It was the first time in Cindy's 12 years she had tried to make a cake, but it wasn't exactly a success. The cake was ---well, lumpy(粗笨的). And it tasted 1 , as if she had run out of sugar. Besides, the 2 was in a mess with all the fixings for cake out of place.
But Cindy wasn't thinking about the mess. She was 3 for her parents to return home so she could 4 her gift to them. She turned off the lights and waited 5 in the darkness. When at last she saw the 6 of the car headlights, she 7 herself in the kitchen doorways. When she had heard the key 8 into the front door, she was this 9 exploding.
Her parents tried to slip in quietly, but Cindy would have 10 of that. She turned on the lights dramatically and gestured toward the kitchen table, 11 a slightly off-balance cake awaited their 12 But her mother saw nothing but the 13 , She shouted, "How many times have l talked to you about cleaning up 14 yourself?"
"But Mom, l was only ..."
"Clean this up immediately."
Unfortunately, Cindy's mother isn't the only parent who 15 the occasional inability to see the forest for the trees. Sometimes we allow ourselves to be 16 to issues of long-term significance by the thing that seems 17 now --but isn't. 18 kitchen sanitation (卫生) is important, is it worth the 19 of tender feelings and relationships? As parents there are times when we 20 need to see the mess in the kitchen. And times when we only need to see the cake.
1. A. delicious B. sweet C. terrible D. bitter
2. A. kitchen B. dining-room C. sitting-room D. table
3. A. ready B. eager C. anxious D. crazy
4. A. provide B. present C. offer D. supply
5. A. patiently B. excitedly C. nervously D. happily
6. A. shadow B. flame C. flash D. body
7. A. positioned B. hid C. adapted D. adjusted
8. A. putting B. knocking C. pushing D. sliding
9. A. more than B. close to C. related to D. rather than
10. A. neither B. nothing C. none D. something
11. A. which B. where C. as D. because
12. A. inspection B. admiration C. encouragement D. inspiration
13. A. table B. kitchen C. cake D. mess
14. A. by B. of C. for D. after
15. A. gives away B. suffers from C. shows off D. takes in
16. A. blinded B. caught C. stuck D. devoted
17. A. necessary B. important C. extraordinary D. clean
18. A. Whenever B. If C. While D. Since
19. A. price B. value C. reward D. sacrifice
20. A. actually B. only C. really D. occasionally