I sit at my kitchen table, while my daughter, Anna, sits next to my mother. On the wall hangs a photo of my father.

    “When is Rick going to be here?” My mother asks, referring to my husband. 

    “I don’t know, Mom,” I answer patiently. “He’ll be here for dinner.”

    I sigh and get up from the table. This is at least the tenth time she has asked that question. 

    While my mother and daughter play, I busy myself making a salad. 

“Don't put in any onions,” Mom says. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”

“Yes, Mom,” I answer. 

I scrub(洗擦) off a carrot and chop it into bite-size pieces.

 “Don't put any onions in the salad,” she reminds me. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”

This time I can’t answer. 

My mother had been beautiful. She still is. In fact, my mother is still everything she has

been, just a bit forgetful.

I cut off the end of the cucumber and rub it to take away the bitterness. Cut and rub. This

 is a trick I have learned from my mother, along with a trillion other things: cooking, sewing, 

dating, laughing, thinking. I learned how to grow up. 

And I learned that when my mother was around, I never had to be afraid. 

    So why am I afraid now? 

I study my mother's hands. Her nails are no longer a bright red, but painted a light pink.

Almost no color at all. And as I stare at them, I realize I am feeling them as they shaped my 

youth. Hands that packed a thousand lunches and wiped a million tears off my cheeks. 

Now my hands have grown into those of my mother's. Hands that have cooked uneaten 

meals, held my own daughter's frightened fingers on the first day of school and dried tears 

off her face. 

I grow lighthearted. I can feel my mother kiss me goodnight, check to see if the window is

locked, then blow another kiss from the doorway. Then I am my mother, blowing that same

kiss to Anna. 

Outside everything is still. Shadows fall among the trees, shaped like pieces of a puzzle.

Someday my daughter will be standing in my place, and I will rest where my mother now sits. 

Will I remember then how it felt to be both mother and daughter? Will I ask the same

question too many times? 

I walk over and sit down between my mother and her granddaughter. 

“Where is Rick?” my mother asks, resting her hand on the table next to mine. And in that

instant I know she remembers. She may repeat herself a little too much. But she remembers. 

“He’ll be here,” I answer with a smile. 

What’s wrong with the writer’s mother?

A. She is very old.           B. She suffers forgetfulness.

C. She is absent-minded.      D. She is eager to see Rick.

What can we learn about the writer’s father according to the passage?

  A. He might have passed away for years.

 B. He goes out for a walk by himself.

C. He is out doing something with Rick.

D. He loves the writer’s mother deeply.

The underlined sentence “I realize I am feeling them as they shaped my youth” probably means that ______. 

A. Mother’s hands witnessed my growth as a youth

B. Mother’s hands are similar to mine as a youth

C. I like to feel mother’s hands when she was young

D. I realize her hands were exactly like those in her youth

Which of the following words best describe the writer’s mood towards her mother?

  A. Content.    B. Disappointed.     C. Loving.    D. Considerate.

The best title for the passage would be ______.

  A. Mother’s beauty           B. My father hates onion 

C. Hard-working mother       D. Mother’s hands

I sit at my kitchen table, while my daughter, Anna, sits next to my mother. On the wall hangs a photo of my father.
“When is Rick going to be here?” My mother asks, referring to my husband. 
“I don’t know, Mom,” I answer patiently. “He’ll be here for dinner.”
I sigh and get up from the table. This is at least the tenth time she has asked that question. 
While my mother and daughter play, I busy myself making a salad. 
“Don't put in any onions,” Mom says. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”
“Yes, Mom,” I answer. 
I scrub(洗擦) off a carrot and chop it into bite-size pieces.
“Don't put any onions in the salad,” she reminds me. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”
This time I can’t answer. 
My mother had been beautiful. She still is. In fact, my mother is still everything she has
been, just a bit forgetful.
I cut off the end of the cucumber and rub it to take away the bitterness. Cut and rub. This
is a trick I have learned from my mother, along with a trillion other things: cooking, sewing, 
dating, laughing, thinking. I learned how to grow up. 
And I learned that when my mother was around, I never had to be afraid. 
So why am I afraid now? 
I study my mother's hands. Her nails are no longer a bright red, but painted a light pink.
Almost no color at all. And as I stare at them, I realize I am feeling them as they shaped my 
youth. Hands that packed a thousand lunches and wiped a million tears off my cheeks. 
Now my hands have grown into those of my mother's. Hands that have cooked uneaten 
meals, held my own daughter's frightened fingers on the first day of school and dried tears 
off her face. 
I grow lighthearted. I can feel my mother kiss me goodnight, check to see if the window is
locked, then blow another kiss from the doorway. Then I am my mother, blowing that same
kiss to Anna. 
Outside everything is still. Shadows fall among the trees, shaped like pieces of a puzzle.
Someday my daughter will be standing in my place, and I will rest where my mother now sits. 
Will I remember then how it felt to be both mother and daughter? Will I ask the same
question too many times? 
I walk over and sit down between my mother and her granddaughter. 
“Where is Rick?” my mother asks, resting her hand on the table next to mine. And in that
instant I know she remembers. She may repeat herself a little too much. But she remembers. 
“He’ll be here,” I answer with a smile. 
【小题1】What’s wrong with the writer’s mother?

I sit at my kitchen table, while my daughter, Anna, sits next to my mother. On the wall hangs a photo of my father.
“When is Rick going to be here?” My mother asks, referring to my husband. 
“I don’t know, Mom,” I answer patiently. “He’ll be here for dinner.”
I sigh and get up from the table. This is at least the tenth time she has asked that question. 
While my mother and daughter play, I busy myself making a salad. 
“Don't put in any onions,” Mom says. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”
“Yes, Mom,” I answer. 
I scrub(洗擦) off a carrot and chop it into bite-size pieces.
“Don't put any onions in the salad,” she reminds me. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”
This time I can’t answer. 
My mother had been beautiful. She still is. In fact, my mother is still everything she has
been, just a bit forgetful.
I cut off the end of the cucumber and rub it to take away the bitterness. Cut and rub. This  is a trick I have learned from my mother, along with a trillion other things: cooking, sewing, 
dating, laughing, thinking. I learned how to grow up. 
And I learned that when my mother was around, I never had to be afraid. So why am I afraid now? 
I study my mother's hands. Her nails are no longer a bright red, but painted a light pink.。Almost no color at all. And as I stare at them, I realize I am feeling them as they shaped my 
youth. Hands that packed a thousand lunches and wiped a million tears off my cheeks. 
Now my hands have grown into those of my mother's. Hands that have cooked uneaten 
meals, held my own daughter's frightened fingers on the first day of school and dried tears 
off her face. 
I grow lighthearted. I can feel my mother kiss me goodnight, check to see if the window is
locked, then blow another kiss from the doorway. Then I am my mother, blowing that same
kiss to Anna. 
Outside everything is still. Shadows fall among the trees, shaped like pieces of a puzzle.
Someday my daughter will be standing in my place, and I will rest where my mother now sits. 
Will I remember then how it felt to be both mother and daughter? Will I ask the same
question too many times? 
I walk over and sit down between my mother and her granddaughter. 
“Where is Rick?” my mother asks, resting her hand on the table next to mine. And in that
instant I know she remembers. She may repeat herself a little too much. But she remembers. 
“He’ll be here,” I answer with a smile. 

1. 1.

   What’s wrong with the writer’s mother?

   1. A.
      She is very old.          
   2. B.
      She suffers forgetfulness.
   3. C.
      She is absent-minded.     
   4. D.
      She is eager to see Rick.
2. 2.

   What can we learn about the writer’s father according to the passage?
   

   1. A.
      He might have passed away for years.
   2. B.
      He goes out for a walk by himself.
   3. C.
      He is out doing something with Rick.
   4. D.
      He loves the writer’s mother deeply.
3. 3.

   The underlined sentence “I realize I am feeling them as they shaped my youth” probably means that ______. 

   1. A.
      Mother’s hands witnessed my growth as a youth
   2. B.
      Mother’s hands are similar to mine as a youth
   3. C.
      I like to feel mother’s hands when she was young
   4. D.
      I realize her hands were exactly like those in her youth
4. 4.

   Which of the following words best describe the writer’s mood towards her mother?
   

   1. A.
      Content.   
   2. B.
      Disappointed.    
   3. C.
      Loving.   
   4. D.
      Considerate.
5. 5.

   The best title for the passage would be ______.
   

   1. A.
      Mother’s beauty          
   2. B.
      My father hates onion 
   3. C.
      Hard-working mother      
   4. D.
      Mother’s hands

Height is just one of the thousands of features your genes(基因)decide. In fact, because you have two parents, your genes provide you a height that usually lands somewhere between the height of each parent. If both your parents are tall, then most probably you will be tall, too, but if you have questions about how tall you're going to be, ask your doctor if he or she can help you find it out.

But genes don't decide everything. For example, eating an unhealthy diet can keep you from growing to your full potential(潜力). Getting plenty of sleep and enough exercise will help you grow to the expected height.

No doubt(怀疑) you're wondering how fast you should grow. It depends. There's no perfect or right answer. Generally speaking, kids grow about 2 inches (6 centimeters) a year between age 3 and the time when they start puberty (when your body starts changing and becoming more grown up).

Your doctor will know how your growth has been going over the years. Two centimeters here and 2 inches there are not nearly as important as the height you're at now, how you've been growing up to this point, and what other changes your body may be going through.

Don't be scared if you seem to have grown a lot in a very short time. Everyone has a growth spurt（高峰）during puberty. The age for starting puberty is about 10 for girls and about 11 for boys. But it can be earlier or later ——between 7 and 13 for girls and 9 and 15 for boys.

You'll usually begin to notice that you're growing faster about a year or so after your body starts to show the first changes of puberty.

If you want to know how fast and how tall you should grow, ____________.

   A. you should have enough exercise           B. you can ask doctors for help

   C. you should save the environment           D. You can record your growth during puberty

This passage is mainly about ____________.

   A. how the genes work in your body           B. when is the time you grow fast

   C. why you look like your parents                D. how you grow to a certain height 

After reading this passage, we can explain ___________.

   A. how good it is to be a doctor             B. how much sleep time we need

   C. why genes can’t decide everything            D. what healthy diet is

Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?

   A. Your height most probably depends on how high your parents are.

   B. Girls’ age for starting puberty is usually earlier than that for boys’.

   C. The time showing the first changes of puberty is never noticed.

   D. You may be scared sometimes when you grow too fast.

Height is just one of the thousands of features your genes(基因)decide. In fact, because you have two parents, your genes provide you a height that usually lands somewhere between the height of each parent. If both your parents are tall, then most probably you will be tall, too, but if you have questions about how tall you're going to be, ask your doctor if he or she can help you find it out.
But genes don't decide everything. For example, eating an unhealthy diet can keep you from growing to your full potential(潜力). Getting plenty of sleep and enough exercise will help you grow to the expected height.
No doubt(怀疑) you're wondering how fast you should grow. It depends. There's no perfect or right answer. Generally speaking, kids grow about 2 inches (6 centimeters) a year between age 3 and the time when they start puberty (when your body starts changing and becoming more grown up).
Your doctor will know how your growth has been going over the years. Two centimeters here and 2 inches there are not nearly as important as the height you're at now, how you've been growing up to this point, and what other changes your body may be going through.
Don't be scared if you seem to have grown a lot in a very short time. Everyone has a growth spurt（高峰）during puberty. The age for starting puberty is about 10 for girls and about 11 for boys. But it can be earlier or later ——between 7 and 13 for girls and 9 and 15 for boys.
You'll usually begin to notice that you're growing faster about a year or so after your body starts to show the first changes of puberty.
【小题1】If you want to know how fast and how tall you should grow, ____________.

A．how the genes work in your body	B．when is the time you grow fast
C．why you look like your parents	D．how you grow to a certain height