阅读理解

　　Every year on my birthday, from the time 1 turned 12, a white gardenia(栀子花)was sent to my house．It did not come with a card or note of any kind, but I loved the beauty and sweet smell of the flower．

　　And I never stopped imaging who the giver might be．My mother helped me to imagine．She’d ask me if I had done something kind for anyone．Perhaps the neighbor I’d helped carry heavy bags for, or one of my classmates who I helped the lessons with．As a teenager, though, I had more fun thinking that it might be a boy I liked at school．

　　When I was 17, a boy broke my heart and I cried myself to sleep．When I woke up in the morning, there was a message on my mirror, “If we let sadness go, happiness will surely come to you．” I thought about those words for a long time．When I finally went to get the glass cleaner, my mother knew everything was all right again．

　　One month before I finished high school, my father left us forever．I lost interest in all the celebrating activities such as the class play, taking photos with classmates before leaving the high school where I had studied for three years．Although my mother was very sad, she still encouraged me to take part in all those．She wanted her child to have a sense that there was still beauty in the face of bad luck, just like the gardenia－lovely, strong and perfect．

　　My mother died 10 days after I was married．I was 26．That was the year gardenias stopped coming．

阅读理解

　　One of my most special experiences is the time I graduated from high school．These special moments make me happy when I think of them．I won’t ever forget these moments in my whole life．They are unforgettable times with family and friends on an important day to me．

　　I remember before we graduated, my classmate and I went to the most important beach in my county．It was a wonderful experience because we enjoyed and learned about life at the coast．We swam at the beaches and we traveled for about one week．We enjoyed it a lot．

　　Two days after our trip, we had our graduation from high school．Our school was in the capital city of Honduras(洪都拉斯)．In the graduation ceremony(典礼)we used special clothing．They were brown and beige(米色)colors, because in my country, each different junior high school and high school has a special uniform．The ceremony was wonderful．We sang my country’s national anthem(国歌), we held the flag in our hands, and we put the other hand on our hearts．It was so special to me, because we showed respect to our country．That day, around 200 students graduated, including my elder brother．

　　After the ceremony we had the opportunity to take pictures with our teachers, our family, and friends．I celebrated with a big party with my family and friends, but at the same time, I felt sad because some of us were going to different universities．On the other hand my mother and I were so excited．She told me her experiences in the university, and I went to the same university and started to enjoy university life．

　　When my experiences of high school come to my mind, I feel happy and I can enjoy them once more．I keep these special moments in my heart to remember my wonderful days in high school．