I still remember it was in the winter of 1990 that, together with the help of my older sister, I       down my wishes for Christmas onto a piece of paper. How I wished on Christmas Eve my grandest wish would be          and placed under the Christmas tree — a puppy. When we were done, our wish-lists were collected by our parents with the promise to be          to Santa's hard- working helpers.
The next day, our parents sat us down in the living-room, with        expressions on their faces. As it         , they had seen our wishes, now wanting to talk to us about one wish         — the puppy. For a moment, I held my breath, but was          when they told us that they weren't against a puppy. What they           against was putting it under the Christmas tree. That was not a good idea.
They         taught us that an animal was not a gift that belonged to the same           as our toys. Animals were creatures with           that we should decide to have one, and it would be a(n)       to our family. An animal           a lot of responsibilities. It wasn’t anything one bought out of a mood. An animal could not be exchanged or         when we didn't feel like it. An animal wasn’t a toy. An animal was a          family member that needed lots of love and attention. An animal was not a        , but a family decision. A serious decision. And a big decision.
       , my parents share my love for animals, so the decision came reasonably         . After our grandparents had given their         up for taking care of the dog, while we were on future vacations, the answer was yes. Yes, we would get a puppy.
The following days and weeks, there was only one        : our new family member! Yes, a family member, because animals have their rights. They are not simply food or gifts. We humans must attend, love and protect them.

A．left B．got C．set D．pulled

A．rejected B．declined C．challenged D．fulfilled

A．given away B．passed on C．taken on D．put up

A．dangerous B．curious C．serious D．mysterious

A．turned out B．taken out C．run out D．held out

A．in peace B．in order C．in particular D．in return

A．pardoned B．frightened C．inspired D．relieved

A．protested B．objected C．opposed D．resisted

A．patiently B．hurriedly C．anxiously D．roughly

A．arrangement B．routine C．schedule D．category

A．feelings B．secrets C．stains D．sufferings

A．convenience B．facility C．extension D．heritage

A．signed B．meant C．attained D．guaranteed

A．put forward B．put up C．put aside D．put off

A．native B．original C．responsible D．precious

A．riddle B．gift C．servant D．victim

A．Negatively B．Ridiculously C．Particularly D．Luckily

A．difficult B．easy C．contradictory D．concrete

A．thumbs B．toes C．noses D．eyes

A．theme B．argument C．prejudice D．topic