Bobby was sitting out in his back yard in the snow. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift.
Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, his mother worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage could only be stretched so far.
What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. They ran the household in their mother’s absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother.
It was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. Bobby started to walk down to the street. He walked from shop to shop. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark, then suddenly his eyes caught a shiny dime. Never has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby did at that moment.
He went inside a flower shop. When the owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower. The shop owner looked at Bobby, then said, “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
The shop owner returned holding red roses all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby’s heart sank as the owner placed them gently into a long white box. “That will be ten cents, young man,” said the shop owner, reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime.
Then the shopkeeper’s wife appeared. “Where are the roses you were fixing?”
The shop owner replied, “A strange thing happened to me this morning. I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn’t sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was.”
【小题1】According to the first three paragraphs we know that _____.

A.Bobby’s sisters didn’t help Bobby to buy a gift
B.Bobby had known what gift he’d give to his mother
C.the children in the family all loved their mother
D.Bobby’s family was rich before his father died
【小题2】Why did Bobby walk along the street?
A.Because he didn’t know what to do.
B.Because he wanted to try his luck there.
C.Because he wanted to get some money.
D.Because he hoped to see what he could get.
【小题3】What could he buy with a dime then?
A.A flower.B.Nothing.C.A piece of cake.D.Many flowers.
【小题4】Bobby slowly gave the dime to the shop owner because _______.
A.he did not want any rose flowers
B.the flowers weren’t worth a dime
C.the shop owner would cheat him
D.he hardly believed what had happened
【小题5】From the last two paragraphs we can infer that the shop owner ______.
A.was shocked by the voice he heard
B.was always ready to help others
C.didn’t know how to run a business
D.was good at making up stories

When milk arrived on the doorstep

When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note-“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”-and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.

All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to out house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.

There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.

Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊). Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

1.Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer ________.

A. to show his magical power                                          B. to pay for the delivery

C. to satisfy his curiosity                                                   D. to please his mother

2.What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy’s house?

A. He wanted to have tea there.          

B. He was a respectable person.

C. He was treated as a family member.     

D. He was fully trusted by the family.

3.Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?

A. Nobody wants to be a milkman now.

B. It has been driven out of the market.

C. Its service is getting poor.             

D. It is forbidden by law.

4.Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A. He missed the good old days.        

B. He wanted to tell interesting stories.

C. He missed it for his milk bottles.     

D. He planted flowers in it.

 

I spotted (发现;认出) him at the checkout counter, bagging at No.14. His arms shook violently as he placed a carton (纸板箱;纸盒) of eggs into a plastic bag. He wore a yellow plastic name tag on which he had written “Jerry” in kindergarten penmanship (书法). He looked middle-aged but his mental age must have been about 12.

Ever since I smiled at him the first time he bagged my groceries at my local supermarket, Jerry has followed me around like an adoring fan. His lack of boundaries makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know how to avoid being noticed by him. I don’t want to speak to the manager — my complaint could get him fired. So I start avoiding him.

There are other grocery stores, but I choose this one because it employs people with disabilities, from which my brothers have also suffered.

Last Wednesday after I finished choosing what I wanted, I turned around and drove my cart to Checkout No.3, hoping Jerry would not notice me and stay at No.14.

“Paper or plastic, ma’am?” Jerry’s soft voice surprised me from behind. “Paper, please.” I noticed that the checkout stand created plenty of space between Jerry and the clerk. In this situation, he knew where to stand. The clerk said to me: “$27.30, please.” I handed my own cart, signed my receipt and stepped around the counter, where Jerry was holding my last packet of biscuits. He came towards me, stopping an inch from me. He was too close. I wanted to dash out of the store and leave behind the packet. Instead, I stood with my hand frozen on the cart. His eyes looked lonely — I knew they would follow me after I left the store. I wanted to apologize for my coldness. “I’m …I’m sorry.” A tiny voice inside me said. I tapped my head with my hand as if I had forgotten something. “Forgive me. I’m from New York City. I’m not used to people being so helpful.”

He laughed. I laughed. His eyes brightened. “It’s my job, ma’am. I like it.” he said. When he offered to push my cart, I didn’t care but nodded deeply. 

44. The author feels uncomfortable because _______________ .

A. Jerry is like an adoring fan to her

B. Jerry is mentally younger

C. Jerry’s handwriting is terrible

D. Jerry is too close to her without proper distance

45. At the checkout stand, _______________ .

A. Jerry offered to pay my biscuits

B. Jerry was left behind with a packet of biscuits.

C. Jerry knew the social importance of distance.

D. Jerry was not close to me.

46. From the passage we can infer that _______________ .

A. Jerry liked his job

B. the author was afraid of Jerry

C. the author’s brothers were disabled

D. Jerry saw the author as his close friend

47. What would be the best title for this passage?

A. Too Close for Comfortable

B. Don’t Look Down upon the Disabled

C. How to Keep a Good Relation    

D. Don’t Smile at Strangers

 

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