Short reader-submitted stories－for the woman you should think of today！
－Compiled by Amy Zerello
Great Minds Reminded of Mom
After a long, exhausting day, a friend of mine, Allen, headed home．On the road, he passed an elderly woman who was standing by a car with a flat tire．If that were his mother, he thought, he would want someone to help her．With a tired sigh, he turned around and drove back．
Just as he reached the stranded woman, a truck pulled up and a burly farmer got out．“Kind of reminds you of your mom, too?” the man asked as the two pitched in(动手做)together to change the tire for the woman．
－Contributed by Katherine L．Houge
Your Biggest Fan
While waiting in a bookstore for a guest author to sign her latest book, I leafed through some of the Civil War novels she had written．The woman in line behind me commented, “Those are the best books I've ever read．I couldn't put them down．” Before I could reply, the author, frowning, looked over and said, “Oh, come on, Mom!”
－Contributed by Marilyn Kopp
Head of the Household
My husband, Jeff, and I came across several problems while assembling(装配)our new computer system, so we called the help desk．The man on the phone started to talk to Jeff in computer jargon(行业术语), which confused us even more．
“Sir,” my husband politely said, “please explain what I should do as if I were a four-year-old．”
“Okay,” the computer technician replied．“Sweetie, could you please put your mommy on the phone？”
－Contributed by Lena Worth
How does it feel to tickle your mom's funny bone?
Now send your own funny story to us！You could earn up to ＄300!
(1)
Who would the burly man be in the first story?
[ ]
A．
Allen's friend．
B．
The old lady's son．
C．
Another kind helper．
D．
A policeman．
(2)
What was the guest author's mom trying to do in the second story?
[ ]
A．
Push hard to get her daughter's signature．
B．
Promote her daughter's books by pretending to be a fan．
C．
Show her pride in her daughter's achievement．
D．
Persuade Marilyn Kopp to buy her daughter's book．
(3)
The computer technician on the phone in the third story ________．
[ ]
A．
actually could find no way to solve Jeff's problems
B．
teased Jeff about his poor knowledge of computer jargon
C．
wanted to talk to Lena instead
D．
believed that Jeff's mom would know more computer jargon
After decades of skimpy skirts and sleeveless tops on game days, some schools in the US are saying cheerleader uniforms will have to meet stricter dress codes when they are worn in class．
In Lake County, Florida, cheerleaders with uniforms too skimpy for the code are being asked to wear long shorts or trousers under their skirts and a T-shirt under the sleeveless tops, according to a district memo．Principals at two of Lake’s eight high schools – Leesburg and Lake Minneola – are not allowing the outfits in school at all．
Michelle Thomas, a cheerleader at Leesburg High School, was disappointed when she learned she couldn’t wear her outfit to school on game days．
“It shows that we’re a team just like all the other sports,” she said．
But the school administrators did not agree．“During the educational portion of the day, they have to meet the dress code just like every other student,” said school board chairwoman Debbie Stivender, who ordered the staff to bring the outfits into line with the dress code．
Bare midriffs are banned across the state by the Florida High School Athletic Association, but no state rules mention cheerleader miniskirts．Sheila Noone, a spokeswoman for cheerleading uniform company Varsity Brands, says the outfits haven’t become more revealing over the last 10 years．She says that the short skirts are designed to help the girls jump and kick．
“Cheerleading is athletic,” Noone said．“There’s a lot of jumping, so you won’t want a knee-length skirt that might hamper a tie touch．”
Most cheerleaders were sad to hear the news, but say they’ll follow the rules．Even male cheerleaders, whose pants and tops meet dress codes, chose not to wear their outfits to show unity．
“I understanding, because they are kind of short,” said Holly Bishop, 14, a Lake Minneola High School cheerleader, about her miniskirt．“It would have been really, really cool to wear them to school．”
(1)
According to the new dress codes for cheerleaders in some American schools, ________．
[ ]
A．
bare midriffs are banned
B．
cheerleading miniskirts are banned
C．
cheerleader uniforms have switched from skirts to trousers
D．
cheerleaders have to make their uniforms less revealing
(2)
Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the article?
[ ]
A．
School administrators believe cheerleader uniforms do not match school dress codes．
B．
Most cheerleaders show understanding of the new dress codes．
C．
Sheila Noone believes that cheerleading miniskirts are not revealing．
D．
School administrators don’t take cheerleading seriously．
(3)
Some cheerleaders are not happy about the news because ________．
