Mother's Love
My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died.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 to talk to him, the farther 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 failing grades for the year. At this rate（照这样下去）he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. But nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and begged 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（哽咽） 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 but 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（光荣榜）. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had improved himself. 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 had hurt you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud of your son.”
51. By saying “Karl became withdrawn” the author means that the boy ________.
A. preferred to stay at school B. lost interest in his studies
C. refused to talk to his mother D. began to dislike his life
52. There was silence on the other end of the line because ________.
A. the speaker was too moved to say anything to his 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 didn’t want to interrupt the mother
53. 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 improved themselves
D. he was even on the list of the best students at school
54. 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.
55. Which is NOT true according to the article?
A. Karl changed a lot after his father died.
B. What Karl did at school showed that he didn’t love his mother.
C. Karl’s mother tried many ways to help him.
D. Karl’s teachers were surprised at his change.