阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
A Lesson from My Father
You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.
——Winston Churchill
We come by business naturally in our family. Each of the seven children in our family worked in our father's hardware store in Mott, North Dakota, a small town in the countryside. We started working by doing 16 jobs like cleaning and tidying shelves, and later 17 to serving customers. As we worked and watched, we 18 that work was about more than survival and making a sale.
One 19 stands out in my mind. It was shortly 20 Christmas. I was in the eighth grade and was working evenings, straightening the toy area. A little boy, five or six years old, came in. He was wearing a dirty, old brown coat. His hair was messy. His shoes were worn out. The little boy looked too 21 to afford to buy anything. He looked around the toy area, 22 up several toys, and carefully put them back.
Dad came down the stairs, walked over to the boy and 23 what he could do for him. The boy said he was looking for a Christmas present for his brother. I was proud that Dad treated him with the same 24 that he would give any adult. Dad told him to take his time and look around. He did.
After about twenty minutes, the little boy 25 chose a toy plane, walked up to my dad and said, "How much for this, Mister?"
"How much you got?" Dad asked.
The little boy held out his hand and opened it. His hand was 26 with wet lines of dirt from holding his money. In his hand lay five coins: two dimes, a nickel and two pennies—twenty—seven cents. The 27 on the toy plane he'd picked out was $3.98.
"That'll just about do it." Dad said when he closed the 28 . Dad's reply still rings in my ears. I thought about what I'd seen 29 I wrapped (包,裹) the present. When the little boy walked out of the store, I didn't notice the dirty, worn coat, the messy hair or the old shoes. What I saw was a glowing child with a 30 .
16. A. hard B. small C. interesting D. dream
17. A. adapted B. contributed C. graduated D. stuck
18. A. learned B. proved C. remembered D. decided
19. A. plan B. idea C. photo D. lesson
20. A. after B. over C. beyond D. before
21. A. poor B. dirty C. young D. sad
22. A. brought B. cleaned C. picked D. tied
23. A. realized B. asked C. wondered D. discussed
24. A. advice B. love C. help D. respect
25. A. quickly B. carefully C. politely D. proudly
26. A. decorated B. painted C. covered D. colored
27. A. price B. money C. sign D. note
28. A. door B. store C. sale D. toy
29. A. until B. as C. because D. though
30. A. treasure B. prize C. coin D. friend