At lunchtime, Bonnie and Ruth sat together like they always did at school. Ruth and Bonnie were best friends and best friends always sat together for lunch. They  1  sandwiches, cupcakes and almost everything.
But today things were   2  . Bonnie looked upset, and Ruth did not know why. “Why are you sad today, Bonnie?” Ruth asked. “Because my daddy    3  his job yesterday,” she said. “And we may have to move. My mom and dad are very unhappy and they always argue. I am   4 . What is going to happen to us?”
Bonnie’s news made Ruth very sad, too. What would school be like   5  Bonnie? What could she do to help her friend? When Ruth went home she told her mom the bad   6 .
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, Ruth,” said her mother sadly.
Ruth thought and thought. She thought while she ate supper and she thought while she did homework. She even thought when she brushed her teeth before going to bed.
“What can I do?” she  7 .
The next day was Saturday and Ruth woke up very early. She dressed and ate a quick breakfast,  8  went to find her friends. They all decided to    9  together to help Bonnie. They pulled weeds, played with babies and walked dogs. They even put on a Talent show in Ruth’s backyard. All the adults paid one dollar to watch the   10  sing and dance and do magic tricks. After the performance, the children   11 their money. They had made three hundred dollars! Ruth’s mom took them to the grocery store and they bought food, soap, paper towels, and all kinds of things that a person might need.
When they left the store they went to Bonnie’s house and each of the children   12  carried a bag to the door, rang the doorbell and ran away quickly. They had so much fun with   13  secret surprise! They knew it would make Bonnie very happy.
Ruth felt happy too,   14 she had helped her friend. She knew it wasn’t much, but all she needed to do was to show her friend that she cared   15 . I think Bonnie got the message, don’t you?

Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure (奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure.That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak.I often take a four?hour trip to visit my children.Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.

Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation— in another language.It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train.I think it was annoying.

Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two?day trip by train.She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving.The train ride was the only choice for her.She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.

She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents.That is a very good question.Both of us are old and have children.She asked that same question from time to time.

There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages.Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures.If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time.If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.

It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms.And it is better than taking the bus.

1．According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was________.

A．to do business　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．to see her children

C．to visit places of interest 　　　　　　　　　 D．to see her old friends

2．Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointed. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．Satisfied.

C．Worried. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Pleased.

3．Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?

A．She is too old to drive now.

B．She does not like to take trains.

C．Although she is old，she has a good memory.

D．Her daughters live far away from her home.

4．In the author’s opinion，on the train Amtrak________.

A．the services are quite good

B．the food is terribly expensive

C．all the passengers are polite

D．all the passengers are American

5．What is the best title for this passage?

A．Train ride—a cultural experience

B．A painful experience on the train

C．The history of Amtrak

D．A wonderful lady