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"Class, this is John Evans," Mrs. Parmele introduced him to us. trying to give him a warm wel-come. We saw a boy in old clothes. John looked around and smiled, hoping somebody would smile back. Nobody did. He kept on smiling anyway.
I held my breath. hoping Mrs. Parmele wouldn't notice the empty desk next to mine. She did,and pointed him in that direction. He looked over at me as he sat down, but I looked away. By the end of his first week, John was at the bottom of our class's stair. I told my mother one evening at dinner. "He hardly even knows how to count."
As I ate lunch with him the next day and listened to him, however, I realized that it is pleasant to be with him. After lunch, I decided that I would be John's friend.
One night, as Mother came into my bedroom. I said, "Mom, tomorrow is John's birthday and he's not going to get anything. Nobody even cares."
"Don't worry," Mom said as she kissed me goodnight. "I'm sure everything will be fine."I wished John a happy birthday in the morning, and his smile showed me that he was glad I had
remembered.
By mid-afternoon I had almost decided that birthdays weren't that important. Then, as Mrs.
Parmele was writing on the blackboard, I heard a familiar voice singing the birthday song. Moments later. Mother came through the door with a tray of cakes. She was also taking a present in her hand.
Mrs. Parmele joined in. Mother found John looking like a rabbit in car headlights. She put the cakes and the gift on his desk and said, "Happy birthday, John."John kindly shared his cakes with the class, taking the tray from desk to desk.John Evans moved away soon. and I never heard from him again. But I always remember the happiness in a boy's eyes, and the taste of the sweetest cake.
36. Why did the writer hold his breath when Mrs. Parmele introduced John?
A. He wanted to meet his new classmate.
B. He didn't want John to sit next to him.
C. He was curious about why John kept on smiling.
D. He hoped Mrs. Parmele would notice the empty desk next to him.
37. Why did the writer decide to become John's friend?
A. He liked spending time with John.
B. His teacher asked him to be nice to John.
C. He found that he could leam a lot from John.
D. His mother would buy a birthday cake for John.
38. What does the sentence -John was at the bottom of our class's stair" mean?
A. He liked climbing the stairs.
B. He was popular in his class.
C. He sat at the back of the class.
D. He fell behind other students.
39. When John was "like a rabbit in car headlights" , he probably felt .
A. sad and hurt B. worried and scared
C. proud but unhappy D. surprised but happy
36．【答案】B。解析：细节题。根据第二段中的“I held my breath，hoping Mrs. Parmele wouldn't notice theempty desk next to mine”可知“我”屏住呼吸，是因为不想让John坐在旁边。故本题选B。
37．【答案】A。解析：细节题。根据第三段“…however, I realized that it is pleasant to be with him. Afterlunch，I decided thatＩwould be John's friend”可知，作者觉得和John在一起很愉快，于是决定与其做朋友。故本题选A。
38．【答案】D。解析：推断题。根据第二段中的“He hardly even knows how to count”可推断出，John的成绩不好。故本题选D。
39．【答案】D。解析：推断题。由文章可知，之前没有人关心John的生日，因此作者的妈妈和MrsP{umele为他庆祝生日时，他应该感到很意外，但又很开心。下文没有体现出John感到害怕或担心。故本题选D。
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