It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2011. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After working for ten hours, he returned to find his bike gone. The bike, a black Kona l8 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks lo support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品雜貨)．saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.1 was so sad that someone would steal our bike that l wrote to the newspaper and told them our story.

    Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It's really fantastic that a complete stranger would offer help to someone they have never met before. People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a great effect in our lives. And we believe that no matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.

46. Why was the bike so important to the couple? Because _______.

  A. they used it for work and daily life    B. it was their only possession（財(cái)產(chǎn)）

  C. it was a nice Kona l 8 speed         D. the man's job was bike racing

47. We can infer from the passage that_______.

    A. the couple worked 60 hours a week    B. people were busy before Christmas

    C. the stranger stole Trevor's bike        D. life was hard for the young family

48. What do the couple learn from their experience?

    A. Strangers are usually of little help.    B. One-should take care of their bike.

    C. An act of kindness can mean a lot.    D. News reports make people famous.

    It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2011. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After working for ten hours, he returned to find his bike gone. The bike, a black Kona l8 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks lo support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品雜貨)．saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.1 was so sad that someone would steal our bike that l wrote to the newspaper and told them our story.

    Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It's really fantastic that a complete stranger would offer help to someone they have never met before. People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a great effect in our lives. And we believe that no matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.

46. Why was the bike so important to the couple? Because _______.

  A. they used it for work and daily life    B. it was their only possession（財(cái)產(chǎn)）

  C. it was a nice Kona l 8 speed         D. the man's job was bike racing

47. We can infer from the passage that_______.

    A. the couple worked 60 hours a week    B. people were busy before Christmas

    C. the stranger stole Trevor's bike        D. life was hard for the young family

48. What do the couple learn from their experience?

    A. Strangers are usually of little help.    B. One-should take care of their bike.

    C. An act of kindness can mean a lot.    D. News reports make people famous.

For years I wanted a garden．I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together．
But then we had Matthew, and Marvin, and the twins Alisa and Alan, and then Helen．I was too busy raising them to grow a garden．
Money was not enough．Neither was time．Often when my children were little,
one of them would want something that cost too much, and I’d have to say, “Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know．”
Finally, all the children got through high school and college and were off on their own．I started thinking again about a garden．
Then, one spring morning, on Mother’s Day, I was working in my kitchen．Suddenly, I looked out of the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard．There were things blowing around on it．       Then I put my glasses on—and I couldn’t believe what I saw．
There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look．It was true! There were dollar bills(帳單), one hundred of them, hanging all over that tree．There was also a note among them, “Thank you for your time, Mom．We love you!”
Later, my children bought me tools, ornaments, a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books．A new page started in my life．
That was three years ago．My garden’s now very pretty, just like I wanted．When I go out and take care of my flowers, I don’t seem to miss my children as much as I once did．It feels like they’re right there with me．Now every year when winter comes, I look out of my window and think of the flowers I’ll see next spring in my little garden．I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes—every time．
I’m still not sure that money grows on trees．But I know love does!
【小題1】How many children did the writer have?

For years I wanted a garden．I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together．
But then we had Matthew, and Marvin, and the twins Alisa and Alan, and then Helen．I was too busy raising them to grow a garden．
Money was not enough．Neither was time．Often when my children were little,
one of them would want something that cost too much, and I’d have to say, “Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know．”
Finally, all the children got through high school and college and were off on their own．I started thinking again about a garden．
Then, one spring morning, on Mother’s Day, I was working in my kitchen．Suddenly, I looked out of the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard．There were things blowing around on it．       Then I put my glasses on—and I couldn’t believe what I saw．
There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look．It was true! There were dollar bills(帳單), one hundred of them, hanging all over that tree．There was also a note among them, “Thank you for your time, Mom．We love you!”
Later, my children bought me tools, ornaments, a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books．A new page started in my life．
That was three years ago．My garden’s now very pretty, just like I wanted．When I go out and take care of my flowers, I don’t seem to miss my children as much as I once did．It feels like they’re right there with me．Now every year when winter comes, I look out of my window and think of the flowers I’ll see next spring in my little garden．I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes—every time．
I’m still not sure that money grows on trees．But I know love does!

1. 1.

   How many children did the writer have?

   1. A.
      Three
   2. B.
      Four
   3. C.
      Five
   4. D.
      Six
2. 2.

   What did the mother mean when she said “Money doesn’t grow on trees”?

   1. A.
      She was too busy to plant a money tree at that time．
   2. B.
      She had to save money so that she could have a garden．
   3. C.
      It wasn’t easy for her to make money to raise all the children．
   4. D.
      They didn’t have much money because the mother lost her job．
3. 3.

   The “money tree” appeared in the writer’s yard _________．

   1. A.
      before her children were born
   2. B.
      one spring morning when the children were little
   3. C.
      after the children went to school
   4. D.
      on a Mother’s Day after the children left her
4. 4.

   The children planted a money tree in their mother’s yard because _________．

   1. A.
      their mother needed money badly
   2. B.
      they wanted to show their love to their mother
   3. C.
      it was time for them to give the money back to her
   4. D.
      they wanted to live together with their mother forever