I am my mother’s third child. When I was born, the doctor gently explained to my mother that my left arm was     36   , below the elbow (肘). Then he gave her some     37   , “Don’t treat her any     38    from the other girls. Demand more.” And she     39   !

  My mother had to work to     40    my family. There were five girls in our family and we all had to     41   . Once when I was about seven, I came out of the     42   , “Mom, I can’t peel (削……皮) potatoes. I only have one hand.”

  “You get back to peel those potatoes, and don’t ever use that as a(n)     43    for anything again!”

  Of course I could peel potatoes — with my good hand, while holding them down with my __44    arm. There was always a     45   , and Mom knew it. “If you try hard    46   ,” she said, “you can do anything.”

  Once in the second grade, our teacher had each of us race across the monkey bars (攀爬架). When it was my turn, I     47    my head. Some kids     48   . I went home crying.

  After work the next afternoon, Mom     49    me back to the school playground.

  “Now,     50    up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by     51    I practiced, and she     52    me when I made progress.

    I’ll never forget the     53    time I was crossing the bars. The kids were standing there with their mouths open.

    It was the way with everything. When I     54    I can’t handle (处理) things, I see Mom’s smile again. She had the heart to     55    anything. And she taught me I could, too.

A. missing                 B. broken                     C. cut                           D. short

A. warning               B. medicine           C. help                         D. advice

A. badly                    B. differently         C. well                         D. normally

A. did                      B. refused              C. cried                        D. had

A. care                      B. help                  C. support                    D. live

A. find out                 B. work out           C. carry out                  D. help out

A. kitchen                  B. bedroom           C. house                    D. school

A. idea                      B. change                     C. excuse                   D. tool

A. lost                       B. other                 C. next                         D. longer

A. chance                   B. way                  C. time                         D. success

A. enough                  B. too                   C. again                       D. often

A. hurt                      B. nodded              C. shook                    D. turned

A. cheered                 B. whispered          C. joked                       D. laughed

A. drove                    B. took                  C. sent                         D. carried

A. pull                       B. jump                 C. stand                        D. rise

A. before                   B. as                     C. after                        D. until

A. helped                   B. raised                C. praised                     D. protected

A. first                      B. last                   C. wonderful             D. next

A. admit                    B. fear                  C. find                         D. realize

A. face                      B. teach                 C. learn                        D. solve

I am my mother’s third child. When I was born, the doctor gently explained to my mother that my left arm was     36   , below the elbow (肘). Then he gave her some     37   , “Don’t treat her any     38    from the other girls. Demand more.” And she     39   !

My mother had to work to     40    my family. There were five girls in our family and we all had to     41   . Once when I was about seven, I came out of the     42   , “Mom, I can’t peel (削……皮) potatoes. I only have one hand.”

“You get back to peel those potatoes, and don’t ever use that as a(n)     43    for anything again!”

Of course I could peel potatoes — with my good hand, while holding them down with my __44    arm. There was always a     45   , and Mom knew it. “If you try hard    46   ,” she said, “you can do anything.”

Once in the second grade, our teacher had each of us race across the monkey bars (攀爬架). When it was my turn, I     47    my head. Some kids     48   . I went home crying.

After work the next afternoon, Mom     49    me back to the school playground.

“Now,     50    up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by     51    I practiced, and she     52    me when I made progress.

I’ll never forget the     53    time I was crossing the bars. The kids were standing there with their mouths open.

It was the way with everything. When I    54    I can’t handle (处理) things, I see Mom’s smile again. She had the heart to     55    anything. And she taught me I could, too.

It was the old lady’s eightieth birthday. She was sure Myra wouldn’t forgot her mother’s birthday, even if she was busy. After all, eighty was a special birthday. Perhaps Myra might come. Even if Myra did not come, she would send a present. The old lady was sure of that. Two spots of colour brightened her cheeks. She was excited like a child.

    Mrs. Morrison had brought a card and a bunch of flowers when she came to do the breakfast. Mrs. Grant downstairs had made a cake. Johnnie, the little boy next door, was now up with her with a packet of sweets.

    “I guess you’ll get lots and lots of presents, ” he said. “I did last week when I was six.”

    What would she like? A pair of slippers, perhaps. A blue new cardigan. Or a table lamp. Or a little clock, with clear black numbers. So many lovely things.

    She stood by the window, watching. The postman turned round the corner on his bicycle. Her heart beat fast. Johnnie had seen him too and ran to the gate.

    “Granny, granny, ” Johnnie returned. “I’ve got your post!”

    He gave her four envelopes. Three were from old friends. The fourth was in Myra’s writing.

    “No parcel(包裹), Johnnie?”

    “No, granny.”

    Almost reluctantly, she tore the fourth envelope open. Folded in the card was a check. Written on the card was a message: Happy Birthday—Buy yourself something nice with the check, Myra and Harold.

    The six-figure check fell to the floor like a bird with a broken wing. Slowly the old lady bent to pick it up. Her present, her lovely present. With trembling fingers she tore it into little bits.

As can be inferred from the passage, _______.

    A. the old lady lived alone in a flat away from her daughter

B. the friends sent the old lady many lovely presents by post

C. Myra was stopped by her husband from seeing her mother

D. the neighbours cared little about the old lady in daily life

The old lady felt _______ when she saw no packet came with her daughter’s card.

    A. excited      B. happy                C. disappointed     D. impatient

Which of the following might serve as the best title for the passage?

    A. The Present      B. The Check            C. The Birthday     D. The Daughter

The reason why the old lady tore the check into small pieces was that _______.

    A. she was sure her daughter would come, not the check

B. she didn’t notice there were six figures on the check

C. she didn’t think the check was large enough for a present

D. she would prefer a present with love from her daughter

Though _____ my opinion ,my mother didn’t say anything to show that she stood by me.

Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel(剥……的皮) potatoes. I have only one hand.”

Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”

In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.

That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.

“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow(肘). Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.

One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”

For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint. I peeked(窥视) out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf（利益）. She had never let me see her tears.

1. Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom’s attitude when she made the child to peel potatoes?

A．Cruel.                                B．Serious.

C．Cold.                                 D．Strict

2. What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” imply(暗示)?

A．Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.

B．The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.

C．Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.

D．What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.

3. When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because _________.

A．they felt sorry for what they had done before

B．they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt

C．they were astonished to find the author’s progress

D．they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars

4.The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ______.

A．the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep

B．the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her own

C．Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph

D．in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child’s growth