On February 14th，2000，my class went on a field trip to the beach. I had so much fun. When we returned to school，my teacher told me to go to the headmaster‘s office. When I got into the office，I saw a police officer. Suddenly I realized something was wrong. The police officer told me what had happened and we went to pick my sister up. After that，we went to the hospital and waited. Time went slowly. Finally，we got to see our mother. It was terrible.

On the next day，the headmaster came and told my two teachers what had happened. I was taking a rest that day. I knew it had something to do with my mother. I kept thinking that she either died or had gotten better. How I wished that she had gotten better. When my teacher took me outside，my sister ran up to me. She started crying，“She‘s gone. Teresa，mommy’s gone.

She‘s dead.” I couldn’t believe it. We jumped into the car and drove straight to the hospital. Most of my family were there. The silence was terrible. I knew I had to say goodbye.

Today when I look back，I still miss my mother very much，but I know that I will live. My mother was a strong mother，who had the biggest heart. My mother was an angel walking on the earth. I will always remember her as living. When someone is asked who their hero （英雄） is，they usually say someone famous，like Michael Jordan or Britney Spears. When someone asks me who my hero is，I tell them，my mother. My mother lives every day. That is what makes her a true hero.

1.Where was the writer when she learned her mother was very ill？

A. On the beach.       B. At the hospital.   C. At school.         D. At home.

2.Who brought the writer the bad news that her mother was ill？

A. Her sister.       B. The headmaster.  C. Her teacher.           D. The police officer.

3.What did the headmaster tell the two teachers on the next day？

A. Her mother had been very ill.   B. Her mother had been dead.

C. Her mother had gotten better.   D. Her sister came to see her.

4.From the last paragraph of the passage we know that _______.

A. the writer is afraid of her mother      

B. the writer is proud of her mother

C. the writer feels sad about her mother   

D. the writer feels sorry for her mother

5.The writer must think her mother is a _______ woman.

A. famous            B. free      C. rich                  D. great

One Sunday afternoon, I went shopping at Wal-Mart . But I never thought I would have a life ­changing experience at WalMart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted, and I looked towards the cashier.
There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he’s an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, “How’s it going？” But he did something different—he listened to people carefully and then he would reply to what they had said
I thought it was strange. I has grown used to people asking me how I was doing simply out of conversational habit. I could say, “I just found out I have six months to live，” and someone would reply, “Have a great day！”
But that wasn't the end.
He gave them the change, walked around the counter (柜台), and hugged them with his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked at the customers in the eyes. “I want to thank you for shopping here today,” he told them. “You have a great day. Bye-bye.”
The smiling looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. All had been touched by his simple gesture—and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.
Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name—Marty.
Who was that guy? It was as if Sam Walton (沃尔玛的创始人)had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy’s body.
I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that.

【小题1】The underlined word “customer” mean________ in Chinese.