In our town, there was no one else quite like my father. When any other man in town had an extra 1 , he bought a drink or other things. When 2 had an extra dollar, he bought a book. Other people had pictures on their walls, or at least a calendar. We had 3 , 3, 000 of them, lining every vertical surface of our home.
Father was the most stubborn 4 I ever knew. Every summer he took a month off to attend classes in another town. In total, he 5 seven degrees and 6 11 different colleges and universities.
My sister and I were the immediate beneficiaries of Father’s hunger for 7 . Every spring, he would take us hiking through the mountains to 8 mineral formations and 9 rocks and wild flowers for his specimen collections. On winter 10 , when the skies were especially clear, he would set up a 11 and wake us to view the stars, which he then named like a tour guide for the heavens. Ever since, 12 I’ve traveled, the 13 have remained my friends.
My father was 14 drilling me on proper speech. Before I was 3, he was reading aloud to me from the Bible, Shakespeare and Mark Twain. 15 , I read aloud to him so he could work on my diction(遣词用字). By the time I was 10, I could recite from a whole range of classical literature and poetry. Once, 16 we happened to meet near the church, he swept me inside, stood me up in the pulpit(讲道坛)and said, “Go ahead, ”I immediatel
y launched into a 17 while he kept coaching from a pew(教堂内的靠背长凳), “Louder! Put more fire into it! ”
Of course, there were times when I 18 studying. But Father would always remind me 19 my duty by quoting Shakespeare, “If all the year were playing holidays, to sport would be as tedious as to work. ”
Obviously, his efforts 20 , for my voice has enabled me to earn a good livelihood. But that’s just one small part of the enormous debt I owe to my father.
1. A. car B. room C. work D. dollar
2. A. Mother B. Father C. Sister D. Brother
3. A. foods B. pictures C. fruits D. books
4. A. scholar B. worker C. lawyer D. doctor
5. A. found B. brought C. earned D. learned
6. A. visited B. attended C. helped D. founded
7. A. traveling B. training C. learning D. creating
8. A. study B. open C. get D. make
9. A. prepare for B. call for
C. hope for D. search for
10. A. days B. nights C. holidays D. afternoons
11. A. microscope B. camera
C. mobile phone D. telescope
12. A. whenever B. wherever
C. whatever D. whichever
13. A. stars B. parents C. families D. friends
14. A. never B. hardly
C. particularly D. constantly
15. A.
However B. So C. Thereafter D. But
16. A. what B. when C. who D. that
17. A. performance B. writing
C. recitation D. communication
18. A. got tired of B. got tired from
C. got rid of D. became aware of
19. A. to B. from C. on D. of
20. A. paid for B. paid off
C. called off D. broke off