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My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died.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 and had six falling grades for the year . At this
ate he would never graduate, I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. "Please God, I can't
do anything more for my son. I'm at the end of my rope. I'm giving the whole thing up to you."
I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. "I want to talk to
you about Karl's absences." Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment
and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. "I love my son but I just don't know
what to do. 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 headmaster seriously said, "Thank
you for your time", and hung up.
Karl's next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the
honor roll .In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers
were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, "Mum, remember
that call from the headmaster last year?" I nodded. "That was me. I thought I'd play a joke but when 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.
1. By saying "Karl became withdrawn", the author means that the boy changed entirely and _____.
A. preferred to stay alone at home
B. lost interest in his studies
C. refused to talk to others
D. began to dislike his mother
2. There was silence on the other end of the line because _____.
A. the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother
B. the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking
C. the speaker didn't want the mother to recognize his voice
D. the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother
3. The sentence "…he even made the honor roll" means that "_____".
A. he was even on the list to be praised at the parent-teacher meeting
B. he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades
C. he was even on the list of students who had turned themselves around
D. he was even on the list of the best students at school
4. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Children in single-parent families often have mental problems.
B. Mother's love plays an important role in teenagers' life.
C. Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.
D. School education doesn't work without full support from parents.