完形填空

　　As a teenager, I felt I was always letting people down．I was rebellious(反叛的)on the outside, 　　1　　 on the inside, I wanted people to 　　2　　 me．

　　Once I left home to hitchhike(搭便車)to California with my friend Penelope．The trip wasn’t 　　3　　, and there were many times I didn’t feel safe．One situation in particular 　　4　　 me grateful to still be alive．When I returned home, I was different, not so outwardly sure of myself．

　　I was happy to be home．But then I noticed that Penelope, who was 　　5　　 with us, was wearing my clothes．And my 　　6　　 seemed to like her better than me．I wondered if I would be 　　7　　 if I weren’t there．I told my mom, and she explained that 　　8　　 Penelope was a lovely girl, no one could 　　9　　 me．I pointed out, “She is more patient and is neater than I have ever been．” My mom said these were wonderful 　　10　　, but I was the only person who could fill my 　　11　　．She made me realize that even with my 　　12　　－and there were many I was a loved member of the family who couldn’t be replaced．

　　I became a searcher, wanting to 　　13　　 who I was and what made me unique(獨(dú)一無二的)．My 　　14　　 of myself was changing．I wanted a solid base to start from．I started to resist(抵抗)pressure to 　　15　　 in ways that I didn’t like any more, and I was 　　16　　 by who I really was．I came to feel much more 　　17　　 that no one can ever take my place．

　　Each of us 　　18　　 a unique place in the world．You are special, no matter what others say or what you may think．So 　　19　　 about being replaced．You 　　20　　 be．

閱讀理解

　　An “apple polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatment．It is not exactly a bribe(賄賂), but is close to it．

　　All sorts of people are apple-polishers, including politicians and people in high offices-just about everybody．Oliver Cromwell, the great English leader, offered many gifts to win the support of George Fox and his party, but failed．

　　There are other phrases meaning the same thing as “apple-polishing”－“soft-soaping” or “buttering-up”．A gift is just one way to “soft-soap” somebody, or to “butter him up”．Another that is just as effective is flattery(討好，奉承), giving someone high praise-telling him how good he looks, or how well he speaks, or how talented and wise he is．

　　Endless are the ways of flattery．Who does not love to hear it?Only an unusual man can resist(抵抗)the thrill(興奮)of being told how wonderful he is．In truth, flattery is good medicine for most of us, who get so little of it．

　　We need it to be more sure of ourselves．It cannot hurt unless we get carried away by it．But if we just take in its food value and nourishment(營養(yǎng)), then we can still remain true to ourselves．

　　Sometimes, however, flattery will get you nothing from one who has had too much of it．A good example is the famous 12th century legend of King Canute of Denmark and England．The king got tired of listening to the endless sickening flattery of his courtiers(朝臣)．They over praised him to the skies, as a man of limitless power．

　　He decided to teach them a lesson．He took them to the seashore and sat down．Then he ordered the waves to stop coming in．The tide(潮水)was too busy to listen to him．The king was satisfied．This might show his followers how weak his power was and how empty their flattery was．

閱讀理解

　　Some kids start to drink alcohol(酒精)at a young age．They think it is part of becoming an adult．They also think drinking is not that bad because so many people do it．They feel it is not as bad as taking drugs．It is easy for kids to get liquor(酒精飲料)by using fake identification(偽造證件)．

　　Parents may start to notice a change in their child's behavior if the child starts drinking．Kids who drink sometimes stop doing things they normally liked to do．They may keep telephone calls and meetings a secret and not want anybody to touch their things．They act moody(喜怒無常)and do not have the same eating and sleeping habits．

　　Parents need to stay involved in their kids' lives．They should talk to their children about their problems to be aware of any change．

　　Parents can be the best protection．Children who get a lot of love can feel good about themselves．It helps them resist(抵抗)doing bad things even when other kids are doing them．Parents can help set a good example by not drinking and driving．They can have firm rules in the home that everyone follows．

　　Give the children good ideas on how to say“no”to drinking, even when they are at a party．Try not to overreact or panic if the child tries alcohol．How you handle it can affect their attitude．It may be helpful to talk to other parents about setting up curfews(宵禁令)and rules about parties or other events．