“Hey, Dad, are you going to come to my award ceremony tonight?” I   36   asked my father.

“I have to work late tonight. I doubt I’ll be able to   37   it on time. I am just too busy right now,” he replied.

    My mind could not   38   the idea that he would be too busy working late. He was also too busy to   39   my horse show and the 15th birthday party. He always used the same   40  . Why had I even bothered to ask?   41  , there was always a slight hope that tonight would be   42  .

    As my mother and I arrived at school, two friends   43   me. “Jill, meet my dad. Dad, this is my friend Jill.” I shook the hand of a tall man. Camera flashes lit up the room, and claps filled the   44   as students accepted their awards. My name was finally called,   45   three others. I followed my classmates to the   46  . When I reached out my hand to shake the   47  , a big smile lit up her face. The blinding flash from my mother’s camera   48   my eyes and I knew my dad wasn’t there. I walked back to my seat   49  .

    Back at home, seeing my dad’s car in the garage, I told myself he would not be   50  . But the strong smell of alcohol hit me as soon as I  51   inside, and I could feel my tears   52  . I followed the sound of his drunken words and saw him   53   on the couch.

      54   did father lie to me? I threw my award on the floor, walked to my bedroom, and shut the door. Tears rolled down my face. I wondered if I would ever be more   55   than his whiskey bottle.

1.A. confidently            B. eagerly              C. proudly             D. casually

2.A. reach                    B. keep                 C. take                  D. make

3.A. create                    B. support             C. appreciate          D. accept

4.A. watch                    B. avoid                C. attend               D. speed

5.A. excuse                   B. problem            C. promise             D. trick

6.A. Besides                 B. Thus                 C. Otherwise          D. However

7.A. active                    B. formal                     C. different            D. serious

8.A. recognized             B. greeted              C. encouraged        D. showed

9.A. air                        B. audience            C. school               D. playground

10.A. up to                   B. other than          C. out of               D. along with

11.A. stage                   B. position             C. office                D. exit

12.A. Jill’s                          B. teacher’s           C. mother’s           D. father’s

13.A. fixed                   B. touched             C. hurt                  D. inserted

14.A. successfully         B. disappointedly   C. delightedly        D. hopefully

15.A. drunk                  B. woken               C. forgiven            D. hidden

16.A. stepped                B. noticed              C. examined          D. glanced

17.A. getting off           B. taking down      C. building up        D. turning around

18.A. leaning                B. lying                 C. moving             D. crying

19.A. How                          B. Where               C. Why                 D. Whether

20.A. perfect                B. comfortable              C. fortunate           D. important

“Hey, Dad, are you going to come to my award ceremony tonight?” I __31___asked my father. “I have to work late tonight. I doubt if I’ll be able to __32__ it on time. I am just too busy right now,” he replied.
My mind could not ___33__the idea that he would be too busy working late. He was also too busy to __34__ my horse show, football games and the 15th birthday party. He always used the same __35__. Why had I even taken trouble to ask? __36__, there was always a slight hope that tonight would be __37__.
As my mother and I arrived at school, two friends__38__ me. “Jill, meet my dad. Dad, this is my friend Jill.” I shook the hand of a tall man. Camera flashes lit up the room, and claps filled the __39__ as students accepted their awards. My name was finally called, __40__ three others. I followed my classmates to the __41__. When I reached out my hand to shake the __42__, a big smile lit up her face. The blinding flash from my mother’s camera ___43__ my eyes and I knew my dad wasn’t there. I walked back to my seat __44___.
Back at home, seeing my dad’s car in the garage. I told myself he would not be __45__. But the strong smell of alcohol hit me as soon as I __46__inside, and I could feel my tears __47__ . I followed the sound of his drunken words and saw him __48__ on the couch.
__49__ did Father lie to me? I threw my award on the floor, walked to my bedroom, and shut the door. Tears rolled down my face. I wondered if I would ever be more__50__ than his whiskey bottle.

I always long for romantic moments, like a little girl longing for candies．However, my husband is my complete  36 . His inability to bring romantic moments into our life has made me get tired of our   37 . One day, I finally told him that I wanted a divorce.
“Why?” he asked,   38 .
“I am tired; there are no  39 for everything in the world!” I answered.
He kept  40 , seeming to be in deep thought, with a lighted cigarette in his hands. Finally he asked, “What can I do to change your   41 ?”
Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered, “Let’s say, I want a flower on a mountain cliff and picking the flower will cause your  42 . Will you do it for me?”
He answered, “I will give you my answer tomorrow.”
I   43 the next morning, finding a piece of paper on the dining table, which read: “My dear, I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to   44  .”
My feeling of disappointment only   45 , but I continued reading:
“You always leave the   46 keys behind, so I have to save my legs to  47 home to open the door for you. You always like to stay indoors and I   48 that you will feel too lonely, so I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories. You always stare   49 the computer and that will do nothing  50 for your eyes, so I have to save my eyes so that when we grow   51 , I can help to clip your nails. Thus, my dear,   52 I am sure that there is someone who loves you more than I do, I could not pick that flower yet, and die.”
My tears fell on the   53 and I continued reading:
“Now that you have finished reading my answer, if you are   54 , please open the front door for I am standing outside   55 your favorite bread and fresh milk.”
Love, not words, wins arguments.

Last weekend, my kids along with a few other kids from the neighborhood volunteered to help me wash my car. My 10-year-old daughter came up with the idea of washing other people’s cars as well. It was pretty hot outside. She further wanted to give juice for a low cost but not free. I felt happy and decided to help her.
She asked me, “What if we make this ‘a smile car wash’, mommy? ”I couldn’t hold back my tears and encouraged her and other kids to go inside the house and come up with ideas. While I kept myself busy in drying the car, the kids walked up to me with a board of beautiful signs of smiles. They had “Free Car Wash” written on it and the theme of their exercise was “Smile”. It was pretty natural to see a team of kids 5 to 11 years with the task to do something for others.
All that seemed natural and came right from their heart. Nothing seemed to matter to them: their playtime, and then heat outside—they just wanted to help and do something nice in the community!
I helped them make some fresh juice and brought out some waste materials to help clean cars. Passers-by were amazed and one even shouted at them saying “Good kids”. One of them even tried giving them 5 dollars, which they refused. A pretty heart-warming scene!
The following weekend, I saw the idea of the week, the theme of which was “Global Kindness”. I was moved by such wonderful and loving souls. They made me smile!
One of the slogans (标语) on their flag was: “Do not fear! Smile retrievers(挽回者) are here.”
【小题1】Who raised the idea of washing other people’s cars for free?

Flowers only bloom(开花) when they are planted in the right soil. That is also true for me.

I first moved to Foxboro, Massachusetts, as a single mother with my baby daughter, Darcy. I was drawn to its New England beauty, friendly people and rich history. It happened that there were a lot of forsythia(连翘) bushes around the house in which I lived just like my childhood home. I joined St. Mark’s Episcopal Church where I taught the Sunday school. At church, I met my second husband, Dean. For more than 25 years, I bloomed in Foxboro, and I had another two children.

Then, when Darcy was a few years out of college, she moved to Alameda, California, to be near friends. I missed her badly. A year later my beloved husband Dean had deadly cancer. He only made it eight months. My heart was broken. Later I moved to Alameda with my children. It was a beautiful Victorian island, and I was grateful to spend more time with Darcy. I even attended a church and made a few friends there. Still, I couldn’t help but miss Foxboro. It had everything and everyone I loved.

One spring day, when I was walking by a school, something yellow caught my eyes. Forsythia bushes! They made me homesick and I kept back my tears. “I miss you, Foxboro,” I whispered. Then I went into a shop and looked at some ceramic(陶瓷的) pots lined up on a shelf. A large white one seemed to catch my attention. “That’ll be perfect in my living room,” I thought.

I turned it over to look at the price. Instead I found these words: “New England Pottery, Foxboro, Massachusetts.” A piece of artwork, from my second hometown, was right here. It was able to spread across the country and so were forsythia bushes. I took it as a sign that I can bloom, right where I am.

1.From the text we learn that the author ____.

A．gave birth to three children in Foxboro

B．planted forsythia bushes around her house

C．got to know her second husband at church

D．worked as a middle school teacher in Foxboro

2.The author moved to Alameda so that she could ____.

A．have more time together with Darcy

B．forget the sorrow at her husband’s death

C．visit her children at Alameda College frequently

D．enjoy the beautiful scenery on the Victorian island

3.When the author saw forsythia bushes at a school she _____.

A．wanted to buy a ceramic pot to put them in

B．thought of her life in Foxboro

C．felt they would look great in her living room

D．believed they were real art work

4.Why does the author compare herself to flowers?

A．Because she wanted to show she likes flowers.

B．Because she can live in any place that is right like flowers.

C．Because she moved across the country just like flowers.

D．Because girls are like flowers that are blooming.