Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils （水仙花）before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. “I will go next Tuesday,” I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.
The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible （看不见的）in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!”
My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read “Daffodil Garden”.
We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most beautiful sight! There were five acres of flowers! “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. “It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “That’s her home,” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio （庭院）, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs （鳞茎）,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”
I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun -- one bulb at a time -- to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top.
1.The author didn’t go to see the daffodils at first because _________.
A. she was not interested in them
B. they were growing on the mountain top
C. the weather was not good enough
D. it was not easy for her to drive there
2.What do we know about the woman living in the A-frame house?
A. She must be out of mind.
B. She acted as a gardener there.
C. It took her great determination to grow the daffodils.
D. She was poor and made her living by selling daffodils.
3.What could the author probably learn from this experience?
A. Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it.
B. We must put the interests of others above our own.
C. We can change the world by growing flowers.
D. It’s never too late to learn.
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. An Unforgettable Experience. B. Beautiful Daffodils.
C. One Bulb at a Time. D. I Love Daffodils.
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was half an hour before midnight on December 24th last year. I was a ticket-counter supervisor（主管）for a major airline and was looking forward to the 36 of my shift （轮班）at Stapleton International Airport in Denver. My wife was waiting up for me at home so that we could 37 our gifts for Christmas.
Just then, a very 38 gentleman went up to me. He asked how he could get to Cheyenne, Wyoming. He had just arrived from Philadelphia and 39 his connecting flight. I pointed him to the ground transportation area, where he could rent a 40 . And then I called my wife to let her know I would be home 41 .
About fifteen minutes later, the gentleman 42 and informed me that all the buses were full and there were no cars 43 . I told him that he had to stay for a night at the airport. Hearing that, he burst into 44 .
I tried to make him calm down. He explained that his name was Tom, and that his only son was 45 ill at home and was not expected to 46 another year. He expected that this would likely be the 47 Christmas with his son.
I told Tom to 48 his luggage and wait for me at the gate. I was driving to Cheyenne. I called my wife Kathy, telling her about it and not to wait up for me. I drove fast 49 and we arrived in Cheyenne around 2:30 a. m.
Kathy was still 50 me when I got home in the early morning. We traded gifts and then our conversation 51 Tom. For Kathy and me, there was no 52 that driving Tom to Cheyenne was the 53 choice.
A couple of days later, I 54 a Christmas card with a picture of Tom and his family. In it, Tom thanked me for the special 55 he had received that holiday season, but I knew the best gift was mine.
1.A. end B. turn C. role D. change
2. A. expect B. get C. exchange D. make
3. A. kind B. helpless C. sad D. worried
4. A. mistook B. missed C. caught D. continued
5. A. bus B. flight C. room D. car
6.A. soon B. late C. early D. lately
7. A. left B. moved C. came D. returned
8.A. reliable B. present C. available D. acceptable
9. A. laughter B. tears C. anger D. sorrow
10.A. really B. slightly C. seriously D. unluckily
11. A. suffer B. live C. share D. grow
12.A. last B. best C. happiest D. hardest
13. A. hand B. find C. pack D. collect
14. A. for a while B. all around C. all the way D. from time to time
15. A. waiting for B. caring for C. thinking of D. depending on
16.A. remembered B. recalled C. concerned D. contained
17.A. idea B. doubt C. point D. problem
18.A. main B. only C. nice D. great
19. A. received B. sent C. saved D. discovered
20. A. drive B. help C. deal D. gift
________ the danger of drunk driving, many drivers promised never to drive after drinking.
A. Realizing B. To have realized
C. Realized D. Having realized
--When will you come home for dinner? I’ll prepare it for you.
--Don’t ________ it. I’ll eat out with my friends.
A. care about B. worry about C. bother about D. talk about
--Could you please cut the price a little?
--Er... _________ you buy more than ten.
A. even if B. so long as C. in case D. as soon as
Water Knows Answers by a Japanese author, ________ into 16 languages, has become a best- seller all over the world.
A. having translated B. to be translated
C. being translated D. translated
