The US will seek to expand its own oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices, President Obama says. New contracts for exploration will be signed in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico.

       In his weekly speech, the President insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. Using his speech to tell Americans that he understood their concerns about rising prices, President Obama focused particularly on the price of fuel, which has risen in recent months.

      US consumers have historically enjoyed cheap fuel, but have seen prices rise in recent months even though US oil production in 2010 reached its highest level for seven years.

       Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was serious, Mr. Obama said the Gulf remained a key part of the country’s future energy supply.

       The President’s proposals (议案) come after Republicans (共和党人) introduced a series of proposals that would expand and speed up oil and gas production.

       The White House has criticized the Republican proposals for safety reasons, but Mr. Obama was clear in his speech that he felt safety and environmental standards could be maintained even though production might rise.

       “I believe that we should continue to expand oil production in America— even as we increase safety and environmental standards,” he said.

       “As a nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that are the solution to high gas prices.”

       Mr. Obama has previously called for a step-change in energy policy, saying the US must move towards getting 80% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035.

Mark’s brother, Jamie, rang Mrs. Grady’s doorbell. “You know her better than I do, Mark. You do the talking.”

“Hi, Mrs. Grady,” said Mark when their neighbor opened her door. “Would you like us to shovel (铲雪) your sidewalk and driveway?”

Shoveling was Jamie’s idea, a way to earn enough money for the new Ocean Kingdom video game that came out the next day.

Mrs. Grady touched her hand to her heart. “That would be wonderful, boys. I think the job is getting to be too much for me.”

“It will cost 10 dollars,” Jamie said.

“If that’s OK,” Mark added.

“Oh dear.” Mrs. Grady sounded disappointed. “I haven’t been able to get to the bank. I can offer homemade cookies, but I realize that’s not what you had in mind.”

Mark was going to say that Mrs. Grady could pay them another time, but Jamie cut him off. “We’ll come back later.”     ①    

As they struggled through the snow out of Mrs. Grady’s driveway, Mrs. Grady stood at her window, watching them.

At the same time, Mark was confused. She didn’t look like the person who’d come to his rescue last summer when Mr. Dunn’s collie (牧羊犬), Goldie, escaped from her backyard.      ②     Goldie had just wanted to play, but Mark didn’t feel comfortable around big dogs. And Goldie had boxed him in between the wooden fence and the cedar hedge.

     ③      Then Mrs. Grady’s front door had flown open. Mrs. Grady must have seen him from across the street. “Hold on, Mark. I’m coming!” Her apron had flapped in the wind like a banner as she strode across the street holding a kitchen broom. “Goldie!” she’d called. As soon as Goldie had turned her head, Mrs. Grady had slipped between Mark and the dog. She wasn’t much taller than Mark, but she’d stood firm as a rock in front of him as she flung her arm out toward Mr. Dunn’s house. “Goldie, go home!” Then she’d swept her broom to hurry the dog along. “Get!” Goldie had obeyed.     _④             

When Mark’s father had appeared at their side, he’d said to Mrs. Grady, “That was very brave! Thank you.”

Mrs. Grady had laughed. “It was nothing. Good neighbors watch out for each other, don’t they?”

And now Mrs. Grady needed Mark as much as he’d needed her last summer.

He smiled and waved at Mrs. Grady, then thrust his shovel deep into the snow. He lifted snow over his shoulder.

“Hey!” Jamie shouted. “What are you doing?”

Mark couldn’t explain about Goldie and watching out for neighbors. “I like Mrs. Grady’s cookies,” he said and scooped up another shovelful.

“It’ll take you all day,” his brother sighed. “We’ll never get that game.”

Mark shrugged and kept digging.

He heard Jamie’s annoyed sigh and then, surprisingly, the bite of Jamie’s shovel against the snow. Mark grinned. Jamie had known all along it was the right thing to do.

“Once the other neighbors see the good job we’ve done, they’ll line up to hire us,” said Jamie. “We’ll make money soon enough.” As usual, he had it all worked out.

A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­  (1)  about stress in work life.    (2)    his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned  (3)  a large pot of coffee and a variety of  (4)    —porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help
   (5)  to the coffee.
   When all the students had a cup of coffee  (6)   , the professor said, “If you   (7)  , all the nice-looking expensive cups have been   (8)    , leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is  (9)    for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and   (10)  .
It’s certain that the cup itself   (11)   no quality to the coffee.   (12)  it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides  (13)  we drink.
What all of you really  (14)  is coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the  (15)  cups…And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and  (16)   in society are the cups. They are just   (17)  to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define,   (18)  change the quality of life we live.  (19)   , by focusing only on the cup, we fail to  (20)  the coffee. Therefore, don’t let the cups drive you…have a good taste of the coffee instead.”

Hardy pensioner (老烟枪) Dorothy Howe has reached her 100^th birthday--- despite smoking nearly half a million cigarettes during her life.

The retired secretary took her first smoking aged 16 and has help puffed her way through 15 cigarettes every day since then.

She has smoked around 460,000 cigarettes over the last 84 years--- costing $ 193,000 at today’s prices.

But despite the obvious health risks, Dorothy now believes smoking is the secret to her old age--- and a regular drop of whisky.

Relaxing with her favorites tipple(烈酒)of Bell’s, she said，“I put my health down to whisky and cigarettes. I only drink when I’m out but my doctor said I wouldn’t be alive without them. ”

“I’m still alive and I can lift my elbows---it’s great. I’ve had a great life and God has treated me very well. I’ve been very lucky.”

“I keep telling myself that I’m going to quit smoking when they put the prices up, but that’s just not going to happen now. Whisky tastes just as good as it used to though. My pins aren’t as fast as they used to be, but my mind is still sharp,” she said.

On her milestone birthday, friends took Dort to her local pub where she had a couple of drinks before returning home to open her card from the Queen. Friend Lynn Sass said,” She has the respect and friendship of a lot of people around here. She’s wonderful and a great character,” “ She’s thought very highly of and we hope she’s had a great time. It’s a real achievement for a great woman.”

读后续写。阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

注意：应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；续写分为两段，每段的开头已写好，续写完成后请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词。

This is a real story about the bravery（勇气） and creativity(创造力) of a young painter, Jim. Determined(决心) to be an artist, Jim went to France to surround himself with beauty and inspiration. He paints every day. He visited museums, traveled to picturesque（独特的）places, bravely spoke to everyone he met, and showed his works to anyone who would look at it. One afternoon, he had a conversation at a cafe with a group of charming(迷人的) young people, who turned out to（原来是） be some fancy nobles（贵族）. They took a liking to Jim and invited（邀请） him to a party that weekend in a castle(城堡) in the Loire Valley. They said this was going to be the party of the year. It would be attended（参加）by the rich and famous（名人）and by several crowned heads of Europe （欧洲的首脑）. Best of all, it was a masquerade ball(化装舞会), where nobody would hesitate（犹豫）in their spending on the costumes（服饰）. “Dress up”, they said, “ and join us!”

Excited, Jim worked all week on a costume that he was certain would be highly impressive. He held back on neither the details nor the imagination of this creation. Then he rented a car and drove three hours to the castle(城堡). He changed into his costume in the car and went up the castle steps. Jim entered（进入） the ballroom（宴会厅）.

Upon arrival(到达时), he immediately realized his mistake . This was a costume party, his new friends had not misled(误导) him, but he had missed one detail(细节) in translation: This was a themed（以......为主题的） costume party. The theme was “ a medieval(中世纪的) court” and Jim was dressed as a lobster（龙虾）.

All around him, the wealthy and beautiful were dressed in fancy clothes, wearing sparkling jewel（璀璨的珠宝）. Jim, on the other hand, was wearing a red coat, red tights, and red ballet slippers（芭蕾舞鞋）. Also, his face painted red. And he was the only American in the room, too.

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He stood at the top of the steps, frightful moment.

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Then a silence fell.___________________________________________________________________________

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Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a famous concert. After they were seated, the mother       (1)       a friend and walked over to greet her. Seizing the        (2)       to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy got up and explored his way       (3)       a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE（禁止进入）”. When the lights became less bright and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her     (4)      and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains      (5)      and the lights focused on the stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard,    (6)       Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

At that moment, the great piano master, Paderewski,     (7)       on the stage, quickly went to the piano and     (8)      in the boy’s ear, “Don’t     (9)      Keep playing.”

   Then, leaning(倾斜) over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began    (10)        in a bass (低音的) part. Soon his right arm reached       (11)        to the other side of the child and he added a beautiful piece of music.     (12)      , the old master and the boy     (13)       a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative      (14)       

   That’s the way it is in life.     (15)      we can complete on our own is    (16)        noteworthy(值得注目的). We try our best, but the    (17)      aren’t exactly graceful or flowing music.    (18)       when we put our trust in the hands of greater power, our life can be truly beautiful.

The next time you set     (19)       to create great performances, listen carefully. You can hear the   (20)   of the master whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”

When I was 8 years old，I decided to run away from home after a quarrel with my mother．With my suitcase packed and some sandwiches in a bag，I started for the front door．My mom asked where I was going．"Iˈm leaving home，"I said．"Whatˈs that youˈre carrying？"she asked．"Some clothes and food，"I replied．

  "If you want to run away，thatˈs all right，"she said．"But you came into this home without anything and you can leave the same way．"

  I threw my suitcase and sandwiches on the floor and started for the door again．"Wait a minute，"Mom said．"You didnˈt have any clothes on when you arrived，and I want them back．"This infuriated me．I tore my clothes off-shoes，socks，underwear and all-and shouted，"Can I go now？""Yes，"my mom answered，"but once you close that door，donˈt expect to come back．"

  I was so angry that I shut the door forcefully and stepped out of my home．Then I noticed down the street two neighbor girls walking toward our house．I was so shy that I saw the big spruce （云杉） tree in our yard and jumped under the low-hanging branches （树枝）．A pile of dried-up brown needles （针状物） were beneath the tree，and you canˈt imagine the pain those sharp needles caused to my body．

  After I was sure the girls had passed by，I ran to the front door and knocked at it loudly．"Itˈs Billy!Let me in!"

  The voice behind the door answered，"Billy doesnˈt live here anymore．He ran away from home．"

  Looking behind me to see if anyone else was coming down the street，I said，"Mom!Iˈm sorry．Iˈm still your son．Let me in!"The door opened and Momˈs smiling face appeared．"Did you change your mind about running away？"she asked．"Whatˈs for supper？"I smiled back．

Surviving Hurricane Sandy(飓风桑迪)

Natalie Doan,14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the waves from her house. “It’s the ocean that makes Rockaway so special,” she says.

On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie’s family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city’s bridges closed.

When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie’s friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie’s school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.

In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.

“My mom tells me that I can’t control what happens to me,” Natalie says. “but I can always choose how I deal with it.”

Natalie’s choice was to help.

She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick’s collection was replaced.

In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.

Today, the scars(创痕)of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. “I can’t imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,” Natalie declares. “My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”

My wife and I separated in December. As you might expect, I had a very   (1)   December.

    My therapist(心理治疗师) gave me  (2)   totally unexpected. It was a small handmade Play-Doh heart. She  (3)  that it was not for me to keep, but only on   (4)  until I got my own heart. Then I   (5)   return it to her.

    After the session, I placed the heart carefully on the dash of my car and drove to   (6)  my daughter Juli-Ann, for this was the first night that she would be staying at my new home. As she got into the car, she was immediately  (7)  to the heart, picking it up,   (8)   it and asking me what it was.

    “It’s a present from my therapist to help me through this difficult time   (9)   it is not for me to keep, but only to have till I get my own heart,” I   (10)  . Juli-Ann made no  (11)   I wondered, at 11 years old, could she understand?

    Several  (12)   later, when my daughter was again at my home, she handed me her Valentine’s Day present for me: a small red box,   (13)  with a gold band.  (14)  Into the pretty little box. To my surprise, I pulled out a similar Play-Doh heart that she had made for me. I looked at her,   (15)  , wondering what it meant.

    Afterwards she slowly handed me a card. It was a(n)  (16)   Juli-Ann had written me the most   (17)  and loving words I had ever read. Tears flooded my eyes and my heart   (18)  open:

    For My Dad/Here is a heart/for you to keep/for the big leap/you’re trying to take/Have fun on your journey/It might be blurry/But when you get there/Learn to care

      (19)  all my material wealth, I   (20)  this as my most sacred treasure.