Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered to my house. No card came with it. Calls to the flower-shop were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s name and just delighted in the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged these imaginings. She’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done a special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man across the street whose mail I’d delivered during the winter. As a girl, though, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I had run into.
One month before my graduation, my father died. I felt so sad that I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation dance, and I didn’t care if I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth, my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia－lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery (神秘).
1.My mother died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. A Childhood Dream B. A Mother’s Love
C. A Graduation Party D. A Special Birthday
2.The mother insisted that her daughter go to the graduation dance because ________.
A. she could take care of things herself
B. she hoped she would find a boyfriend
C. she wanted her to be happy and strong
D. she thought education was the most important
3.Who was the sender of the flower?
A. A boy the writer had run into. B. One of the writer’s neighbors.
C. One of the writer’s classmates. D. The writer’s mother.
It was the beginning of a new term. As a(n) 36 teacher in that school, I didn’t know any of the students. A little girl was 37 at the gate of the classroom. She looked very 38 .
I walked up to her and asked 39 she stood there. But she said 40 . Instead, a boy shouted, “She is from Grade Four, the 41 student in her grade.” I looked at the little girl, who didn’t seem to be the smart kind. I 42 why her teacher asked her to stay in Grade Three. I took her hand and 43 her into the classroom.
“Sit here. Now you are my student and I’m your teacher,” I said. She 44 said nothing, but she burst into tears.
I later learnt that her parents 45 in a car accident, and she had 46 talking to others since then. She learnt very 47 . I gave her respect and never 48 her as I know everybody deserves (值得) respect. I 49 her after school, and she was making 50 little by little. I encouraged her and as 51 went by, she was not as shy as before. At the end of the term, she seemed to have forgotten all her 52 . She was not one of the best students when she left that school, 53 at least, she was not that shy and sad little girl any longer.
In the following 54 , she would send me a card on each Thanksgiving Day. Three days ago, I received a(n) 55 to her wedding. And now, I am at her wedding, and she is smiling brightly.
Everyone deserves respect and everyone can be happy!
1.A. old B. new C. good D. famous
2.A. smiling B. sitting C. standing D. crying
3.A. tall B. shy C. beautiful D. kind
4.A. if B. when C. why D. how
5.A. something B. anything C. nothing D. everything
6.A. worst B. shortest C. ugliest D. smartest
7.A. remembered B. thought C. asked D. understood
8.A. threw B. pushed C. pulled D. led
9.A. firstly B. still C. surprisingly D. finally
10.A. fought B. disappeared C. met D. died
11.A. kept B. stopped C. advised D. forgot
12.A. fast B. widely C. slowly D. quietly
13.A. played jokes with B. thought highly of C. took care of D. looked down upon
14.A. helped B. served C. chose D. pleased
15.A. progress B. happiness C. marks D. surprises
16.A. dreams B. efforts C. energy D. time
17.A. joy B. sadness C. past D. anger
18.A. since B. because C. so D. but
19.A. hours B. years C. months D. days
20.A. invitation B. card C. key D. letter
— ________ David and Vicky ________ married?
— For about three years.
A. How long were; being B. How long have; got
C. How long have; been D. How long did; get
Many teachers __________ to the meeting are from Chongqing.
A. invited B. to invite C. be invited D. had been invited
Your father likes to play golf. He’s really enthusiastic ________ it.
A. by B. about C. with D. on
— Why don’t you want to travel abroad?
— Because it becomes ________ expensive ________ before.
A. not so much; as B. as much; as C. much more; than D. much less; than
