I used to live in a separate room. I loved living   36  . But one day it all changed when my brother Mike asked to  37  my room. At first, my parents said “no” to him, but at last my mother  38  . I cried and begged my parents not to do this, 39  it didn’t work.

As soon as Mike entered my room, my room began to become  40  . To my anger, he often left his unwashed clothes everywhere!

One evening, I was doing my homework on my computer while Mike was listening to music. Later, I left my  41  to get some water. A shock was  42  me when I returned. He had used my computer to play games. I had  43    to save the homework. Sadly, he closed the program  44  saving it--- all my effort had disappeared! I shouted at him at the top of my  45  . He cried a lot as my mother   46  him. My mother also asked him to leave my room  47  .

Then I did my homework once again. At 11:00PM, I  48  it. I was about to turn off my computer when I saw the  49  of my brother that he had put on my table. I looked at his lovely face and remembered how he was crying when my mom punished him. I really felt  50  for him.

I went to him. He was  51  in my parents’ bed. I kissed his forehead. He woke up, 52  and said, “I’m sorry, I won’t bring you  53  again.”

I was so  54   and I hugged him, saying, “From now on, my room is not only  55  . It is ours!”

It's fourteen years since I left the Philippines to live with my family in the USA. A month ago, while on summer vacation back in my motherland, I learned a lesson from mosquito (蚊子) bites. Right before    16   Kennedy Airport in New York, my grandma   17   me of the behavior of the native mosquitoes around the   18   like me. She said, "There's an old saying—the   19   you stay away from the motherland, the sweeter your blood   20   to the mosquitoes. " Not   21   it, I replied, "Grandma, that's just an old wives' tale!" 

Well, less than a week   22   my arrival in Manila, I was already carpeted with a   23   of mosquito bites. I took many measures to keep myself from being   24   , but they all proved useless.

Late one   25   in my cousin's home, I couldn't bear the   26   of the bites. Hoping to find some comfort, I   27   my cousin, who was sleeping peacefully in the bed next to mine. Unhappy for being   28    she said, "There is nothing you can do. Go back to sleep. "  With a few turns, she slept again. Enviously (妒嫉地)   29   her sleep, I hoped a big mosquito would   30   on her face.  However, the mosquitoes would just lightly dance around her forehead and fly away quickly, never biting her. Amazed (惊奇的), I ran to others'   31   , only to find they were all sleeping  32   as the same thing occurred again and again.

From those bites, I came to   33   my grandma's silly tale. From then on, I've always tried to keep a(n)  34   mind about those strange old wives' tales   35   they do have some truth to them.

1.A. leaving        B. passing              C. visiting            D. finding

2.A. persuaded      B. reminded          C.  warned            D.  informed

3.A. students       B. foreigners           C. passengers               D. visitors

4.A. earlier        B. longer               C. sooner               D. later

5.A. grows          B. goes                 C. flows                D. remains

6.A. expecting      B. understanding        C. recognizing         D. believing

7.A. after          B. before               C. when                 D. as

8.A. shade          B. pile                 C. cloud                    D. blanket

9.A. touched        B. bitten          C. defeated             D. discovered

10.A. morning       B. afternoon            C. evening              D. night

11.A. noise         B. hit                  C. pain                     D. effect

12.A. woke up       B. shouted at           C. looked for               D. dropped on

13. A. blamed           B. interrupted          C. moved                D. frightened

14.A. having       B. watching             C. making               D. helping

15.A. land          B. fly                  C. fall                     D. wait

16.A. houses         B. flats               C. rooms                D. homes

17.A. joyfully          B. anxiously            C. soundlessly         D. worriedly

18.A. tell              B. know             C. remember             D. accept

19.A. open          B. active          C. clear                D. honest

20.A. and           B. so                   C. because              D. until