阅读理解。
In our old neighborhood, neighbors chatted over fences. Newcomers were welcomed with chocolate
and bread. It had been easy to find friends there. Our new community was different. It seemed that family
roots grew deep, deep as the Mississippi River that flowed past the tiny river town.
We'd moved to decrease my husband's distance to work. Only thirty miles.
After living there for six months, I was ready to move back home. I was lonely without a friend. My
three boys were lonely. My husband, Lonny, seemed okay, but he spent his days at work.
Lonny noticed my sinking disposition.
"Shawnelle, you look unapproachable," he said. He and I were sitting in lawn chairs. Samuel, our
three-year-old son sat in his own little chair.
"What do you mean?" "Body language. You placed our chairs fifteen yards away from everyone
else."
"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to have friends here." Just then Samuel looked up. "Mom's right,
Dad. And we just want to go home."
That's when I knew that I needed an adjustment. I didn't want my boys to learn that the way to work
through a tough time was to use a wounded and bitter attitude.
Over the next few months I smiled when I didn't feel like it. We signed up for reading programs at the
library and often visited parks and the bike path along the river.
One afternoon Samuel and I climbed up the stairs to the library activity room. A woman who I hadn't
seen before sat at a long table with a tiny boy.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Tammy. Do you need a seat? There's one right here."
I sat down next to Tammy. Soon class was over, and we still had a lot to say. "Why don't you come
over later?" Tammy asked. "I live on a farm. There's plenty of room for the kids to run." We went. And
since that day, we've been back a million times.
When I look back, I'm grateful for that tough time. I learned to persevere. I'm glad I didn't give up.
And as for my boys, they learned a lesson too. "Keep moving forward," is what I tell them. "Your
heart will follow."
1. Why did the writer move to a new neighborhood?
A. To find a part-time job in the library.
B. To make new friends with the local people.
C. To enjoy the beauty of the Mississippi River.
D. To make her husband go to work conveniently.
2. Shawnelle decided to keep going when ________.
A. Tammy encouraged her to join conversations
B. Samuel expressed his wish to go back home
C. Lonny pointed out the mistakes of her body language
D. Tammy invited her to go to her farm
3. Shawnelle mentioned her friendship with Tammy to prove_________
A. women seemed to have endless words to say
B. Tammy was rich to have room for kids
C. her family had finally fitted in the new place
D. Tammy's farm was suitable for kids to play on
4. What lesson did Shawnelle teach her kids?
A. Have a dream in difficult times.
B. Never break up with old friends.
C. Be careful in making friends.
D. Keep up in a tough time.
5. What does the underlined word disposition in the fourth paragraph probably mean?
A. mood
B. sorrow
C. depression
D. livelines