读《朝花夕拾》，作者回忆少年读了这一本孝子的教科书后，觉得其中“自然也有可以勉力仿效的故事”，如“____”之类。而“哭竹生笋”的故事则有些可疑，还有“卧冰求鲤”的故事，如模仿则有性命之忧了。

    Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?

    In 1969,the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River Cleveland, Ohio. It____(be) unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so polluted that it____(actual) caught fire and burned. Now, years later, this river is one of____most outstanding（杰出的）examples of environmental cleanup.

    But the river wasn't changed in a few days____even a few months. It took years of work ____(reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is____(clean) than ever.

    Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you leave a habit____is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don't know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an impossible situation, don't you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?

    While there are____(amaze) stories of instant transformation, for most of us the____(change) are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just be ____(patience).

You look worried! Is        all right?

Look! This is me. I'm thin.

（2015·茂名）阅读下面文章，根据文章内容，从每小题所给出的A、 B、 C、 D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

As a young man, Tom was a famous artist with a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son was ill. Tom and his wife thought it was nothing serious. But the boy died suddenly that night..

After his son died, Tom always felt very sad. To make matters worse, his wife also left him later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son, Emie. Sadly, he turned to alcohol(酒) for help.

As time went by, Tom began to lose everything he had---his land, house, etc. A few months later, Tom passed away alone in a small bar. Hearing of Tom's death, I thought,“What a complete failure!”

But later, I began to change my earlier opinion. I knew Tom's now adult son, Emie. He is one of the kindest, most caring men. I saw the love between Emie and his children. And I thought that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.

One day, I asked him what made him become such a specia1 person. Emie said quietly, “My father came into my room every night, give me a kiss and said,“love you, son.”

Hearing his words, I understood everything. Tom didn't leave many things behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and left behind his best love.