Want to boost the chance of your story being published in Reader's Digest and win $ 25,000?Here are a few of our favorite entries so far in our "Your life: The Reader's Digest Version" contest.After reading these,head over to Facebook and submit your own story about a special moment or lesson that shaped your life.

"There's Always a John" By Darla Boyd

My first year of teaching,there was a kid named John in my class.John was difficult to control and he nearly drove me crazy.While talking about him one day,an old teacher put his hand on my shoulder and said,"There will always be a John.Your job is to learn to discover what makes him different and help him succeed."The next year, there was indeed another John.But that advice taught me that there is something to appreciate in everyone.

"An Early Key Lesson" By Elaine West

Before I began my first teaching job,my mother,a teacher of 30 years,gave me a very special gift,five simple words that have had an effect on my entire life."Make friends with the janitor（门卫）." Her wisdom taught me the respect for all types of characters and continues to enrich my life to this day.Just five little words but what an impact they can have when you take them to heart.

“Raising Mommy”By Jan Davis

Being a mother can always present challenges and rewards.Someone told me early that children will teach you everything you need to know.Being a mother is being raised.Our children become our advisers.Their dreams become our professors,as we are taking notes carefully.The sounds of their laughter and smiles are a great reward to us.Their tears remind us that it is okey to fail,and that we should wipe the tears away and try again.

13. What did Elaine West's mother advise her to do?

A. Don't treat students differently.      B. Respect people from different backgrounds.

C. Don't judge people by appearance.    D. Take care of janitors.

14. From the last paragraph,we can infer that        .

A. a mother improves herself greatly in parenting       B. a mother should be given more care

C. children should realize the dreams of their parents    D. being a mother has more challenges than rewards

15. The text is most probably a(n)        .

A. poster about a lecture    B. ad for three new books

C. introduction to a contest    D. notice inviting contributions

 He likes to make a list of ______ she wants to buy before shopping.

       A. which               B. that                         C. whether                  D. what

The house was quiet at 5 a.m. and Tim’s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.

Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.

He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches——but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches. She’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck at the table: Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight. Tim.

The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.

The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.

The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world. Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.

He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn’t go in all the way…

21.What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?

A. He left the house quietly.             B. He had breakfast at home.

C. He left a note on the freezer.           D. He put a sweater in his schoolbag.

22. “He settled for some biscuits” (in Paragraph 3) means that Tim ______.

A. had to leave the biscuits on the table   

B. liked biscuits better than sandwiches

C. had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches 

D. could only find some biscuits in the kitchen

23. What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?

A. The height of the first rocks.            B. The ups and downs of the waves.

C. The change in the position of the sun.   D. The vast stretch of the sunlit beach.

24. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?

 A. The sea looked like a piece of gold.        B. Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived.

C. Tim was the only person on the beach.    

D. The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave.

25. In the story, Tim’s mood changed from ______.

A. loneliness to craziness               B. anxiousness to excitement

C. helplessness to happiness                      D. eagerness to nervousness

   假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

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：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

California has the distinction of being the most multicultural state in the USA. The customs and languages of the immigrants live up in their new home. Scientists believe these settlers arrived in America by mean of a land bridge. Of the first Spanish to going to California, the majority was religious men. After the war, some returned home, and most remained in California to make life for themselves despite great hardship. In 1911 a great much immigrants from Denmark established a town of their own, which today still kept up their Danish culture. From 1882 to 1940 Angel Island was a famous immigration station that some Chinese people were applied for right to live in America.

 We are all busy _________ this June’s NMET now and I am sure on June 7 we’ll be sitting in the test-room, fully __________it.

A. preparing; preparing for          B. preparing for; will be prepared for

C. preparing; prepared for          D. preparing for; prepared for

 You can’t judge a book by its cover, ____________.     

   A. as the saying goes old           B. goes as the old saying

C. as the old saying goes           D. goes as old the saying

While I was in Ojai this past weekend, I came across a man   41   (sit) at a bench by himself. I smiled and said hello to him. As I passed, he yelled to me   42   (come) back. The man said that I was the only one of the   43   (passer-by) who had treated him in such a kind way. He said he was a reverend (牧市) and asked   44   I was from; I said England. At that point, most people would say something like, near London.   45  , his response was Birmingham. As   46   matter of fact, Birmingham is the largest city near my rural hometown. We carried on a   47   (friend) conversation and in the conversation, I   48   (inform) that he needed some money to go back home. Not knowing how much money I had, I told him I’d give him whatever was in my purse. He said he prayed that I’d have $47. Then I opened the wallet in my purse and counted out the money. That was   49   (exact) $47. I offered the man all of my money. I felt really good for giving help to someone,   50   was in trouble.

Today I share this story with you, because I want to spread as much kindness in the world as I can.

Studies have shown it takes a physician about 18 seconds to interrupt a patient after they begin talking.

It was Sunday. I had one last patient to see. I   41   her room in a hurry and stood at the doorway. She was an older woman, sitting at the edge of the bed,   42__to put socks on her swollen feet. I crossed the threshold(门槛), spoke   43    to the nurse, and scanned her chart noting she was in stable condition. I was almost in the clear.

I leaned on the bedrail looking 44   at her. She asked if I could help put on her socks.

  45  , I began a monologue that went something like this: “How are you feeling? Your sugars and blood pressure were high but they’re   46  today. The nurse mentioned you’re anxious to see your   47  who’s visiting you today. It’s nice to have a family visit from far away. I bet you really look forward to seeing him.”

Each story is   48  . Some are detailed; others are vague. Some have a beginning, middle and end. Others wander without a clear  49   . Some are true; others not. Yet all those things do not really  50  . What matters to the storyteller is that the story is  51  —without interruption, assumption or judgment.

Listening to someone’s story costs   52   than expensive diagnostic testing but is key to healing and diagnosis.

I often thought of  53   the woman taught me, and I reminded myself of the    54   of stopping, sitting down and truly listening. And, not long after, in an unexpected   55  , I became the patient, with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis(诊断为多发性硬化症)at age 31. Now, 20 years later, I sit all the time —in a wheelchair.

For  56   I could, I continued to see patients from my chair, but I had to resign when my hands were  57   . I still teach medical students and other health care professionals, but now from the perspective of   58   and patient.

I tell them I believe in the power of   59  . I tell them I know firsthand that immeasurable healing takes place within me   60    someone stops, sits down and listens to my story.

41．A. entered        B. stepped          C. passed           D. approached

42．A. Hoping        B. wishing          C. struggling        D. pulling

43．A. quickly        B. slowly           C. carefully         D. carelessly

44．A. away          B. up              C. around           D. down

45．A. However       B. Instead          C. Therefore         D. Moreover

46．A. good          B. better            C. more            D. well

47．A. son           B. daughter          C. friend           D. sister

48．A. unique        B. similar            C. different         D. wonderful

49．A. way          B. direction           C. conclusion       D. instruction

50．A. attract         B. exist              C. appeal         D. matter

51．A. appreciated     B. told              C. enjoyed        D. heard

52．A. less           B. more             C. higher          D. cheaper

53．A. which         B. how             C. what            D. that

54．A. pleasure       B. difference         C. behavior         D. importance

55．A. twist          B. accident          C. occasion         D. thing

56．A. as good as     B. as long as         C. as soon as        D. as well as

57．A. wounded      B. affected          C. injected          D. hurt

58．A. physician      B. hospital          C. teacher          D. school

59．A. stopping       B. talking           C. listening         D. sitting

60．A. before         B. when            C. until            D. unless

Anaya was a little girl about seven years old but she seemed much smaller than her age. She was a weak and shy girl, who seldom___41____(show)any interest in her surroundings. ___42____seemed that the house she lived in was too large for her. She felt that she was ___43___only person living in it as her parents were always busy.

Nights seemed longer to Anaya as she didn’t have brothers _44____sisters to share her little secrets. This was a similar night when her parents were away. Anaya lay in bed for a long time, __45___she could not sleep. She went to the window, through __46___she saw the view of the garden.

  The garden a t night was so __47___(charm)with the stars twinkling(闪烁)in the sky. She could not help walking out of the house. When she was even more beautiful _48___she had imagined.

  Anaya was filled with great __49___(excite). It was a new feeling to her. The visit ___50___the made her night not so long.

If you have ever been in a school play or even made believe you were a doctor, detective, or a space traveler, you know the enjoyment that acting brings. Almost all of us have the wish to play the part of someone—or something else.    36  

In the ancient world, acting was often associated with religious ceremonies and other special occasions. As far back as 2200 B.C. trained Chinese actors performed ceremonial dances in costume and makeup at harvest festivals.    37    To the dance was gradually added pantomime—the imitation of movements and gestures—as well as the wearing of masks, the singing of chants, and finally the use of dialogue.

While acting was coming into its own in the ancient Chinese classical theatre, it was doing the same in the western world, in Greece. From about 500 B.C. on, acting became a highly specialized art in Greece. Greek actors, however, still wore masks, and their motions were largely fixed by custom.    38    

Modern acting, by contrast, gives the individual actor great opportunity to develop his or her personal talents for serious, comic, or musical drama. The names, faces, and styles of famous movie actors are known worldwide.    39    A special form of acting takes place in radio drama, which was highly popular before television. In radio drama the actors face an unique challenge. They are unseen by their audience. So they must rely on voice alone to make their characters real to the listeners.

   40    Only forty percent of Broadway actors are employed, most of them for only part of the year. Those who become stars need not only talent, but determination. They must not be easily discouraged. Otherwise, they might give up before the opportunity for stardom presents itself.

A. The origins of acting are in the act of remembering.

B. Drama in Greece began with festivals honoring Dionysus.

C. It is believed that this was the first step in the development of acting.

D. Historical records indicate that this desire is as old as civilization itself.

E. Acting is not, as many people think, a quick, easy road to fame and riches.

F. Broadway and television provide other stages on which actors can display their talent.

G. Consequently, they had little opportunity to demonstrate their individual personalities.

What you have said is not related to _________________ (我们所关心的)now.  (concerned)

 — The little boat is ______ safe. Don’t you think so, Mike ?

   — No worries! I’ve been on this boat dozens of times.

A. something but   B. nothing but     C. anything but    D. everything but

I wonder what it feels like to be one of ____ really rich. The Jenkinsons already have two Rolls Royces and now they are buying ____ third!

A. the, a     B. the, the         C. /, a      D. /, the

 Each year，we are exposed to ten thousand ads on average. They try to sell us their products by using beautiful art，videos，logos or logans that are catchy. The most famous companies have highly popular logos that can be recognized by almost everybody. For those of you who have seen the movie Finding Forrester，there is that scene where Jamal walks up to some guy with a BMW and asks him what the car logo means. The man did not know the answer and since that day，afterwards, whenever I saw a famous company logo I tried to find the meaning of it. 

Many think the horse on the Ferrari logo represents the horsepower of the cars they manufacture. The story behind it is far more interesting. During World War I, a pilot，Count Francesco Barraca, painted the horse on his airplane to bring him luck. He had it on his plane because it was the logo of his squadron (空军中队)．Barraca’s mother then convinced Enzo Ferrari to put the logo on his racing cars in the early 1930s to bring good luck to the drivers. The logo then stayed the same ever since. The yellow on the background represents the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari.

Starbucks started in 1971，in Seattle. The mermaid (美人鱼) represented on the logo is now known by any coffee drinker. It is a mythological sea creature with the look of a female，the only difference being that they have a tail of a fish. The reason why Starbucks incorporated one in their company logo is that it was believed mermaids used to sing to sailors in order to make them walk away from their ship or to ground their ships. In the 1500s，spices，tea and coffee were popular merchandise to trade. So the mermaid in the logo of Starbucks is the one that “brings” coffee and tea to the stores. 

4．The writer became interested in logos of some famous brands after________.

  A．he watched an attractive movie          B．he noticed some famous logos 

  C．he walked up to some guy with a BMW   D．he saw a scene in a movie 

5．Many companies use logos because________.

A．people enjoy beautiful logos              

B．people can recognize the products more easily

C．people are more likely to buy their products

D．people are interested in the meanings of the logos 

6．From the second paragraph，we know that________.

  A．Enzo Ferrari founded a car company    B．Barraca took part in car racing

  C．Barraca once served in the navy        D．Enzo Ferrari liked horses very much 

7．The underlined word “incorporated” in the third paragraph probably means________.

  A．corrected     B．abandoned     C．included    D．built

The Netherlands on Monday introduced its first-ever intelligent bicycle, fitted with electronic devices to help bring down the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the bicycle-mad country.

Developed for the government by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the intelligent bicycle, runs on electricity. A commercial-available bicycle is expected to be on the market in the next two years and should sell for between 1, 700 to 3, 200 euros per bicycle.

The devices on the bike are linked through an onboard computer with a vibrating (震动的) warning system fitted in the bicycle's saddle and handlebars to warn cyclists of the coming danger.

The saddle vibrates when other cyclists approach from behind, while, the handlebars do the same when barriers appear ahead.

"Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get a fright when they are passed at high speed," said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of TNO's research scientists involved in the project. "The onboard system technology has already been at work in the car industry," he said.

''More and more elderly people are using a bicycle, not only for short distances, but also for longer distances," Dutch Environment and Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told AFP. "This type of bicycle is truly needed in the Netherlands because it will help us bring down the number of elderly people who are injured every year and allow them to continue to enjoy cycling," she said.

In the Netherlands, bicycles outnumber the population of 17 million by at least one million and there are some 25,000 km of bicycle path in the country. Those statistics are set to grow as more and more people take to two-wheeled transport, leading to an increased risk of injury.

Last year, 184 cyclists died in the country, of which 124, or 67%, were older than 65, according to the Central Statistics Office. The year before, 200 cyclists died, the majority of victims also being elderly.

The current model weighs 25 kilograms but researchers are working on making the onboard systems smaller.

4. The intelligent bicycle is aimed to ________.

     A. protect the environment                         B. help reduce traffic pressure

     C. popularize the use of bicycles                    D. improve safety for elderly cyclists

5. Which part of the intelligent bicycle will vibrate when another cyclist was suddenly

   found ahead ?

     A. The handlebars.  B. The wheels.   C. The saddle.     D. The onboard computer.

6. We can learn from the passage that ________.

     A. the elderly ride bicycles wherever they go

B. the accident rate among elderly cyclists is high

     C. the number of elderly cyclists is decreasing

     D. the elderly are planning to give up cycling

7. Which is the best title for the passage?

     A. A Test Bicycle  B. Elderly Cyclists  C. A Smart Bicycle  D. A Bicycle-mad Country

 —These days I feel exhausted and lack strength.

—That's _____ too much drinking and poor diet lead.

  A. what　　 B. which　　　　　  C. why　　　 D. where

British psychologists have found evidence of a link between excessive （过度的） Internet use and depression, a research has shown．

Leeds University researchers, writing in the Psycho pathology journal, said a small part of Internet users were classed as Internet addicts and that people in this group were more likely to be depressed than non-addicted users．

The article on the relationship between excessive Internet use and depression is from a questionnaire-based study of 1，319 young people and adults．

The respondents answered questions about how much time they spent en the Internet and what they used it for; they also completed the Beck Depression Inventory—a series of questions designed to measure the seriousness of depression．

The six-page report, by the university's Institute of Psychological Sciences, said 18 of the people who completed the questionnaire were Internet addicts．

"Our research indicates that excessive Internet use is associated with depression, but hat we don't know is which comes first—adepressed! people drawn to the Internet or does he Internet cause depression?^ the article's lead author Dr Catriona Morrison said．"What is leadis that, for s small part of peoples, excessive use of the Internet could be a warning signal or depressive tendencies．"

The age range of all respondent? was between 16 and 51 years, with an average age of 1．24．The average age of the 18 Internet addicts was 18．3 years．By comparing the levels of depression within this group to that within a group of 18 non-addicted Internet users, researchers found the Internet addicts had a higher chance of developing depression than non-addicts．They also discovered that addicts spent more time visiting sexually pleasing websites, online gaming sites and online communities．

"The public speculation （推测） was further proved by this study．That's to say, over-engaging in websites which serve to replace normal social function might be linked to psychological disorders like depression and addiction," Morrison said "We now need to consider the wider social influences of this relationship and clearly prove the effects of excessive Internet use on mental health．”

67．Internet addicts are people who _____ according to the passage．

       A．use the Internet more than enough      B．feel depressed when using the Internet

       C．seldom connect to the Internet               D．feel depressed without the Internet

68．What is confirmed by the study according to the passage?

       A．Depression leads to excessive use of Internet．

       B．Depression results from excessive use of Internet

       C．Excessive use of Internet usually accompanies depression．

       D．Excessive use of Internet is usually earlier to depression．

69．It is thought by the public that online communities             .

       A．can never replace normal social function

       B．are intended to replace normal social function

       C．are associated with psychological disorders

       D．shouldn't take the blame for psychological disorders

70．According to Dr Catriona Morrison, the public speculation           .

       A．lacks scientific evidence                   B．helps clarify their study

       C．finds a theoretical basis                    D．has little scientific value