The Depression was still going on, but I was in good spirits. I was going to graduate from elementary school, yet my mother 36 dressed me in shorts. Most of my classmates had given up 37 shorts. For the graduation ceremony, all the boys were 38 to dress the same way-white shirts and dark-blue wool pants.
I waited until a week before I told my mother. I 39 I’d better break the news to her as gently as I could.
“Mom,” I said, “about 40 …”
“Yes?” she answered.
“They’re going to give me the first –prize medal,” I said.
She looked 41 her shoulder at me and smiled. “That’s wonderful, Babe. Dad and I will both be there, and we’ll be the 42 parents in the place.”
She must have seen by the look on my face that 43 was wrong. She turned her back and said, “So?”
“So, I have to get 44 pants, ” I said.
“Babe, we don’t have the 45 for new pants right now,” she said very quietly, “You know that.”
“Ok,” I burst out. “Then I won’t go to graduation. Plus, I’m 46 away from home!”
The following Saturday, when my mother said, “Let’s go shopping,” I knew she had 47 the problem. We walked a short way and stopped at a place I had never 48 before. My mother said, “ 49 here,” She entered a storefront that looked like a 50 . She came out about ten minutes later, and we went to the pants store. I was holding the new pants 51 under my arm when my mother went to pay for it. I saw her 52 a tiny brown envelope from her purse. There were four 53 new one-dollar bills inside.
About halfway home, I 54 down at my mother’s hands. It was then that I saw the wedding ring that had always circled her ring finger was 55 there.
| 36. A. still 37. A. choosing 38. A. persuaded 39. A. guessed 40. A. classmates 41. A. over 42. A. luckiest 43. A. everything 44. A. fashionable 45. A. power 46. A. walking 47. A. solved 48. A. passed 49. A. Rest 50. A. school 51. A. tightly 52. A. bring 53. A. total 54. A. glared 55. A. no doubt | B. also B. making B. expected B. dreamed B. graduation B. above B. poorest B. nothing B. expensive B. energy B. running B. discovered B. noticed B. Look B. restaurant B. roughly B. take B. entire B. stared B. no longer | C. already C. wearing C. encouraged C. imagined C. school C. across C. richest C. something C. short C. money C. moving C. met C. watched C. Stand C. bank C. softly C. carry C. complete C. glanced C. no way | D. even D. buying D. forced D. figured D. depression D. through D. proudest D. anything D. long D. time D. escaping D. ignored D. stayed D. Wait D. hotel D. nervously D. pick D. brand D. put D. still |