When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie’s basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple, orange, blue and green.“Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint.” She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted bit stripes (条纹) of colors across the pavement (人行道). Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn’t wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother’s face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, “What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors’ trees, but this! Come inside right now!” I stood there glaring hack at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art.“Now go clean it up!” Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.41. What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?A. To introduce Stephanie to her.B. To prevent her from seeing his painting.C. To put the materials back in the yard.D. To show his artwork to her.
When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.
It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie’s basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple, orange, blue and green.
“Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint.” She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted bit stripes (条纹) of colors across the pavement (人行道). Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!
The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn’t wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother’s face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.
My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, “What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors’ trees, but this! Come inside right now!” I stood there glaring hack at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art.
“Now go clean it up!” Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.
Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.
41. What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?
A. To introduce Stephanie to her.
B. To prevent her from seeing his painting.
C. To put the materials back in the yard.
D. To show his artwork to her.
相关考题：
Is there anything else I can help you with? () A、Someday I'd like to visit Beijing.B、No. You’ve been a big help.C、I am glad to meet you.D、Are you a student?
I () his face when he opened the letter. A.should like you to seeB.would have liked you to be seenC.should like you to have seenD.would like you to see
I’d like to ________ your essay with you when you have time. A.go forB.go overC.go afterD.go by
Wang (guest): That was a delicious dinner. Mrs. Willis (hostess): ______. Would you like to go to the living room now? It's more comfortable there.A．Thank you. Don't mention itB．You're welcomeC．Not so delicious, I'm afraidD．I'm glad you enjoyed it
第一节：阅读下列短文， 从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项， 并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。A.When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie’s basement. As I opened the basement door, before we lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there, lay even more paint in *** colors like purple, orange, blue and green.“Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint.” She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our material to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted bit stripes (条纹) of colors across the pavement (人行道). Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn’t wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother’s face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, “What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles ** of leaves, ‘and climbed the neighbors’ trees, but this! Come inside right now!” I stood there glaring hack at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art.“Now “go clean it up!” Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my checks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.41. What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?A. To introduce Stephanie to her.B. To prevent her from seeing his painting.C. To put the material back in the yard.D. To show his artwork to her.
(A Lesson in Living) Marguerite wanted to behave like a nice little lady in front of Mrs. Flowers.()
Do you know the name of that ( ) insect A、red little funny bee-likeB、little funny bee-like redC、little bee-like funny redD、funny little red bee-like
Which do you prefer, living in ________ or living in ________? A.the countryside...a big cityB.a country...a big cityC.the country...the countrysideD.the countryside...the country
You don’t like buying things online, do you?()A、 Yes、I don’t like it muchB、 No、I’m a little worried about securityC、 No、It’s very convenient
—My whole body feels weak and I've got a headache. — ( )?A. How long ago did you get it thisB. How long have you been like thisC. How soon have you got itD. How soon have you liked this
When introducing yourself to someone you don't know at a party, what would you say?()A、Hi, I'm**B、May I introduce myself to you and at the same time I make your acquaintance?C、Hi, I'd like to meet you.D、Hi, I'm .Do you know many people here?
Sue: Do you like these grapes?Nancy: ______A、Not at all.B、I've tasted better.C、Very little.D、They taste terrible.
Frank: Would you like to come to out fancy dress party?Daisy: Certainly. But I'd be a little late. ______?
共用题干Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be,I learned in kindergarten.Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain,but there in the sand pile at nursery school.These are the things I learned:Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people.Put things back where you found them.Clean up your own mess.Don't take things that aren't yours.Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.Wash your hands before you eat.Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.Live a balanced life.Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.Take a nap every afternoon.When you go out into the world,watch for traffic,hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup?The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why,but we are all like that.Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup一they all die.So do we.And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned,the biggest word of all: Look.Everything you need to know is in there somewhere,the Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation,ecology and polities and sane living.Think of what a better world it would be if we all一the whole world一had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap.Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes.And it is still true,no matter how old you are,when you go out into the world,it is better to hold hands and stick together.When you go out into the world,watch for traffic,hold hands and stick together.A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned
共用题干Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be,I learned in kindergarten.Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain,but there in the sand pile at nursery school.These are the things I learned:Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people.Put things back where you found them.Clean up your own mess.Don't take things that aren't yours.Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.Wash your hands before you eat.Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.Live a balanced life.Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.Take a nap every afternoon.When you go out into the world,watch for traffic,hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup?The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why,but we are all like that.Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup一they all die.So do we.And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned,the biggest word of all: Look.Everything you need to know is in there somewhere,the Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation,ecology and polities and sane living.Think of what a better world it would be if we all一the whole world一had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap.Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes.And it is still true,no matter how old you are,when you go out into the world,it is better to hold hands and stick together.And it is still true,no matter how old you are,when you go oul into the world,it is better to hold hands and stick together.A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned
共用题干Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be,I learned in kindergarten.Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain,but there in the sand pile at nursery school.These are the things I learned:Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people.Put things back where you found them.Clean up your own mess.Don't take things that aren't yours.Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.Wash your hands before you eat.Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.Live a balanced life.Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.Take a nap every afternoon.When you go out into the world,watch for traffic,hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup?The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why,but we are all like that.Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup一they all die.So do we.And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned,the biggest word of all: Look.Everything you need to know is in there somewhere,the Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation,ecology and polities and sane living.Think of what a better world it would be if we all一the whole world一had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap.Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes.And it is still true,no matter how old you are,when you go out into the world,it is better to hold hands and stick together.Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned
共用题干Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be,I learned in kindergarten.Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain,but there in the sand pile at nursery school.These are the things I learned:Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people.Put things back where you found them.Clean up your own mess.Don't take things that aren't yours.Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.Wash your hands before you eat.Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.Live a balanced life.Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.Take a nap every afternoon.When you go out into the world,watch for traffic,hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup?The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why,but we are all like that.Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup一they all die.So do we.And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned,the biggest word of all: Look.Everything you need to know is in there somewhere,the Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation,ecology and polities and sane living.Think of what a better world it would be if we all一the whole world一had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap.Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes.And it is still true,no matter how old you are,when you go out into the world,it is better to hold hands and stick together.Wisdom was at the top of the graduate mountain.A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned
共用题干Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be,I learned in kindergarten.Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain,but there in the sand pile at nursery school.These are the things I learned:Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people.Put things back where you found them.Clean up your own mess.Don't take things that aren't yours.Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.Wash your hands before you eat.Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.Live a balanced life.Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.Take a nap every afternoon.When you go out into the world,watch for traffic,hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup?The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why,but we are all like that.Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup一they all die.So do we.And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned,the biggest word of all: Look.Everything you need to know is in there somewhere,the Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation,ecology and polities and sane living.Think of what a better world it would be if we all一the whole world一had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap.Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes.And it is still true,no matter how old you are,when you go out into the world,it is better to hold hands and stick together.In university I learned:Live a balanced life.A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned
共用题干Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be,I learned in kindergarten.Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain,but there in the sand pile at nursery school.These are the things I learned:Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people.Put things back where you found them.Clean up your own mess.Don't take things that aren't yours.Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.Wash your hands before you eat.Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.Live a balanced life.Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.Take a nap every afternoon.When you go out into the world,watch for traffic,hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup?The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why,but we are all like that.Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup一they all die.So do we.And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned,the biggest word of all: Look.Everything you need to know is in there somewhere,the Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation,ecology and polities and sane living.Think of what a better world it would be if we all一the whole world一had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap.Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes.And it is still true,no matter how old you are,when you go out into the world,it is better to hold hands and stick together.We all will die like golden fish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup.A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned
A:What do you plan to do this weekend?B:_____56_____A:I hear there′s going to be a basketball match this Sunday.Tom and I are going to watch it._____57_____?B:Of course.Basketball is my favourite.But I have no ticket for the match.What a pity!A:You′re lucky.I have some free tickets.____58______.B:Great!_____59_____?A:Let′s meet at the bus stop at half past five.B:I think there must be a big crowd of people there._____60_____?A:OK.See you at five o′clock.B:See you.第（57）题选A.What about making it a little earlierB.I have no ideaC.Let′s go togetherD.Thank you all the sameE.Do you like basketballF.When and where shall we meetG.What are you going to doH.It doesn′t matter
Ron was an engineer.He planned a change and tried the new job of teaching kids how to swim.Ron′s easy?manner soon made him a full-time employee at the swim school.Now,the 40 hours he works a week takes in weekends,early mornings and late afternoons.He earns around?25%less than he did in engineering.But,at 49,he says he has never been happier."I′ve had a drop in pay,but I′ve?cut back on spending,too.I seldom drive to work so don′t have to pay as much for petrol（汽油）.I don′t drink as much.I go walking in my lunch break and I′ve lost 20 kilos.I love going to work.The whole family is a lot happier."When one of his brothers called,offering to help him find"a real i oh",he answered,"I don′t care.I know what?I′m doing is good."He admits it was fearful making such a big change when there was the mortgage（分期付款）to pay and kids to clothe and feed,but in the end he feels it is a simple choice."If you′re in a job you don′t like,get out.Money′s not?everything.If you don′t like it,change—find something you′re going to be happy with."How does Ron manage to cut back on spending?A.He spends less on clothes.B.He calls his brothers less.C.He drives less.D.He has less food for lunch.
When you are little,the whole world feels like a big playground.I was living in Conyers,Georgia the summer it all happened.I was a second grader,but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade.Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie′s basement.As I opened the basement door,before us lay the biggest room,full of amazing things like guns,dolls,and old clothes.I ran downstairs,and spotted a red steel can.It was paint.I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple,orange,blue and green."Stephanie,I just found us a project,for the day.Get some paintbrushes.We are fixing to paint."She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work.We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard.There on the road in front of my house,we painted bit stripes（条纹）of colors across the pavement（人行道）.Stripe by stripe,our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow.It was fantastic!The sun was starting to sink.I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car.It was my mother.I couldn′t wait to show her my masterpiece.The car pulled slowly into the drive way and from the look on my mother′s face,I could tell that I was in deep trouble.My mother shut the car door and walked towards me.Her eyes glaring,she shouted,"What in the world were you thinking?I understood when you made castles out of leaves,and climbed the neighbors′trees,but this!Come inside right now!"I stood there glaring back at her for a minute,angry because she had insulted（侮辱）my art."Now go to clean it up!"Mother and I began cleaning the road.Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.Though years have now passed,I still wonder where my?rainbow?has gone.I wonder if,maybe when I get older,I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away.I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.It can be learned from the passage that parents shouldA.encourage children to paintB.value friendship among childrenC.discover the hidden talent in childrenD.protect rather than destroy children's dreams
Ron was an engineer.He planned a change and tried the new job of teaching kids how to swim.Ron′s easy?manner soon made him a full-time employee at the swim school.Now,the 40 hours he works a week takes in weekends,early mornings and late afternoons.He earns around?25%less than he did in engineering.But,at 49,he says he has never been happier."I′ve had a drop in pay,but I′ve?cut back on spending,too.I seldom drive to work so don′t have to pay as much for petrol（汽油）.I don′t drink as much.I go walking in my lunch break and I′ve lost 20 kilos.I love going to work.The whole family is a lot happier."When one of his brothers called,offering to help him find"a real i oh",he answered,"I don′t care.I know what?I′m doing is good."He admits it was fearful making such a big change when there was the mortgage（分期付款）to pay and kids to clothe and feed,but in the end he feels it is a simple choice."If you′re in a job you don′t like,get out.Money′s not?everything.If you don′t like it,change—find something you′re going to be happy with."What′s Ron′s advice to the readers?A.Stick to the job if you have kids to raise.B.Change the job if you don't like it any more.C.Stick to the job if you have mortgage to pay.D.Change the job if you don't get enough money.
When you are little,the whole world feels like a big playground.I was living in Conyers,Georgia the summer it all happened.I was a second grader,but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade.Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie′s basement.As I opened the basement door,before us lay the biggest room,full of amazing things like guns,dolls,and old clothes.I ran downstairs,and spotted a red steel can.It was paint.I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple,orange,blue and green."Stephanie,I just found us a project,for the day.Get some paintbrushes.We are fixing to paint."She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work.We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard.There on the road in front of my house,we painted bit stripes（条纹）of colors across the pavement（人行道）.Stripe by stripe,our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow.It was fantastic!The sun was starting to sink.I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car.It was my mother.I couldn′t wait to show her my masterpiece.The car pulled slowly into the drive way and from the look on my mother′s face,I could tell that I was in deep trouble.My mother shut the car door and walked towards me.Her eyes glaring,she shouted,"What in the world were you thinking?I understood when you made castles out of leaves,and climbed the neighbors′trees,but this!Come inside right now!"I stood there glaring back at her for a minute,angry because she had insulted（侮辱）my art."Now go to clean it up!"Mother and I began cleaning the road.Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.Though years have now passed,I still wonder where my?rainbow?has gone.I wonder if,maybe when I get older,I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away.I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?A.To introduce Stephanie to her.B.To prevent her from seeing his painting.C.To put the materials back in the yard.D.To show his artwork to her.
Ron was an engineer.He planned a change and tried the new job of teaching kids how to swim.Ron′s easy?manner soon made him a full-time employee at the swim school.Now,the 40 hours he works a week takes in weekends,early mornings and late afternoons.He earns around?25%less than he did in engineering.But,at 49,he says he has never been happier."I′ve had a drop in pay,but I′ve?cut back on spending,too.I seldom drive to work so don′t have to pay as much for petrol（汽油）.I don′t drink as much.I go walking in my lunch break and I′ve lost 20 kilos.I love going to work.The whole family is a lot happier."When one of his brothers called,offering to help him find"a real i oh",he answered,"I don′t care.I know what?I′m doing is good."He admits it was fearful making such a big change when there was the mortgage（分期付款）to pay and kids to clothe and feed,but in the end he feels it is a simple choice."If you′re in a job you don′t like,get out.Money′s not?everything.If you don′t like it,change—find something you′re going to be happy with."What is Ron′s new job like?A.Well-paid.B.Interesting.C.Easy to do.D.No free time.
单选题—Do you enjoy your present job? ______. I just do it for a living.AOf courseBNot reallyCNot likelyDNot a little
问答题I wish my memory worked differently. I’d like to be able to conjure up an accurate image of my (1)____(conscious) from, say, 25 years ago. You know what 25 years means? No cellphones, no e-mail, no Internet, no social networking (except with an actual drink in hand), and only the most primitive of personal computers. What I want to answer is a single (2)____: Was I as addicted to the future than as I seem to be now? I ask this because I really enjoy a new update to my operating system, like the one I (3) down ____ from Apple earlier this week. I find it (4) ____(surprise) pleasing when one of my iPhone applications requests an update too. Every day I await, with anticipation, a long list of e-mail messages that could arrive at any second, and there are several people I’m really eager to get a text message (5)____. Those, too, could come at any time. Soon—even now—I could find my feed-list in Google Reader delightfully stuffed with newness. I am not a Twitterer, but I understand the dismay the Twitter world must have felt during its service (6)____(disrupt) last week. When I think back 25 years, there just wasn’t that much to be waiting (7)____. The phone might ring—and if you left home, you had to leave without it. The mail would come, and so might UPS or Federal Express. Someone might stop by on the spur of the moment. A fax perhaps? That was about it. I’ve always looked forward to the mail coming. I don’t know why, and now where the mail comes constantly, (8) cease____, a world where I find myself dismayed by the slowdown in blog feeds over the weekend. I consider myself a moderate user of personal electronics. I almost never wear earbuds, and yet this constant foretaste of the future, this hunger for the next electronic blip, feels to me like a full-blown (9)____(addict). Which is why I’d like a clearer picture of my old self. Was I a little more serene 25 years ago? Was there a little more silence inside my head? A little less (10)____(expect)? Or was I leaning headlong into the future even then?