I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people 36 I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a 37 person.
I think my 38 started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my 39 and be left alone. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, so I hardly ever 40 to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really 41 . It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So tried a(n) 42 I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I 43 to help. That was really a big 44 for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of 45 are still my best friends today.
A bigger cause of my new 46 , however, came when I took a part-time job at a Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer’s disease became my 47 . Every time I came into her room, she was so 48 because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never 49 her, so I took her place. She let me 50 . that making others feel good make me feel good, too, when she died, I was 51 , but I was very grateful to her.
I think I am a much 52 person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not 53 these experiences. They have 54 me to care about other people more than about myself. I 55 who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.
36. A. since B. before C. or D. unless
37. A. famous B. simple C. different D. skilled
38. A. education B. career C. tour D. change
39. A. balance C. homework C. degree D. interest
40. A. talked B. wrote C. lied D. reported
41. A. careful B. lonely C. curious D. guilty
42. A. argument B. game C. experiment D. defence
43. A. dared B. offered C. hesitated D. happened
44. A. dream B. problem C. duty D. step
45. A. us B. which C. them D. whom
46. A. attitude B. hobby C. hope D. luck
47. A. friend B. partner C. guide D. guest
48. A. polite B. happy C. strange D. confident
49. A. bothered B. answered C. visited D. trusted
50. A. explain B. guess C. declare D. see
51. A. homeless B. heartbroken C. bad-tempered D. hopeless
52. A. quieter B. busier C. better D. richer
53. A. forget B. face C. improve D. analyze
54. A. forced B. preferred C. ordered D. taught
55. A. miss B. like C. wonder D. expect