discussion did Ms Garza finally say yes. That was four years ago. Today all three generations regard the move as a success, giving them a closer relationship than they would have had in separate cities.

    No statistics show the number of grandparents like Garza who are moving closer to the children and grandchildren. Yet there is evidence suggesting that the trend（趋势）is growing. Even President Obama's mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, has agreed to leave Chicago and into the White House to help care for her granddaughters. According to a study grandparents com., 83 percent of the people said Mrs. Robinson's decision will influence the grandparents in the American family. Two-thirds believe more families will follow the example of Obama's family.

    “In the 1960s, we were all a little wild and couldn't get away from home far enough or fast enough to prove we could do it on our own,” says Christine Crosby, publisher of Grand a magazine for grandparents. “We now realize how important family is and how important it is to be near them, especially when you're raising children.”

    Moving is not for everyone. Almost every grandparent wants to be with his or her grandchildren and is willing to make sacrifices, but sometimes it is wiser to say no and visit frequently instead. Having your grandchildren far away is hard, especially knowing your adult child is struggling, but giving up the life you know may be harder.

    Reading can be a social activity. Think of the people who belong to book groups. They choose books to read and then meet to discuss them. Now, the website BookCrossing.com turns the page on the traditional idea of a book group.

    Members go on the site and register the books they own and would like to share. BookCrossing provides an identification number to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who findsit.

    Bruce Pederson, the managing director of BookCrossing, says, “The two things that change your life are the people you meet and books you read. BookCrossing combines both.”

    Members leave books on park benches and buses, in train stations and coffee shops. Whoever finds their book will go to the site and record where they found it.

    People who find a book can also leave a journal entry describing what they thought of it. E-mails are then sent to the BookCrossing to keep them updated about where their books have been found. Bruce Peterson says the idea is for people not to be selfish by keeping a book to gather dust on a shelf at home.

    BookCrossing is part of a trend among people who want to get back to the “real” and not the virtual(虚拟). The site now has more than one million members in more than one hundred thirty-five countries.