My father died when I was a few months old． After his death, my mother moved back to Louisville, Kentucky, where __1__ had grown up． We lived in a small house with her older sister, Marion, and their mother． This was a time when being a single __2___ was still considered unusual．

When I was small, there was a children’s book called The Happy Family, and it was a real piece of work． Dad worked all day log at the office, Mom cooked in the kitchen, and brother and sister always had friends sleeping over． The image of the family in this book was typical （典型的） of the time． It looked __3___ like my family, but luckily that wasn’t the way I heard it． The way my Aunt Marion read it to me made the story really __4__．

Kind-hearted and open-minded, my aunt was the one who played baseball with me, who took me horseback riding, who took me to the father-son dinners and who gave me lessons on how to drive． Believing that anything __5__ was probably good for, she __6__ to get a loan （贷款） so that I could go to Africa to work as a volunteer, which was my most important experience．

As a young girl, Aunt Marion always planned to have a large number of children of her own, but she never got married．This __7__ that she was free to spend all her time taking care of me．Many people say we have a lot in common．She always __8__ me to do my best． She never __9__ to make me believe that I could do anything with my life that I wanted, if I only tried hard enough．

For more than sixty years, Aunt Marion didn’t and still don’t think of herself． __10__ she is forced to come up to the front, my aunt will stand in the back in family photos, and she doesn’t think that her efforts have made much __11___．I honor my aunt, who taught me the things my __12___ couldn’t．So every June for the past 40 years, in growing thankfulness to my Aunt Marion, I’ve sent her a Father’s Day card．

1． A． I                        B． she                     C． he                      D． we

2． A． man                   B． family                  C． parent                 D． child

3． A． nothing               B． anything              C． everything           D． something

4． A． surprising            B． boring                 C． sad                     D． funny

5． A． interesting         B． pleasant               C． impossible   D． unusual

6． A． decided               B． afforded              C． offered               D． prepared

7． A． said                    B． meant                 C． proved                D． showed

8． A． allowed               B． afforded              C． offered               D． forced

9． A． hoped                 B． agreed                C． stopped              D． tailed

10． A． Unless              B． Although             C． Since                  D． Before

11． A． difference          B． progress             C． trouble                       D． sense

12． A． Teachers            B． mother                       C． father                        D． friends

 It snowed again. My seventh Christmas was round the corner. I dreamed of getting the present from Father Christmas until my elder sister dropped the bomb, “There is no Father Christmas.”

  I ran to my grandmother’s house, for she always told the truth. Grandma was at home. I told __11___ everything. “No Father Christmas?” she was a little ___12____. “Don’t believe it. Put on your coat, and let’s go.”

  “Go? Where, Grandma?” I asked.

  “Kerby’s Store.”

  As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars and said, “Take the __13___ and buy something for someone who needs it. I’ll wait for in the car.” Then she turned and walked out of the Kerby’s.

  For a few seconds I just stood there, holding the money, wondering ___14___ to buy, and who to buy it for.

  I thought of ___15___ I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors … I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker, a __16___ with bad and messy hair. He sat right behind me ___17____ Mrs. Pollack’s class.

  Bobbie ___18___ went to any party during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, ___19____ we all knew that he didn’t have a cough, and he didn’t have a coat. I decided to buy Bobbie a red warm coat ___20____ he would like.

  That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and ___21___ “To Bobbie, From Father Christmas” on it. Grandma told me Father Christmas never let people know that he ___22___ them. Then she drove me over to Bobbie’s house, telling that I was helping Father Christmas ____23___ the presents.

Grandma parked the car along the street, and we hid behind the trees near Bobbie’s house. Then Grandma said to me, “All right, Father Christmas, get going.”

  I took a deep breath, rushed to his front door, put the present down. ____24___ the door, rang the doorbell and flew back to the safety of the ____25_____ and Grandma. We waited breathlessly in the dark for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie.

  That night, I realized that Father Christmas was alive and well, and we were on his team.

1.A. him  B. her   C. them   D. you

2.A. angry   B. happy   C. tired   D. afraid 

3.A. book   B. coat   C. present   D. money

4.A. what   B. when   C. where   D. how

5.A. everybody   B. nobody   C. somebody   D. anybody

6.A. girl   B. boy   C. man   D. woman

7.A. for   B. on   C. in    D. with

8.A. always   B. often   C. sometime   D never

9.A. so   B. if   C. but   D. and

10.A. where   B. that   C. who   D. why

11.A. read   B. say   C. write   D. spell

12.A. helped   B. believe   C. taught   D. made

13.A. give up   B. give away   C. put up   D. put off

14.A. on   B. behind   C. outside   D. over

15.A. shop   B. cars   C. door   D. trees