By the third year of teaching I’d begun to expect Christmas break more for the school holiday and less for the excitement of the children. I was teaching fourth grade and my students had made me 36 . I just had to get through one of the hardest days of the school year.
The morning bell rang. I walked 37 through the cold into the overly heated school building. Twenty-two smiling faces 38 me at the school bus stop. I forced myself to 39 their smiles. Back into the classroom, they 40 , comparing plans for the 41 . I had to remove one student from each arm 42 I could take a seat at my desk for my morning duties. Before I could find my roll book（点名册） my desk was covered with 43 and gifts followed by a 44 of “Merry Christmas” wishes.
“Oh, thank you,” I must have 45 a million times. Each gift was truly special to me, except my 46 mood. It was kind of them to 47 me. After a while, I heard a small nervous 48 say my name. I looked up to see Brandon standing 49 by my desk, holding a small, round gift. “This is for you.”
“Thank you, Sweetheart.” I laid it on my desk with the others.
“Um, could you 50 it now?”
I gently tore at the paper and tape. “ 51 ,” he said, “it’s breakable.” Slowly I opened a small, green Christmas tree ornament（装饰物）, complete with a hook already 52 . It dawned on me what he had done. Then a nearby student said that he just pulled that off his own tree. I tried to keep my 53 back.
Later that day, I sat 54 the ornament in my hands. Was I really so important to this child that he had searched for something to give me? Now every year as I 55 pull a green Christmas ball from my ornament box, I remember the deep influence my students have on me.
1.A. excited B. tired C. amazed D. relaxed
2.A. eagerly B. aimlessly C. gently D. heavily
3.A. watched B. greeted C. delighted D. warned
4. A. return B. forget C. ignore D. refuse
5.A. calmed B. settled C. chatted D. argued
6.A. study B. weekend C. vacation D. lesson
7. A. before B. when C. after D. because
8.A. letters B. books C. chalks D. cards
9.A. knowledge B. collection C. series D. bunch
10.A. confirmed B. assessed C. responded D. explained
11.A. pleased B. low C. thrilled D. angry
12. A. talk about B. think of C. turn to D. connect with
13.A. call B. sound C. shout D. voice
14. A. shyly B. bravely C. rudely D. sadly
15.A. classify B. collect C. open D. check
16. A. Careful B. Dangerous C. Patient D. Hasty
17.A. exposed B. adapted C. adjusted D. attached
18.A. trees B. hooks C. gifts D. tears
19.A. looking into B. turning over C. giving away D. packing up
20.A. anxiously B. hurriedly C. delicately D. casually
No matter how I tried to read it, the sentence didn’t ______to me.
A. understand B. make out C. turn out D. make sense
The last ______of the play was very impressive.
A. view B. sight C. scenery D. scene
The government ______the diplomatic note from Japan for its unclear attitude to the trade between two countries.
A. denied B. refused C. rejected D. objected
It is sleeping late in the morning that ______being late for work.
A. devotes to B. sticks to C. refers to D. leads to
—Can you work out the problem? —I can’t ______your explain how to do it.
A. but for B. except C. apart from D. unless
