One evening, sitting at the window sewing, my mother called me, “Come here,” she said. “ 1 .” She held my head against her 2 , and after a puzzled moment I felt a 3 foot drumming on my cheek. “You see?” “It’s alive. You can 4 it, can’t you?” I accepted it, as I accepted everything, without 5 . It was as good a place for the baby to be as any other and I never 6 about why it got in nor how it would finally get out.
A baby would come? I 7 noticed. That there were soon to be 8 of us would not make any difference to me. I had my place, star-like in my small universe. 9_, certainly not a baby, could 10 that.
I was 11 , however. I soon found that things had 12 a great deal. I had never been the 13 . Now I was no longer the youngest. I was simply the one in the 14 . My sister had certain 15 because she was the oldest, and my brother was the baby, the son, the much 16 boy. More than that, he had all sorts of things that never came to me.
As he grew, it became 17 that my brother had been the center of everything. People smiled when they saw him. He made them happy 18 by being there. And he had the sort of childish beauty that always turns heads and draws a second 19 .He was so charming that he was immediately lovable. Later he also turned out to be 20 , although perhaps not quite clever as I was.
1．A． Look B． See C． Listen D． Stop
2．A． stomach B． back C． side D． shoulder
3．A． strong B． hard C． soft D． tiny
4．A． believe B． feel C． notice D． touch
5．A． surprise B． delay C． trouble D． effort
6．A． worried B． argued C． regretted D． doubted
7．A． hardly B． certainly C． possibly D． willingly
8．A． two B． three C． four D． five
9．A． Anything B． Something C． Nothing D． Everything
10．A． improve B． threaten C． compare D． prevent
11．A． curious B． careless C． wrong D． anxious
12．A． improved B． changed C． increased D． disturbed
13．A． oldest B． youngest C． cleverest D． dearest
14．A． family B． house C． middle D． trouble
15．A． manners B． knowledge C． opinions D． rights
16．A． admired B． blamed C． favored D． loved
17．A． strange B． obvious C． serious D． special
18．A． usually B． nearly C． gradually D． simply
19．A． look B． smile C． care D． comfort
20．A． ordinary B． perfect C． clever D． similar
