I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a   1     over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always   2    . Not knowing we were poor, my kids(孩子们) just thought I was   3   . I’ve always been glad about that.

It was Christmas time, and although there weren’t   4    for a lot o gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big   5   for the kids was the fun of Christmas   6   .

They planned weeks ahead of time, asking   7      what they wanted for Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved ＄120 for    8      to share by all five of us.

The big    9      arrived. I gave each kid a twenty-dollar bill and     10     them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered（散开）. We had two hours to shop; then we would    11     back at the “Santa’s Workshop”.

Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits,   12       my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually   13      . She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies —fifty-cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn’t say anything   14       we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door,   15       to be angry again. This is what she told me:

“I was looking    16     thinking of what to buy, and I   17      to read the little cards on the ‘Giving Trees.’ One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she   18    for Christmas was a doll (玩具娃娃). So I took the card off the tree and     19     the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn’t have anything.”

I never felt so    20      as I did that day.

1. A. roof                   B. hat                 C. sky                  D. star

2. A. little                  B. less                C. enough             D. more

3. A. busy                 B. serious           C. strict              D. kind

4. A. effort                B. room              C. time               D. money

5. A. improvement       B. problem          C. surprise           D. excitement

6. A. shopping                  B. traveling           C. parties              D. greetings

7. A. the other           B. each other        C. one by one       D. every other one

8. A. toys                         B. clothes                  C. presents                 D. bills

9. A. day                   B. chance           C. cheque            D. tree

10. A. forced                   B. reminded   C. invited              D. begged

11. A. draw               B. stay        C. move               D. meet

12. A. including            B. besides      C. except             D. regarding

13. A. quiet                B. excited      C. happy              D. ashamed

14. A. since              B. after                C. while              D. until

15. A. waiting              B. ready       C. hoping              D. afraid

16. A. out                 B. over        C. forward         D. around

17. A. forgot              B. stopped     C. failed                D. hated

18. A. wanted           B. did          C. got                  D. played

19. A. made               B. searched  C. bought            D. fetched

20. A. angry              B. rich           C. patient              D. bitter

Bob _______ a lot about the dam. He wants ______.

[    ]

A. reads, very much to visit it

B. has read, very much to visit it

C. was knowing, to visit it very much

D. has read, to visit it very much

Not only Tom but I and Bob ________ a lot of English songs so far．

1. A.
   has learned
2. B.
   have learned
3. C.
   learned
4. D.
   had learned

Hee-haw! Scores of farms across the country are opening up to overnight guests. The best have all the appeal of a first-rate inn ----- plus here a moo, there a moo.
Sure, you and your kids plan to conquer the theme parks. In the meanwhile, why not make a little hay? Farm stays are fast becoming the great American alternative to the pre-packaged vacation.
LIBERTY HILL FARM
Rochester, Vt.; 802/767-3926; www.libertyhillfarm.com. Adults$75, teens $50,kids 12 and under $35, including breakfast and dinner; shared baths.
Beth and Bob Kennett run a farm straight out of a storybook. You’ll find Beth in the kitchen, rolling out dough（生面团） for a pie. Bob’s busy with other work. Guests sleep in seven sunny bedrooms right in the farmhouse and can participate in any of the farm jobs. Maybe you and your kids won’t be up at 6 a.m. to meet the milk truck, but you can help with the milking twice a day, collect eggs, and pick sweet corn and wild blackberries in season.
HULL-O FARM
Durham, N.Y.; 518/239-6950; www.hull-o.com; Adults $110, kids 10—14 $60, 5—9 $50, 2—4 $35, under 2 free, including breakfast and dinner; private baths.
It started in 1993 as a way to bring in some extra money at a time of falling milk prices. But soon after Frank and Sherry Hull opened their Catskill Mountains dairy farm to overnight visitors, they discovered they loved it. As you drive up, Sherry greets you on the porch（入口处）of the 1825 farmhouse with a cow-shaped cookie jar. Before long your kids are playing around with the cows, sheep, ducks, goats and getting ready for a hayride（乘坐装满干草的牛车出游）.
MERAMEC FARM CABINS
Bourbon, Mo.; 573/732-4765; http://www.wine-mo.com Doubles with private bath $75, $10 per additional person. Trail and riding fees extra.
Climb onto the back of the Ford pickup and catch up with the herd. One gentle cow named Cricket will even let the kids sit on her back. At the barn（牲口棚）, Carol will introduce you to the horses ---15 Missouri Fox Trotters --- and lead you on a trail ride over the hills and down along the spring-fed Meramec River, where everyone swims. Grab a fishing pole and head back to the river. When you have your fill of the wild, try Carol and Dave’s favorite restaurants or wineries（酿酒厂）, within 20 miles of the farm.
【小题1】The underlined sentence in the first paragraph implies that ___________.