My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried , the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes. In this way he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
◆ One night I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as a head teacher. “ I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences(缺席).” Before he could say another word I choked up(哽咽). And said sadly, “ I love my son. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The head teacher seriously said, “ Thank you for your time.”
◆ Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. He was even on the list of the best students at school. In his fourth year, I took part in a parent-teacher meeting.I noticed that his teachers were surprised at the way he had turened himself around. On our way home, he said, “ Mum, remember that call from the head teacher last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but I heard what you said, It really hit me how much I was hurting you.That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
阅读短文内容, 选择正确答案。（5分）
【小题1】Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “withdrawn”?

A．Quiet and lonely.	B．Relaxed and excited.
C．Active and lively.	D．Happy and easygoing.

【小题2】According to the first report card, Karl __________.

A．often went to school late	B．did well at school
C．did a good job at school	D．failed in the exams

【小题3】When the mother said “ it’s out of my hands” to the head teacher, she meant that she __________. 

A．didn’t know what to do about her son	B．would drive her son away from the house
C．had no money to support the family	D．would have to hang up

【小题4】Who telephoned Karl’s mother that day?

A．The head teacher.	B．The school adviser.
C．Karl himself.	D．The passage doesn’t tell us.

【小题5】From the passage we can learn that __________.

A．children in single-parent families always have mental problems

B．mother’s love is important to teenagers’life

C．parents should give their children everything that they need

D．school education still works well without the support from parents

My father woke up early one summer morning when I was fourteen and announced, “Get up, you’re going with me to cut the grass in the garden.”
The idea that my father thought I was old enough to help him in his business made me feel proud and excited. From sunup to sundown, my father, my younger brother and I worked in the large garden. By the end of the day I was too tired to say a word but I felt happy. This was my first time to help my father in his business. I got $6 for my work that day.
One day my father found some leaves I had missed and pulled me aside. “Take away these leaves!” he said. “And don’t make me have to tell you to do it again.” The message was clear. Today I value the importance of doing job well the first time. I will never fail to impress (留下印象) the person I’m working for.
After two years, my father told me and my brother that he felt we were old enough to cut the grass by ourselves. Every Saturday during my last two years of high school, we set off early in the morning with the same wish we had gained while working under our father.
Looking after the garden was neither exciting nor high paying, but that didn’t matter. It taught me that any job was a good job and whatever I was paid was more than I had before.
A newspaper reporter once asked me how someone could possibly live with hard work and low pay. “If you’re only thinking about hard work and money, you probably don’t want to do better than you are doing,” I answered. In every job, from cutting the grass to washing dishes, I’ve learned much. I’ve learned something that helps me in my next job.
If you work hard enough, you can learn from any job you do.
7. The writer ______ from working in the garden.
A. learned to work hard to get money
B. found he could be well paid
C. felt he could impress others by working hard
D. learned any job was good though he might be paid less
8. When the writer finished high school, maybe he was ______ years old.
A. fourteen             B. eighteen             C. twenty           D. twenty-two
9. The writer’s father was ______.
A. very strict but helpful
B. lazy and easy to get angry
C. careful and enjoyed working in the garden
D. funny and hard-working
10. Which is the most important to the writer according to the passage?
A. Finishing work as quickly as possible.
B. Asking no money for your work.
C. Keeping learning from any job you have.
D. Keeping on looking for different jobs.