How do you feel when you have to make a speech in front of class? What about when you go to a birthday party? Do you get really shy?
Shyness means feeling nervous or afraid when you’re around other people. Experts have found that more than 80% of middle school students feel afraid to be the center of attention. Some kids are born shy. Some become shy later because of their life experiences(經(jīng)歷).
It’s OK if it takes you a while to feel yourself again when you go to a new place or meet new people. In fact, everybody gets a little shy sometimes. It’s just a case of how much.
Most people have red faces and talk in broken sentences when they get shy. But some become so shy that they won’t go to a restaurant because they are too nervous to order and pay for their food. Some are afraid of meeting new people, so they seldom go outside. This kind of shyness can be bad for a person.
If shyness doesn’t stop you from doing something you want to do, being shy isn’t a very big problem. Some experts say shy people are cleverer because they think more and talk less. Shy people are also good at working with others because they think more for other people. Some great people in history were shy, too.
You see, being shy isn’t all bad. But remember not to let good opportunities(機(jī)會(huì)) pass by just because of it! If you have to sing a song at a birthday party or practice your spoken English in front of others, just do it! There’s nothing to be afraid of.
【小題1】The underlined phrase “to feel yourself again” in the third paragraph means “________”.

“Do you like my dress?” She asked a stranger. “My mum made it just for me,” She said with tears in her eyes.

“Well, I think it's very pretty, so tell me, little girl, why are you crying?”

The little girl answered in a low voice, “After mum made me this dress, she went away. My dad says that she's up in heaven now with Grandfather.”

Finally the woman realized why she was crying. She felt very sorry for the little girl and gently held the child in her arms.

Then suddenly the little girl did something a bit strange. She stopped crying, walked back from the woman and began to sing. She sang softly. It was the sweetest sound the woman had ever heard, almost like the song of a very small bird.

After the child stopped singing, she said to the lady, “My mum often sang that song to me before she went away, and she asked me to sing it whenever I started crying and it would make me stop.”

“See”, she said loudly, “it did, and now my eyes are dry!”

Just before the lady wanted to go, the girl showed her a spot (印跡) on her dress, and said, “Right here is where my mum kissed  my dress, and here,” pointing to another spot, “and here is another kiss, and here, and here. Mum said that she put all those kisses on my dress so that I would forget my sadness.”

Then the lady realized that she wasn't just looking at a dress, no, she was looking at a mother. The mother knew that she was going away and would not be there to kiss away her daughter's hurts any longer.

So the mother gave all her love to her beautiful daughter and put it into this dress. Now her child was wearing it so proudly.

The lady no longer saw a little girl wearing a simple dress. She saw a child wrapped (包) in her mother's love.

46. Who told the little girl to sing a song when she was crying?                       

A. the lady.                               B. her father.        

C. her mother.                             D. her grandfather.

47. Why was the little girl crying?                                

A. Because her mother went to a big city.   

B. Because her mother died.

C. Because her mother went out with her grandfather.        

D. Because her mother was ill in hospital.

48. The little girl showed the lady           .                        

A. how rich she was                        B. her happiness

C. how beautiful she was                   D. her mother's love

49. What do we know about the lady in the passage?                              

A. She was kind to the girl.               B. She was beautiful.

C. She was worried to see the girl.        D. She was a careless woman.

50. It can be learned from the passage that            .                                           

A. The girl's mother went away because of cancer.

B. Mother's love is the greatest in the world

C. A girl should wear a dress made by her mother

D. A mother should take her child with her wherever she goes.