On a very hectic(慌乱) day when my husband and I were busy going in a hundred direction, our five-year-old son, Justin, had to be     36   for getting into mischief(淘气). After several   37  my husband finally told him to     38     in the corner. He was very quiet    39   wasn’t too happy about it.     40   , after a few moments, he said. “I’m going to run away from home.”

My first   41    was surprise, and his words angered me. “You are?”I blurted(脱口而出). But      42   I turned to look at him, he was standing there, like an angel, so small, so lovely, so   43  , with his face so sad. As my heart felt his    44     , I remembered a moment in my own childhood when I    45     those words and how unloved and lonely I felt.

“Ok, Justin, you can run away from home,”I   46     whispered as I started picking out clothes. “Well, we’ll need your pajamas and your coat. We’ll also need   47    coat and nightgown.”

“Where are you going, mama?”

“If you’re going, mama’s going with you, because I would never want you to be   48     .”I looked   49     his eyes,“I love you, Justin. My    50   would never be the same if you went away. So I want to make sure you’ll be safe. If you do go, I will go with you.”

“Can daddy come?”

“NO, daddy had to stay home with your brothers.

He  51     for a while and said.“Mama, can we stay home?”

“Yes, we can.”
    “Mama, ”he stopped for a while.“I love you.”

In that moment I    52    the wonder of motherhood, and that the great responsibilities to help develop a child’s    53     of security are not something to be taken  54    . I learned that as a mother I should never“run away”from the opportunity to show my children they are   55  , important, loved and the most precious gift from God.

Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into action. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register (收款机) with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash,  had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.

    I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.

    Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Charge it to me” was all he said.

    What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.

41. The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits ________.

A. promised to obey the store rules              

B. forgot to take any money with him

C. hoped to have the food first and pay later

D. could not afford anything more expensive

42. Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?

A. Kind and lucky.                                      B. Poor and lonely.

C. Friendly and helpful.                                D. Hurt and disappointed.

43. The writer acted upon the store rules because ________.

A. he wanted to keep his present job            

B. he felt no pity for the old gentleman

C. he considered the old man dishonest        

D. he expected someone else to pay for the old man

44. What does the writer learn from his experience?

A. Wealth is more important than anything else.

B. Helping others is easier said than done.    

C. Experience is better gained through practice.

D. Obeying the rules means more than compassion.

45. How would the the old men feel at the end of the story?

A. Sad and disappointed.                             B. Happy and lucky.

C. Depressed and unlucky.                           D. Surprised and grateful.