The day was Thankful Thursday. It’s a weekly 1 that my two little girls and I began years ago. Thursday has become our day to go out and make a positive 2 .

　　My girls shouted “McDonald’s, McDonald’s” as we 3 along a busy Houston road. Suddenly I 4 that almost every crossing I passed through was 5 by a panhandler(乞丐). And then it hit me! All these panhandlers must be hungry, too. Perfect! After we ate, I ordered a(n) 6 15 lunches and we set out to deliver them. We would pull 7 a panhandler, make a contribution, and tell him or her that we hoped things got better. Then we’d say, “Oh, 8 … here’s lunch.”

　　We handed our final contribution to a small woman and then immediately 9 back in the opposite direction for home. 10 , the light caught us again and we were stopped at the same crossing where this small woman stood. I was 11 and didn’t know quite how to behave.

　　She made her way to our car, “No one has ever done 12 like this for me before,” she said with 13 . Feeling uneasy, and wanting to move the conversation along, I asked, “So, 14 do you think you’ll eat your lunch?”

　　She just looked at me with her huge, tired brown eyes and said, “Oh honey, I’m not going to eat this lunch.” I was 15 , but before I could say anything, she continued, “You see, I have a little girl and she just loves McDonald’s, but I don’t have the money. But you know 16 … tonight she is going to have McDonald’s!”

　　I don’t know if the kids 17 the tears in my eyes. So many times I had questioned whether our acts of kindness were too 18 or insignificant to really effect change. 19 in that moment, I recognized the 20 of Mother Teresa’s words: “We cannot do great things — only small things with great love.”

　　1. A. tradition B. ceremony C. custom D. habit

　　2. A. decision B. choice C. contribution D. plan

　　3. A. walked B. ran C. wandered D. drove

　　4. A. reminded B. realized C. understood D. thought

　　5. A. crowded B. occupied C. discovered D. laid

　　6. A. additional B. expensive C. cheap D. special

　　7. A. close B. across C. alongside D. throughout

　　8. A. in fact B. to tell the truth C. generally speaking D. by the way

　　9. A. faced B. headed C. turned D. looked

　　10. A. Unfortunately B. Luckily C. Unexpectedly D. Hopefully

　　11. A. excited B. embarrassed C. frightened D. annoyed

　　12. A. something B. everything C. anything D. nothing

　　13. A. amazement B. fear C. sorrow D. amusement

　　14. A. what B. how C. where D. when

　　15. A. shocked B. confused C. pleased D. worried

　　16. A. whether B. if C. what D. that

　　17. A. realized B. felt C. noticed D. recognized

　　18. A. many B. small C. big D. simple

　　19. A. Therefore B. Although C. Meanwhile D. Yet

　　20. A. promise B. oath C. truth D. spirit

　　解读：作者和他的两个女儿每周四都要去做一些善事。这一次他们买了许多份麦当劳午餐送给无家可归的乞讨者。一位妇人的话使作者认识到：只要用爱去关怀别人，世界上没有大事小事之分。

　　[答案及解析]

　　1.A 考查词语辨析。tradition意为“传统”，句意为：这是“我”和“我”的两个小女儿几年前就开始的每周一次的活动，这已形成传统。custom是“风俗”;ceremony意为“仪式”;habit指个人“习惯”，侧重行为上个人的特点，都可排除。所以tradition为最佳答案。

　　2.C 考查语境理解。由下文可知，星期四“我们”要出去做一些善事。make a contribution“进行捐献”。此处由第二段中的“make a contribution，and tell him...”也可得出答案。

　　3.D 考查语境理解。由第四段的第一句可知，“我们”是驾车出行的， 所以选drove。

　　4.B 考查语句理解。句意为：“我”突然意识到每个路口都有乞丐。Realize“意识到”，后接that从句。

　　5.B 考查语境理解。此句用be occupied by表示“被……占据”。其他选项不合题意。

　　6.A 考查词语辨析。additional意为“另外的，额外的”。句意为：我们吃完后，又额外订了15份麦当劳午餐。

　　7.C 考查词语辨析。alongside是介词，意为“在……旁边”，句意为：我们靠近乞丐，给他们午餐。如果选close，后要加to。

　　8.D 考查行文逻辑。“我们”靠近乞丐，并祝他们一切会变得更好。然后，我们就把买的麦当劳午餐送给他们。by the way“顺便说一声”符合语境。

　　9.B 考查词语辨析。head在句中是动词，表示“朝……(方向)行进”。其他选项均不合题意。

　　10.A 考查语境理解。准备回家时遇到红灯，而且又在刚刚帮助过的矮小的妇人旁边停下，感觉很尴尬。unfortunately“不巧，遗憾的是”符合作者当时的心情。

　　11.B 考查语境理解。“我”想尽快离开，不想听别人感谢的话语，所以又见到那个妇人时，感到很”尴尬”，故用embarrassed表示。

　　12.c 考查词语辨析。句意为：以前没有人对“我”做过这样的事情。anything“任何事情”，用在否定句中，符合题意。something“一些事情”，用在肯定句中;everything“一切事情”;nothing“什么也没有”，均不符合题意。

　　13.A 考查语境理解。由上下文可知她说这句话的时候显得有些“吃惊”。

　　14.D 考查上下文语境。句子有宾语，可先排除what;从下文“妇人不打算吃这份午餐，而是准备把它留给自己的女儿”可知，此处作者问的是她打算什么时候吃这份午餐，故B、C两项均不合适。

　　15.B 考查语境理解。妇人说不打算吃这份午餐。“我”听后感到“迷惑”，所以选confused。

　　16.C 考查行文逻辑。这是一个省略句，设空处完整的形式应该是“what will happen”，此题选what。

　　17.C 考查词语辨析。句意为：“我”不知道孩子们是否注意到了“我”眼中的泪水。notice“注意到”符合题意。feel“感觉”;realize“意识到”;recognize“认出”，均不合题意。

　　18.B 考查语境理解。“我”经常问自己是否做的善事太小了，对别人来说没有什么意义。

　　19.D 考查行文逻辑。前后两句话之间是转折关系，故用yet“但是，然而”。

　　20.C 考查词语辨析。“我”开始理解特里萨修女的话、里的“真理”了。truth意为“真理，道理”，符合题意。oath“誓言”;promise“诺言”;spirit“精神，心灵”。