How old was I? I can’t remember. Maybe I was only 10. It was the first    16   without my father because he was away for something. He left me to fill that sad place in my mother’s heart. It was the Christmas when I stopped being a    17   and tried to play Father Christmas myself. I really wanted to make it happy and bright again. It was the Christmas of the    18  .
Mom first saw the coat at Tobias, a nice    19   shop in our town’s little shopping mall. It was dark green. And it was a    20  , heavy, wool dress coat. Mom pulled it out from the rack(架) and held it up. “Long enough,” she said in a low voice and    21  .
“I need a new coat,” Mom smiled before the mirror. She looked good on any clothes,       22   this coat suited her much better. She looked at the    23  , then hung the coat back on the rack, standing there once more to    24   
Eighty-seven dollars. But I decided to buy it for her. As we moved on    25  the mall, I found some excuse to return and asked one of the Tobias ladies to    26   the coat.
I helped clean every yard(庭院) in our neighbourhood—some yards twice, and soon I got the coat. The store ladies helped me put it in their biggest    27   with bright blue paper and thick silver ribbon(丝带). I don’t remember    28   I got it home, but I can still feel the wonderful    29   and pride that filled me. I would imagine the big space which the box would take up under our tree. Here it was—joy, peace and    30  —all in the box, waiting for Mom’s surprise.

How old was I? I can’t remember. Maybe I was only 10. It was the first    16    without my father because he was away for something. He left me to fill that sad place in my mother’s heart. It was the Christmas when I stopped being a    17    and tried to play Father Christmas myself. I really wanted to make it happy and bright again. It was the Christmas of the    18   .

Mom first saw the coat at Tobias, a nice    19    shop in our town’s little shopping mall. It was dark green. And it was a    20   , heavy, wool dress coat. Mom pulled it out from the rack(架) and held it up. “Long enough,” she said in a low voice and    21   .

“I need a new coat,” Mom smiled before the mirror. She looked good on any clothes,       22    this coat suited her much better. She looked at the    23   , then hung the coat back on the rack, standing there once more to    24    

    Eighty-seven dollars. But I decided to buy it for her. As we moved on    25   the mall, I found some excuse to return and asked one of the Tobias ladies to    26    the coat.

I helped clean every yard(庭院) in our neighbourhood—some yards twice, and soon I got the coat. The store ladies helped me put it in their biggest    27    with bright blue paper and thick silver ribbon(丝带). I don’t remember    28    I got it home, but I can still feel the wonderful    29    and pride that filled me. I would imagine the big space which the box would take up under our tree. Here it was—joy, peace and    30   —all in the box, waiting for Mom’s surprise.

1.A. Easter         B. Christmas        C. Halloween    D. Thanksgiving

2.A. child          B. son          C. student      D. teacher

3.A. tree           B. bag          C. coat         D. ribbon

4.A. children’s    B. women’s     C. girl’s      D. men’s

5.A. big            B. wide         C. thin         D. long

6.A. tried it on    B. put it on    C. kept it on   D. turned it on

7.A. though         B. or           C. for          D. and

8.A. price          B. design       C. color        D. material

9.A. taste          B. feel         C. sound        D. smell

10.A. through       B. over         C. past         D. across

11.A. sell          B. send         C. keep         D. wash

12.A. tank          B. basket       C. bag          D. box

13.A. how           B. why          C. whether      D. when

14.A. development   B. excitement   C. improvement D. advertisement

15.A. courage       B. confidence   C. love         D. honesty

I keep a two-dollar bill (纸币) in my wallet． My mother gave it to me when I was six years old．The bill goes with me wherever I go because I believe luck would    1    me everywhere．

Whenever I felt there was a trouble, I would reach my two-dollar bill and put it on the table，I would watch it for several hours and could always come up with    2    ．

When I began to look for my first job, I was thirty years old and very    3   ．The thought of being interviewed for a job was scary but I had to work．Mrs. Martin, the office manager, asked me some questions and the interview was over．As I got    4    her office, I said, "Mrs. Martin, I know that I am not the best applicants (申请者), but please give me a chance．I learn quickly and can be a very able member of your team．"

That evening I received a phone call from Mrs. Martin．"Gina," she said．"You were not the best applicant, but you have so much confidence in yourself that we have    5   to give you a chance．" "Thank you so much, Mrs. Martin!" I said．I was so excited that I forgot to say   36  to Mrs. Martin．

I took out my two-dollar bill．"Thanks, Mom．I am going to    7    it, "I said out loud so my mother could hear me．

At that moment, I remember the time she pulled all of us into the living room and said, "You are all clever in my    8    , but if you fail once, don't give up．You will be successful．" I still think of Mom every day and keep my two-dollar bill in my wallet． At a family reunion (团聚) years later, I found that my brothers and sisters    9    had two-dollar bills in their wallets．We laughed and talked about how    10    this gift from Mom had been to each of us．

1．A．bring                 B．take                 C．follow                    D．find

2．A．an answer          B．a chance          C．an idea                    D．a decision

3．A．sad                   B．lonely              C．weak                   D．shy

4．A．out of                B．into                 C．from                      D．around

5．A．liked                  B．decided            C．offered                D．needed

6．A．hello                  B．sorry               C．goodbye                 D．thanks

7．A．get           B．do                    C．have                       D．make

8．A．head                  B．eye                  C．mind                   D．thought

9．A．each                  B．all                    C．most                   D．both

10．A．special             B．surprised          C．cheap                         D．expensive