Bobby was sitting out in his back yard in the snow. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift.
Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, his mother worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage could only be stretched so far.
What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. They ran the household in their mother’s absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother.
It was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. Bobby started to walk down to the street. He walked from shop to shop. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark, then suddenly his eyes caught a shiny dime. Never has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby did at that moment.
He went inside a flower shop. When the owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower. The shop owner looked at Bobby, then said, “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
The shop owner returned holding red roses all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby’s heart sank as the owner placed them gently into a long white box. “That will be ten cents, young man,” said the shop owner, reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime.
Then the shopkeeper’s wife appeared. “Where are the roses you were fixing?”
The shop owner replied, “A strange thing happened to me this morning. I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn’t sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was.”
【小題1】According to the first three paragraphs we know that _____.

Bobby was sitting out in his back yard in the snow. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift.
Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, his mother worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage could only be stretched so far.
What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. They ran the household in their mother’s absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother.
It was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. Bobby started to walk down to the street. He walked from shop to shop. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark, then suddenly his eyes caught a shiny dime. Never has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby did at that moment.
He went inside a flower shop. When the owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower. The shop owner looked at Bobby, then said, “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
The shop owner returned holding red roses all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby’s heart sank as the owner placed them gently into a long white box. “That will be ten cents, young man,” said the shop owner, reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime.
Then the shopkeeper’s wife appeared. “Where are the roses you were fixing?”
The shop owner replied, “A strange thing happened to me this morning. I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn’t sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was.”

1. 1.

   According to the first three paragraphs we know that _____.

   1. A.
      Bobby’s sisters didn’t help Bobby to buy a gift
   2. B.
      Bobby had known what gift he’d give to his mother
   3. C.
      the children in the family all loved their mother
   4. D.
      Bobby’s family was rich before his father died
2. 2.

   Why did Bobby walk along the street?

   1. A.
      Because he didn’t know what to do.
   2. B.
      Because he wanted to try his luck there.
   3. C.
      Because he wanted to get some money.
   4. D.
      Because he hoped to see what he could get.
3. 3.

   What could he buy with a dime then?

   1. A.
      A flower.
   2. B.
      Nothing.
   3. C.
      A piece of cake.
   4. D.
      Many flowers.
4. 4.

   Bobby slowly gave the dime to the shop owner because _______.

   1. A.
      he did not want any rose flowers
   2. B.
      the flowers weren’t worth a dime
   3. C.
      the shop owner would cheat him
   4. D.
      he hardly believed what had happened
5. 5.

   From the last two paragraphs we can infer that the shop owner ______.

   1. A.
      was shocked by the voice he heard
   2. B.
      was always ready to help others
   3. C.
      didn’t know how to run a business
   4. D.
      was good at making up stories

I began working in journalism（新聞工作）when I was eight. It was my mother’s idea. She wanted me to “make something” of myself, and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. The crowds were there. There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union. For several hours I made myself highly visible, making sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. When it was suppertime, I walked back home.
“ How many did you sell, my boy?” my mother asked.
“ None.”
“ Where did you go?”
“ The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”
“ What did you do?”
“ Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”
“ You just stood there?”
“ Didn’t sell a single one.”
“ My God, Russell!”
Uncle Allen put in, “ Well, I’ve decided to take the Post.” I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickle（五分鎳幣）. It was the first nickle I earned.
Afterwards my mother taught me how to be a salesman. I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with self-confidence（自信）, and persuade them by saying that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.
One day, I told my mother I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business.
“ If you think you can change your mind like this,” she replied, “ you’ll become a good-for-nothing.” She insisted that, as soon as school was over, I should start ringing doorbells, selling magazines. Whenever I said no, she would scold me.
My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember. My mother, dissatisfied with my father’s plain workman’s life, determined that I would not grow up like him and his people. But never did she expect that, forty years later, such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love

1. 1.

   Why did the boy start his job young?

   1. A.
      He wanted to be famous in the future
   2. B.
      The job was quite easy for him
   3. C.
      His mother had high hopes for him
   4. D.
      The competiton for the job was fierce
2. 2.

   From the dialogue between the boy and his mother, we learn that the mother was _______

   1. A.
      excited
   2. B.
      interested
   3. C.
      ashamed
   4. D.
      disappointed(失望的)
3. 3.

   What did the mother do when the boy wanted to give up?

   1. A.
      She forced him to continue
   2. B.
      She punished him
   3. C.
      She gave him some money
   4. D.
      She changed her plan
4. 4.

   What does the underlined phrase “this battle”（last paragraph） refer to?

   1. A.
      The war between the boy’s parents.　
   2. B.
      The arguing between the boy and his mother
   3. C.
      The quarrel between the boy and his customers.　
   4. D.
      The fight between the boy and his father
5. 5.

   What is the text mainly about?

   1. A.
      The early life of a journalist
   2. B.
      The early success of a journalist
   3. C.
      The happy childhood of the writer
   4. D.
      The important role of the writer in his family