Whenever my kids have a party at school, I am the mom who always signs up to bring the juice boxes. It’s not because I’m   36  or that I don’t care if my kids have a good party. I am just not good at making homemade bread into holiday-themed shapes like other mothers.   37 , I’m happy to try, even though it’ll   38  me a long time to do it.
People say that housewives should have the   39  to make delicious meals, keep their houses clean, and   40  every minute of their child’s life. Their words used to   41  me a lot. I felt that I should also be able to do those things as a housewife. So   42  I couldn’t make the turkey-shaped cookies, I   43  feeling like a failure as a mom.
After many   44  attempts at baking, and many afternoons spent crying over my inabilities as a mother, I finally accepted the   45  that my lot(命运) in life is to be the juice box mom. I worked hard to be the   46  one in the elementary school. And after one of my daughter’s class parties, it   47 . Her teacher stopped me as I was leaving and said, “Thank you so much for always bringing   48  drinks. Sometimes parents forget that other children will also   49  class parties, and they end up being left out because we don’t have enough   50  for everyone.”
I just accepted her appreciation, rather than telling her that I brought extra drinks because I could   51  remember how many kids were in the class. But her   52  taught me an important lesson: I’m not a failure as a mom.
Not everyone is cut out to be a(n)   53  mom. I believe it’s okay to be the juice box mom. I may not bake cookies and decorate them beautifully, but I  54  something to drink. And I think that’s just as   55 .

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上涂黑。

My father enjoys bike riding. Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved going biking with my dad. 41 , as I became a teenager, other things began to draw my 42 . It became important to do things with friends  43 . I saw my dad every evening at home. Why did I have to  44  my Sundays to all-day bike trips with him , too? If my indifference(冷漠) hurt him, my father kept  45  , but he would always let me know when he was planning a bike trip  46  I wanted to come.

It was a Sunday morning, and I was in low  47 . Two of my friends had gone to the movies without inviting me. Just then my father  48  my room. “It’s a beautiful day. Want to go for a  49   today, Beck?”  “Leave me alone! ” I impatiently  50  . Those were the last words I said to him before he left the house that  51   .

Several hours later, the police called us,  52  us that Dad had a traffic accident. My father’s injuries were serious. It took several days before he could  53  speak. Beside his bed I held his hand gently, 54   of hurting him.

“Daddy … I’m sorry …”

“It’s OK, sweetheart. I’ll be OK.”

“No,” I said, “I  55  what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”

“Sweetheart, I don’t  56  anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” He 57  a weak smile.

I felt regretful for my thoughtless remark, for I 58  wanted him to leave me alone. My teacher once told me that 59  have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the  60  to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.

1.A. Therefore          B. Instead        C. Besides          D. However

2.A. attention           B. sight          C. effort            D. energy

3.A. once again          B. all of a sudden   C. in time          D. in place

4.A. start               B. save           C. devote          D. waste

5.A. silent              B. busy           C. asleep          D. awake

6.A. unless             B. in case          C. so that          D. even if

7.A. spirits             B. conditions       C. emotions         D. hopes

8.A. left                B. checked        C. entered          D. knocked

9.A. ride               B. walk            C. picnic           D. game

10.A. whispered          B. warned         C. announced        D. shouted

11.A. moment            B. morning        C. afternoon         D. evening

12.A. convincing         B. reminding       C. informing         D. phoning

13.A. eventually          B. generally        C. strictly           D. broadly

14.A. tired               B. afraid          C. aware            D. sorry

15.A. discuss            B. think            C. care             D. mean

16.A. hate               B. forget           C. remember        D. like

17.A. got                B. expressed       C. exchanged        D. managed

18.A. often              B. never           C. even             D. always

19.A. apologies          B. promises         C. smiles           D. words

20.A. experience         B. honor           C. power            D. desire

The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. “Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 totals for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.
I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” I asked him.
“I…I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills. “Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir.” he said. “Thank you very much!”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a cheat? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
“Oh, gosh! Long time.”
“Are you in school now?” I asked.
He nodded.
“That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s a gift.”
He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”
【小题1】What was the author’s first impression of the boy?

I went on line to check if my pay was in my bank account（账户）. To my amazement I discovered that not only had I been paid, but a company I’d never worked for had also paid me! I know I would have been beside myself (情绪失控) if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money back to the right person. Easier said than done.
The bank couldn’t help as it “wasn’t a bank problem.” The human-resource department at the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn’t have enough details. I rang the bank again. Thankfully I had a sympathetic call operator who gave me a name, so I again rang the company “Daniel” worked for.
I expected the bank would contact me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard nothing for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, explaining he’d tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their error. He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably fix this problem ourselves.
We decided I would take the money from my account and he would pick it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel personally but he left me a lovely bottle of wine in exchange for what was rightfully his. I never had any intention of keeping Daniel’s pay but red tape（繁琐手续）made it difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to two people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn’t do — admit a mistake has occurred and fix it.
【小题1】What was the attitude of the author towards the extra money in his bank account?

Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”

More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday, but only on Friday. This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.

Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（士气）. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative effect on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”

1.David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because __________.  

2.David Smith wears casual clothes now, because __________.  

3.According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE? 

4.According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?   

5.In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except __________.