英语美文与完形填空：A
fib and the Matinee
小小的谎言与音乐会
两个孩子对妈妈撒了个小小的谎言（fib），妈妈“小题大做”，想了一招让两个孩子真切地体验到了小的谎言也是会伤人的...
Faultfinding
without suggestions for improvement is a waste of
time.
（没有改进建议的挑刺是浪费时间。）
----Ralph
C. Smedley
I
was six years old, my sister, Sally Kay, was a
submissive（顺从的） three-year-old girl. For some
reasons, I thought we needed to earn some money. I decided we
should "hire out" as maids. We visited the neighbors, offering to
clean houses for them for a
quarter（2角5分硬币）.
Reasonable as our offer was, there were no takers. But one neighbor
telephoned my mother to let her know what Mary Alice and Sally Kay
were doing. Mother had just hung up the phone when we came bursting
through the back door into the kitchen of our apartment. "Girls,"
mother asked, "why were you two going around the neighborhood
telling people you would clean their houses?"
Mother wasn't angry with us. In fact, we learned
afterwards she was amused that we had come up with such an idea.
But, for some reason, we both denied having done any such thing.
Shocked and terribly hurt that her dear little girls could be such
"boldfaced (厚颜的) liars" . Mother then told us that
Mrs. Jones had just called and told her we had been to her house
and said we would clean it for a quarter.
Faced with the truth, we admitted what we had done. Mother said we
have fibbed, we have not told the truth. She was sure that we knew
better. She tried to explain why a fib (小谎) hurt, but
she didn't feel that we really understood.
Years later, she told us that the “lesson” that she came up with
for trying to teach us to be truthful would probably have been
frowned upon by child psychologists. The idea came to her in a
flash, and our tender-hearted mother told us it was the most
difficult lesson she ever taught us. It was a lesson we never
forgot.
After admonishing(警告，劝告) us, mother cheerfully began
preparing for lunch. As we munching on sandwhiches, she asked:"
Would you two like to go to see the movies this
afternoon?"
"Wow, would we ever?" We wondered what movie would
be playing. Mother said"The Matinee". Oh, fantastic！
We would be going to “the Matinee”. Weren’t we lucky?" We got
bathed and all dressed up. It was like getting ready for a birthday
party. We hurried outside the apartment, not wanting to miss the
bus that would take us downtown. On t
he landing, Mom stunned
(使震惊) us by saying, "Girls, we are not going to the
movies today."
We didn't hear her right. "What?" we
objected. "What do you mean? Aren't we going to the Matinee? Mommy,
you said that we were going to the Matinee. "
Mother stooped and gathered us in her arms. I couldn't
understand why there were tears in her eyes. We still had the time
to get the bus. But hugging us, she gently explained this was what
a fib felt like.
"It is important that what we say is
true," Mom said. "I fibbed to you just now and it felt awful to me.
I don't ever want to fib again and I'm sure you don't want to fib
again either. People must be able to believe each other. Do you
understand? "
We
assured her that we understood. We would never
forget.
And since we had
learned a lesson, why not go to the movie to the matinee. There was
still time.
“Not today,” Mother
told us. We would go another time.
That is how over
fifty years ago, my sister and I learned to be truthful. We have
never forgotten how much a fib can hurt.
-------by Mary Alice
由此文改编的完形填空：
When I was six years old, my
sister, Sally Kay, was a submissive three-year-old girl. For some
reasons, I thought we needed to earn some money. So I decided we
should " 1 out" as maids. We visited the
neighbors, 2 to clean houses for them for a quarter.
3 our offer was reasonable, there were no takers. One
neighbor even 4 my mom to tell her what we were
doing.
Mother had just hung up the phone
5 we came into the house. "Girls," mother asked"why were you
two 6 the neighborhood telling people you would clean their
houses?" We both denied it. That her dear little girls could be
such "boldfaced (厚颜的) liars" made her feel shocked and terribly
7 . Mom then told us that Mrs. Jones had just called and
told her everything.
Faced with the truth, we 8
what we had done. Mom tried to explain how much a fib (小谎) hurt
9 she didn't feel that we really understood. Then Mom
cheerfully asked, "Would you two like to go to see the movie The
Matinee this afternoon?"
"Oh, wonderful!" After lunch, we
got bathed and all 10 up. It was like getting ready for a
birthday party. We 11 outside the apartment, not wanting to miss
the 12 that would take us downtown. At the bus station, Mom
stunned (使震惊) us by saying, "Girls, we are not going to the
13 today."
"What?" we objected 14 .
"What do you mean? Aren't we going to The Matinee?" She explained
this was how much a fib could hurt. "It is imp
ortant that what we
say is 15 ," Mom said. "I fibbed to you just now and I felt
16 . I don't want to fib again and I'm 17 you don't want to
fib again either. People must be 18 to
others."
That was 19 my sister and I
learned to be truthful. It was a(n) 20 that we would never
forget.
( )1. A. fire
( )2. A. offering
( )3. A. Although
( )4. A. met
( )5. A. until
( )6. A. going around
( )7. A. encouraged
( )8. A. recognized
( )9. A. after
( )10. A. looked
( )11. A. talked
( )12. A. ticket
( )13. A. cinema
( )14. A. sadly
( )15. A. humorous
( )16. A. happy
( )17. A. afraid
( )18. A. enthusiastic
( )19. A. how
( )20. A. lesson
B. hire
B. telling
B. Since
B. found
B. when
B. searching for
B. challenged
B. admitted
B. but
B. stood
B. laughed
B. bus
B. house
B. quietly
B. valuable
B. awful
B. pleased
B. sympathetic
B. why
B. topic
C. employ
C. asking
C. So
C. persuaded
C. before
C. shouting at
C. hurt
C. scolded
C. or
C. stayed
C. hurried
C. film
C. neighbor's
C. patiently
C. true
C. proud
C. sure
C. good
C. whether
C. subject
D. rent
D. giving
D. If
D. telephoned
D. where
D. heading for
D. excited
D. discussed
D. as
D. dressed
D. reminded
D. call
D. barber's
D. weakly
D. worth
D. funny
D. curious
D. honest
D. there
D. idea
答案：1-5: BAADB 6-10: ACBBD 11-15:
CBAAC 16-20: BCDAA