比鞋更好的禮物

It was the tail end of the depression， and things were tough. Mum had a____1____time raising us kids on her own.

Christmas was approaching.____2____to Mum， I had been selling Christmas trees， shoveling snow， and doing odd jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of boots.

Well， the big day came on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. I was very____3____， as I hurried up the road to catch the bus. But on halfway， I began to feel bewildered. I was eleven years old， and I was feeling a strange sense of____4 ____. Here I was going to buy a new pair of boots____ 5____ Mum was home in tears. As I arrived at the bus stop， I stood there for____ 6____seemed a lifetime， until eventually the driver asked， “Son， are you getting on this bus or not?” I finally blurted out， “No thanks Sir， I’ve ____ 7____ my mind.”

The bus drove off without me， and I stood alone in a daze(茫然)，____ 8____ feeling as if a weight had been____9 ____ off my shoulders. My mind was made up and I realized what I had to do.

Into a big grocery store I went， 10 with happiness and excitement. I realized that the twenty-five dollars I had worked so hard____11____ went a long____ 12 ____for groceries. I bought a turkey， ham， oranges and all the Christmas treats. Then I hurried back home and____ 13____piled them against the door of my house. With great excitement and____14____ in my eyes， I knocked on the door. I could ____15____ wait to see my mother’s face! When Mum opened the door， some of the groceries____16 ____ inside onto the floor， and she just stood there____17____. Holding back the tears， I hollered，“Merry Christmas Mother!!There really is a Santa Claus!”

I had a lot of ____18 ____to do as we unpacked all the food and put it away. That day I got enough hugs and kisses from Mum to____ 19____ two lifetimes. To see my Mother’s prayers answered____20____made up for the boots I never got. It was a Merry Christmas for us after all!

1. A. hardB. longC. unluckyD. dark

2. A. SimilarB. StrangeC. UnknownD. Unfamiliar

3. A. nervousB. excitedC. freeD. unforgettable

4. A. prideB. regretC. selfishnessD. guilt

5. A. asB. whileC. whenD. before

6. A. whatB. itC. thatD. this

7. A. ownedB. foundC. made upD. changed

8. A. thoughB. andC. butD. still

9. A. lightenedB. fallenC. liftedD. took

10. A. coveredB. filledC. burdenedD. followed

11. A. inB. toC. withD. for

12. A. way B. timeC. useD. stand

13. A. quietlyB. eagerlyC. secretlyD. quickly

14. A. fulfillmentB. tearsC. expectationD. relaxation

15. A. seldomB. alwaysC. evenD. hardly

16. A. rushedB. ranC. fellD. appeared

17. A. unbelievablyB. suspiciousC. tearfullyD. dumbfounded

18. A. sayingsB. explainingC. thingsD. cleaning

19. A. lastB. waitC. enjoyD. appreciate

20. A. no moreB. other thanC. more thanD. rather than

答案及解析

1. A. 由前一句things were tough可以看出母親獨自撫養我們很困難(hard)。

2. C. 由下文可知作者攢錢買鞋是瞞著自己母親的，所以母親不知道。

3. B. 這一句與下一句是轉折關系。下一句作者走到半路變得茫然。可知一開始作者因為要買到自己想要的鞋子而感到興奮。

4. D. a sense of guilt:負罪感。作者感覺自己在家庭經濟拮據的情況下拿錢去買鞋這樣做不恰當，覺得有點對不起母親。

5. B. while在此句中表對比。

6. A. what 在此處引導介詞for 的賓語從句，并在從句中作主語。整句話的意思是:我在那兒站了似乎一生的時間。

7. D. 從下文中“作者用手中的錢買了圣誕用品，沒有買鞋，”可知他改變了原來的想法，已“打定了主意”。

8. C. but 此處表轉折。盡管我仍然很茫然，但感覺肩上的重擔好像卸去一樣。

9. C. lift/take a weight off the shoulders屬固定搭配。意思是“卸下重擔”。D選項形式不對。

10. B. 作者因為能為家庭做點事內心充滿興奮快樂的感覺。

11. D. for 在此處表目的。I had worked so hard for是前面名詞the twenty?鄄five dollars的定語從句。我工作是為了得到這25美元。

12. A. sth go a long way for sth某物對于……來說有幫助。此句的意思是這25美元可以買很多東西。

13. A. 由下文可知作者想給母親一個驚喜，所以要悄悄地把東西堆放在門前，而不能發出聲音來。

14. B.

15. D. I could hardly wait to see my mother’s face. 我迫不及待地想要看到母親的臉。

16. C. 由上句可知，那么多的東西是靠著門的，門一開，東西就倒下去了。

17. D. 母親完全沒有料到這樣的事情，所以很驚訝，目瞪口呆。

18. B. explaining:解釋。作者需要給母親解釋怎么回事。

19. A. last:持續。

20. C. 看到母親的祈禱得以應驗遠遠彌補了我永遠也沒買那雙鞋子的失落感。

編輯/梁宇清