When I walked into the house after school, the first thing I noticed was a box with items I recognized from my dad's office. "What are you doing home already?" I asked casually. "Andrew, I was laid off today," he answered, quietly. I was sure he was joking. "No, you weren't. Why are you really home?" Then I noticed his seriousness and realized he was telling the truth. My father has always been a hard worker and prided himself on his career. Providing for our family has been his joy, and I guess I had taken his work for granted. My father's unemployment created many changes in our lives. For starters, he was home all the time, which meant my bed had to be made, my room cleaned up, and my homework done right after school. I would come home every day to find him at the computer searching for jobs. I began to notice how down he seemed, and how losing his job had affected his self-esteem, though he tried to be optimistic. For the first time, I saw my dad as vulnerable. He asked my brother and me to spend less. I gave up my allowance, which even though it wasn't much, felt like the right thing to do. I also found a part-time job. After several difficult months of searching, my dad decided to go in a totally different direction. He explained that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business. Day by day, I watched him build it, and I admired how much time and energy he expended. One evening I asked if he needed help. "Only if it doesn't interfere with school," he said. k*s5*u I showed up at his office the next afternoon, and most afternoons after that for two months. I always knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action really impacted me. Although this was one of the worst experiences for our family, it taught me a lot about dealing with adversity. Now I know that through creative problem-solving, I can always find Plan B, ask for help, and take risks. What I have learned from my dad's understanding of business and his work ethic are two of the most important lessons I... By saying "Only if it doesn't interfere with school," the author's father seemed _ . A) to refuse the author's advice on the new business B) to show his discontent with the author's schoolwork C) to have said yes to the author's offer of help D) to be looking forward to the author's good behavior at school
C

My friend got married. His mother carried two bags of cotton from the countryside by bus and train to his city. After arriving at the city, there was still a long way to his house without any bus passing by the house. His mother walked to his home breathlessly for 40 minutes without taking a taxi in order to save money. My friend felt bitter as well as funny at his mother's deeds. He pointed to the cashmere and silk quilts and said, "So long as you have money, you can buy anything in the supermarket. There is no need for you to carry so much cotton here in such a long way." But his mother insisted and said, "The cotton of this year is light and warmth-keeping. Have a try and you will know!" Maybe every parent is the same, caring for their children with stubborn love without caring about whether they know or like it. This early spring, I went to visit my grandmother. We had dry beans stew , eggplant salad bar, sauce radish for our dinner, all of which were dried by my grandmother last autumn and tasted wonderful. I loved the dishes to my heart's content and could not help praising them again and again. After a few days, my grandmother, who seldom visited us, came to my home and unpacked her bag, smilingly taking out bags of dried eggplants, dried beans and dried vegetable. She told me that I left so hastily last time that she forgot to give me some of these foods, so she took this chance to bring me what I liked. I was speechless at that time. Due to my casual complimentary her food, my grandmother, a nearly 70-year-old lady, by taking three buses from the west of the city to the east, came to my home with the food I liked. But she was bus-sick in life and even seldom went strolling in the street. My pretty girlfriend had a failed marriage in the past. After divorce, her parents shed the deepest protection and care to her by helping her attend to the child and offering financial aids. Her parents' love made her pull herself together and forgot the man who had hurt her before. Nonetheless, her father, an... What does the author want to tell us? A) The love from our parents is real and deep though sometimes it doesn't appear so. B) The love from our parents is awkward sometimes, which is rather annoying. C) Children should appreciate parents' love because their life is so hard. D) The world is changing so the love of parents should change too.
A

Something strange was unbelievable. Take Robert for example. After the terrible car accident, his whole world had been completely dark and quiet for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing made him try many times to put end to his life. His family especially his wife did their best to tend and comfort him. By and by he finally regained the courage to live on. On a hot summer afternoon he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started suddenly. He stood under a large tree in order not to get himself wet. Unfortunately he was struck down to the ground by a lightning. The witnesses thought him dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water below the tree. He felt that he was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes ,he didn't dare to believe that he saw a plough( )lying near the wall. When Mrs Edwards came running up to him, she shouted their neighbours for help. And he saw her and heard her voice for the first time in nearly ten years. The news of Robert's regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread in his area. And many doctors came to prove the truth of the news. Most of them said that he gained sight and hearing again obviously from the knock of lightning; none of them could give convincing reasons, however. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Edwards lost his sight and hearing as a result of sudden shock in a terrible accident, perhaps the only way for them to regain was by another sudden shock. What was Edwards doing when he was struck by the lightning? A) Hiding from the rain under a tree. B) Driving a car. C) Taking a walk D) lying on the ground
A