Lie in bed, by an open window, and listen... "No air conditioning? How can you sleep?" a friend asks, horrified. I tell her my family has decided to shut the air conditioner off and reduce our electric bill. On this first night of our cost-cutting plan, it's only 85 degrees. We're going to suffer, but the three kids complain anyway. They have grown up in 72-degree comfort, protected from the world outside. "It's too hot to sleep," my 13-year-old daughter complains. "I'm about to die from this heat," her brother complains down the hall. "Just try it tonight," I tell them. In truth I'm too tired to turn for long. My face is sweaty, but I lie quietly listening to the cricket choirs outside that remind me of childhood. The neighbor's dog howls. Probably a passing squirrel. It's been years since I took the time to really listen to the night. I think about grandma, who lived to 92 and still helped with my mom's gardening until just a few weeks before she died. And then, I'm back there at her house in the summer heat of my childhood. I move my pillow to the foot of grandma's bed and turn my face toward the open window. I turn the pillow, hunting for the cooler side. Grandma saw me turn over and over. "If you just watch for the breeze ," she said, "you'll cool off and fall asleep." I stare at the filmy white curtain, willing it to move. Lying still, waiting, I suddenly notice the life outside the window. The bug chorus. Neighbors, porch -sitting late, speak in unclear words that calm me. "Mom, did you hear that?" my seven-year-old son cries, "I think it was an owl family." "Probably," I tell him, "just keep listening..." Without the working air conditioner, the house is peaceful, and the natural night noises seem close enough to touch. I hope I'm awake tonight when the first breeze comes in. On the first night of the writer's cost-cutting plan, her children _ . A) live a comfortable life as usual B) begin to be unhappy C) are protected from the world outside D) are about to die from the heat
B
My first full-time job after high school was selling vacation packages via the telephone for a well-known company. One day, I was put through to a man who sounded a bit out of breath. I started with my normal pitch , expecting to hear the normal reply --"I don't want any." Instead, he spoke in a faint, weak voice and told me how he wished to take a vacation I was offering, but he couldn't because he was dying of illness. He explained how he was lacking in oxygen then, and it took almost all his energy to answer the call. He asked if I smoked, which I did, and begged me to stop. He told me smoking was what was killing him. He told me to spend every day with my loved ones, and tell them how much I love them. At this point, I couldn't control myself. We ended the call, but I held on my phone to prevent another call coming in so I could _ I wrote down his name and address, and sent him a card appreciating his advice and praying for him and his family. Shortly after, I received a letter from Frank, along with a picture of him and his wife. We continued to write back and forth over the next few months, and became very fond of each other. He was old enough to be my grandfather, and in many ways, I felt as if he was. About a year later I received a letter from his wife. When I started to read, tears came to my eyes. She told me how Frank's battle with the disease had finally come to an end, and he passed away shortly before the Christmas. She wanted to thank me for the letters to Frank, and explained how Frank touched many lives over the years. At his funeral, to show just that, they read the 1st letter I had written to Frank to show how he affected a 19-year-old he'd never met. We can learn from the text that the author _ . A) took down Frank's name and address to visit him in person B) was warmly welcomed by her customers when she called them C) didn't stop smoking even though Frank asked him to D) kept in touch with Frank through letters until he died
D
We have all heard the expression: "Remember to stop and smell the roses." But, how often do we really take time out of our hectic fast-paced lives to notice the world around us? I am as guilty as anyone of tuning out the world in this manner, especially when I am driving on California's overcrowded streets. A short time ago, however, I witnessed an event that showed me how being wrapped up in my own little world has kept me from being fully aware of the bigger world picture around me. I was driving to a business appointment and, as usual, I was planning in my mind what I was going to say. I came to a very busy crossroads where the stoplight had just turned red. "All right," I thought to myself, "I can beat the next light if I race ahead of the pack ."My mind and car were in auto pilot, ready to go when suddenly my trance was broken by an unforgettable sight. A young couple, both blind, were walking arm-in-arm across this busy crossroads with cars whizzing by in every direction. The man was holding the hand of a little boy , while the woman was clutching a baby sling to her chest, obviously carrying a child. Each of them had a white cane extended, searching for clues to navigate them across the crossroads. Initially I was moved. They were overcoming what I felt was one of the most feared handicaps-blindness. "Wouldn't it be terrible to be blind?" I thought. Without realizing the danger they were in, they were walking right the path of oncoming cars. I was frightened for them because I didn't know if the other drivers understood what was happening. As I watched from the front line of traffic (I had the best seat in the house), I saw a miracle unfold before my eyes. Every car in every direction came to a simultaneous stop. I never heard the screech of brakes or even the peep of a car horn. Nobody even yelled, "Get out of the way!" Everything froze. In that moment, time seemed to stand still for this family. Amazed , I looked at the cars around me to verify that we were all seeing the same thing, I noticed that... What is the author's purpose of writing this passage? A) To call on people to give a hand when necessary. B) To tell a story about the blind man crossing crossroads. C) To remind drivers to drive slowly for their own safety. D) To persuade people to enjoy a wonderful moment in life.
D