A certain good woman one day said something that hurt her best friend of many years. She regretted it immediately and would have done anything to have taken the words back. So she went to an older, wiser woman in the village and
advice.
Listening to her, the older woman
the younger woman’s distress and knew she must help her. She also knew she could
ease her pain, but she could teach.
Then, she said. “There are
things you need to do. The first is extremely difficult. Tonight, take your best
pillows and open a small hole in each one. Then,
the sun rises, you must put a single feather on the doorstep of each house in town. When you are through,
to me. If you’ve done the first thing
, I’ll tell you the second.”
The young woman hurried home to prepare for her chore,
the pillows were very
to her and very expensive.
All night long, she went from doorstep to doorstep. Her fingers were
. The wind was so sharp that it caused her eyes to water, but she ran on through the
streets,
there was something she could do to put things
the way they once were. Finally she placed the last feather on the steps of the last house. Just as the sun rose, she returned to the older woman.
She was exhausted but
, thinking that her efforts would be rewarded.
“Now,” said the wise woman, “Go back and
your pillows. Then everything will be as it was before.”
The young woman was stunned, “You know that’s impossible! The wind
each feather as fast as I placed them on the doorsteps! You didn’t say I had to get them back! If this is the second
, then things will never be the same.”
“That’s true,” said the older woman. “Never forget. Each of your words is like a feather in the wind. Once
, no amount of effort,
how heartfelt or sincere, can ever return them to your mouth. Choose your words well and guard them most of all in the presence of those you love.”
| 小题1: | | A．asked about | B．asked for | C．asked to | D．ask around |
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| 小题2: | | A．witnessed | B．touched | C．guessed | D．sensed |
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| 小题3: | | A．ever | B．almost | C．never | D．seldom |
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| 小题5: | | A．feather | B．leather | C．woolen | D．cotton |
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| 小题6: | | A．when | B．after | C．as | D．before |
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| 小题7: | | A．come back | B．go back | C．put back | D．draw back |
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| 小题8: | | A．promptly | B．absolutely | C．completely | D．unfortunately |
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| 小题9: | | A．so as to | B．even though | C．now that | D．in spite of |
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| 小题11: | | A．freezing | B．freezingly | C．froze | D．frozen |
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| 小题12: | | A．brightened | B．widened | C．darkened | D．broadened |
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| 小题13: | | A．amazing | B．lucky | C．thankful | D．surprising |
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| 小题15: | | A．tired | B．relieved | C．grateful | D．nervous |
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| 小题16: | | A．refill | B．get | C．purchase | D．seek |
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| 小题17: | | A．blew up | B．blew on | C．blew away | D．blew over |
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| 小题18: | | A．requirement | B．situation | C．consequence | D．circumstance |
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| 小题19: | | A．speak | B．spoken | C．speaking | D．being spoken |
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| 小题20: | | A．however | B．whatever | C．although | D．regardless |
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