When I was a little girl, I found love in a box all because of a class assignment. On a Friday night I   36  at dinner table, “My teacher said we have to bring a box, a special box, for our valentines (情人节) on Monday”.

Mother said, “We’ll see,” and she continued eating.

What did “We’ll see” mean? I had to have that box   37  my second grade Valentine’s Day would be a disaster. Maybe they didn’t love me enough to help me with my   38 .

All Saturday I waited   39  and with Sunday arriving, my concern increased, but I   40  an enquiry（询问）about the box might   41  anger or loud voice, for in my house children only asked once. More than that   42  trouble.

Late Sunday afternoon, my father called me into the kitchen. The table was covered with colorful   43  of different kinds. A (n)   44  shoebox rested on top of it.   45  flooded through me when Daddy said, “Let’s get started   46  your project.”

In the next hour my father   47  the shoebox into impressive valentine box. Colorful paper covered the ugly cardboard with red hearts   48  to what I considered all the right places. He sang while he worked. When he finished, he was so delighted that a   49 smile spread over his face. “What do you think of that?” he asked.I answered him with a hug.

But inside,   50  danced all the way to my heart. It was the first time that my father devoted so much   51  to me, for his world consisted of work only.

The holiday party arrived, and my classmates put cards, and presents into the valentine boxes. Laughter filled our classroom until dismissal time   52 .

On the way home, I held out my valentine box for the world to   53 . The love that filled it meant more to me than all the valentines inside. The valentine box became a symbol of his love that   54  through decades of other Valentine’s Days. He gave me other gifts through the years, but none   55  compared with the love I felt within the limits of the old, empty shoebox.

1.                A．appeared       B．announced      C．served   D．sat

2.                A．and            B．however        C．so   D．or

3.                A．design         B．project         C．plan D．idea

4.                A．sadly           B．disappointedly   C．anxiously D．patiently

5.                A．knew          B．found          C．realized  D．imagined

6.                A．start           B．mark           C．cause    D．produce

7.                A．took           B．invited         C．saved    D．had

8.                A．boxes          B．paper          C．gifts D．food

9.                A．new           B．big            C．empty    D．attractive

10.               A．Relief          B．Relaxation      C．Cheer D．Calm

11.               A．by            B．at             C．on   D．in

12.               A．folded         B．changed        C．packed    D．pressed

13.               A．attached        B．joined          C．linked D．connected

14.               A．slight          B．broad          C．brief  D．confident

15.               A．fun            B．joy            C．interest   D．amusement

16.               A．money         B．support         C．time  D．hope

17.               A．reached        B．set            C．came D．spent

18.               A．accept         B．admire         C．respect   D．recognize

19.               A．carried         B．kept           C．spread    D．lasted

20.               A．even          B．yet            C．still   D．ever

It was a cool October evening. Excitement and family members __1__ the hall. I was only a 7-year-old girl, but I was the center of __2__. Finally, after weeks of preparation, I would show off all my hard work in a dance of performance. Everything would be __3__ —so I thought. I waited backstage all dressed up in my black tights with a golden belt. In a loud and clear voice, the master of ceremonies __4__ that my class was next.

My dance class was doing a routine on wooden boxes two feet by two feet, facing the __5__. All I had to do in the next move was put one foot on the box next to mine and keep my other foot on my box. It really was an __6__ move. I was concentrating so much __7__ the huge smile on my face and holding my head up that I did not look where I was going. I missed my partner’s box altogether and __8__. There I was standing on the stage floor when my classmates were on top of their boxes. I could hear giggles (咯咯笑) coming from the audience, and I felt the __9__ rush to my face. I remembered my dance teacher had told us, “If you make a mistake, keep smiling so the audience will not __10__.”I did my best to follow her __11__ as I continued with the routine.

When the curtain dropped, so did my __12__ for the evening. I __13__ bitterly, tasting the salt from the tears that streamed down my face. I ran backstage, but no one could __14__ me down.

Recently I realized I had been a star that night. I was __15__, but I fought the urge to run off the stage. Instead, I finished the routine with a smile on my face. Now when friends and family laugh about the time I slipped during a dance performance, I can laugh too.

A. filled               B. visited               C. attended        D. decorated

A. pressure     B. impression            C. debate          D. attention

A. reasonable   B. suitable       C. obvious       D. perfect

A. suggested    B. explained       C. announced      D. predicted

A. music               B. audience             C. curtain         D. stage

A. easy                B. active                C. adventurous     D. extra

A. containing         B. hiding               C. sharing       D. keeping

A. wandered            B. slipped         C. waved        D. skipped

A. blood                    B. pleasure        C. pride         D. tear

A. leave                B. cheer         C. believe         D. notice

A. gesture              B. example              C. advice          D. plan

A. doubts              B. hopes          C. voice          D. patience

A. argued              B. shouted       C. begged             D. sobbed

A. turn                B. calm         C. let             D. put

A. satisfied            B. moved               C. embarrassed           D. confused

   It was a cool October evening. Excitement and family members （36） the hall. I was only a 7-year-old girl, but I was the center of  (37) . Finally, after weeks of preparation, I would  (38)  all my hard work in a dance of performance. Everything would be (39) —so I thought. I waited backstage all  (40 )  in my black tights with a golden belt. In a loud and clear voice, the master of ceremonies (41) that my class was next.
My dance class was doing a routine on wooden boxes two feet by two feet, facing the (42). All I had to do in the next move was to put one foot on the box next to mine and keep my other foot on my box. It really was an  (43) move. I was concentrating so much  (44) the huge smile on my face and holding my head up that I did not look  (45) I was going. I missed my partner’s box altogether and  (46) .There I was standing on the stage floor when my classmates were on top of their boxes. I could hear giggles(咯咯笑) coming from the audience, and I felt the  (47) rush to my face. I remembered my dance teacher had told us, “If you make a mistake, keep smiling so the audience will not (48) .I did my best to follow her  (49) as I continued with the routine.
When the curtain dropped, so did my  (50) for the evening. I (51) bitterly, tasting the salt from the tears that streamed down my face. I ran backstage, but no one could  (52) me down.
Recently I realized I had been a  (53) that night. I was  (54) but I fought the urge to run off the stage. (55) I finished the routine with a smile on my face. Now when friends and family laugh about the time I slipped during a dance performance, I can laugh too.

After a long day at school, I walked home with my heavy schoolbag. Sleepy and  1 , I threw my things on the sofa and picked something from the  2 to eat. I passed by the living room and wished I could watch TV, but I knew my  3 would take me the whole night. I took my schoolbag and went  4 to my room. I tried to understand chemistry and  5 sleepiness at the same time. I tried to keep my eyes  6 and I wanted something to cheer me up.
Later, I  7 the sound of the front door opening. And I waited for it—the sound of my mom singing. Though she sang off-key(跑调),   8  made me excited that she was here. I ran down to  9 my mom. We hugged each other and talked for a while. I like it when my mom was happy. Her  10 seemed to flow down to me and I got the strength to  11 the stress (压力) again.
Sometimes, I wonder how my mom can still be  12 after coming back from work. Every weekday, she wakes up  13 in the morning to go to work and spends all hour on the bus before getting downtown. At a  14 factory, she works standing for the whole day and draws patterns(图案) for clothes over and over. After work, my mom at times gets stuck(被困) in  15 for two hours on her way back home. When I 16 my school life with her work life, I should not be the one to  17 . At least I have some interesting things to do at school, but one mistake at work can cost my mom her job. I  18 that my mom has a positive (积极的) attitude and lives her life with a joyous heart, which encourages me to do my work well,  19 there may be difficulties. Seeing her happy makes me feel  20 , too.

When my son, Mark, was in the third grade, he saved all his pocket money for over three months to buy holiday presents. The third Saturday in December Mark said he had made his list and had twenty dollars in his pocket.
I drove him to a nearby supermarket. Mark picked up a hand basket and went in while I waited and watched in the car. It took Mark over 45 minutes to choose his presents. Finally he came to the checkout counter (交款处) and reached into his pocket for his money. It was not there! There was a hole in his pocket, but no money. Mark stood there holding his basket, tears falling down his face.
Then a surprising thing happened. A woman came up to Mark and took him in her arms. "You would help me a lot if you let me pay for you," said the woman. "It would be the most wonderful gift you could give me. I only ask that one day you will pass it on. When you grow up, I  would like you to find someone you can help. When you help others, 1 know you will feel as good about it as I do now."
Mark took the money, dried his tears and ran back to the checkout counter as fast as he could. That year we all enjoyed our gifts almost as much as Mark enjoyed giving them to us.
I would like to say ’"thank you" to that very kind woman, and tell her that four years later, Mark went house to house collecting blankets (毯子) and clothes for the homeless people in the fire. And I want to promise her that Mark will never forget to keep passing it on.
【小题1】When did the story probably happen?