“Two books per visit per week,” said the unsmiling librarian as she handed a library card．Neither the limits nor her attitude 1 me, a 9 – year – old Jewish girl growing up in Berlin in the 1950s．I needed those visits．The books were filled with stories in which, however 2 things seemed, everything 3 well in the end, 4 justice, bravery, and wisdom – a striking contrast （对比） to my everyday experiences．
Thirty years later, I, a recent immigrant to the US with a daughter aged 13, stood in front of another librarian．This librarian was 5 ．
“What did she say?” I asked my daughter, who already knew a little English and often 6 as my interpreter．
“She said ‘Can I help you?’”
“Ask if they have any books in 7 ,” I requested．
“No, they don’t．” translated my daughter．
While hunting for a job, I was told that the library needed people to 8 books．The interview was short – the job didn’t require much English, just a 9 of the alphabet．I started the next day．Every day, I handled hundreds of books whose meaning was 10 from me, mentally dividing them by size and color． One day, while shelving, I found English for Beginners and began studying it on my own． 11 English letters started forming words I could 12 , words combined into phrases, and – oh, 13 ! – I was reading．It was a slow process, supported by dictionaries and 14 by tears, but it was progress．Afterwards I got promoted to the front desk - 15 books in and out and answering simple questions．
Every day I receive dozens of people．Sometimes I spot new immigrants．They come from all over the world, so they look different, but the hesitant expression on their faces and their 16 manners are similar．My heart goes out to them, 17 they are people like me．I fully understand the 18 roads on which they have stepped．“They’ve come to the right place,” I think to 19 ．Then I smile and say – just the 20 a librarian said to me a long time ago – “Can I help you?”
1．A．surprised B．comforted C．puzzled D．shocked
2．A．attractive B．dull C．terrible D．strange
3．A．went out B．turned out C．ended in D．came up
4．A．rewarding B．affecting C．completing D．denying
5．A．chatting B．staring C．reading D．smiling
6．A．introduced B．instructed C．guided D．served
7．A．Spanish B．French C．Russian D．German
8．A．shelve B．register C．record D．mark
9．A．list B．knowledge C．line D．competence
10．A．vague B．simple C．hidden D．clear
11．A．All of a sudden B．In no time C．Step by step D．Now and then
12．A．recognize B．realize C．define D．interpret
13．A．challenge B．wonder C．opportunity D．news
14．A．inspired B．accompanied C．blocked D．excited
15．A．checking B．classifying C．borrowing D．lending
16．A．rough B．elegant C．polite D．shy
17．A．though B．until C．for D．unless
18．A．difficult B．smooth C．endless D．straight
19．A．me B．myself C．them D．themselves
20．A．means B．approach C．method D．way