After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack, my world crashed around me. I was overwhelmed (不知所措) with the       of earning a living,       the little children.
One      evening I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd (牧羊犬) on our  . This wonderful strong animal       to enter the house and make it his      . The children took an instant liking to “German” and begged me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement until the next day,     we could inquire around the neighborhood for his   . That night I slept     for the first time in many weeks.
The following morning we       to find German’s owner, but with no results. On Sunday I took the children on a picnic and we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas at a local station, we were       to see German racing to the gas station after us.     was he going to be left behind.
On Monday morning I let him out for a run when the children got ready for school. As evening came and German didn’t appear, we were all      . The next Friday evening, German was back on our doorstep. Again we took him in, and again he stayed       Monday morning. This pattern repeated itself every weekend for almost 10 months. We grew more and more       of German. We stopped thinking about       he belonged — he belonged to us. As German became part of the family, he considered       his duty to take up his position by the front door and remained there until the morning.
Each week, between German’s visits, I grew a little stronger, a little braver; every weekend I enjoyed his     . Then one Monday morning we       his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back. I believe German was sent because he was needed, and because no matter how      and alone we feel, somehow, somewhere, someone knows and cares. We are never really alone.

A．duties B．ways C．purposes D．focuses

A．caring for B．looking for C．waking up D．taking up

A．Friday B．Saturday C．Sunday D．Monday

A．gate B．street C．road D．doorstep

A．regretted B．forced C．intended D．encouraged

A．nest B．home C．kitchen D．destination

A．where B．when C．while D．as

A．advice B．gifts C．owner D．situation

A．comfortably B．smoothly C．meaningfully D．peacefully

A．tried B．managed C．succeeded D．failed

A．happy B．glad C．amazed D．pleased

A．No wonder B．No way C．No doubt D．No use

A．wondered B．lost C．worried D．disappointed

A．before B．until C．since D．once

A．aware B．sure C．fond D．anxious

A．who B．where C．whom D．which

A．it B．that C．this D．one

A．friend B．company C．factory D．story

A．beat B．hit C．wounded D．patted

A．excited B．satisfied C．abandoned D．interrupted