One day, we had a family dinner. While the adults were busy with their serious talk outside, I was left alone in the ____1____ to help my grandmother wash dishes. ____2____ my grandmother would tell me stories about her childhood.

Born just before WWII, my grandmother ____3____ an entirely different childhood lifestyle from mine. She did not have a chance to go to ____4____. Like in typical families, where boys were ____5____ much more than girls, my grandma had to stay at home to do ____6____. The only opportunity (机会) she could seize to ____7____ was when her brother was having Chinese ____8____ with the family tutor. She would sit quietly at the far end of the long dinner table, listening ____9____. This training taught her to read and write her Chinese upside down — a skill that has turned out to be quite ____10____, especially whenever we share the newspaper. On most weekends, my grandmother, a young girl then, and her brother would go to the ____11____. There, they would walk through deep water, sit down cross-legged underwater and hold their ____12____ while they watched all action going on around them. This is something I ____13____ — her ability to open her ____14____ underwater and still sit comfortably on the seabed.

My childhood is quite ____15____ compared with hers. I am ____16____ that I did not need to ____17____ the hardships like she did. I've never faced the problem of ____18____. I guess our different childhood background is what makes my grandmother such an amazing person to ____19____ to: her stories always make my history textbooks ____20____.

1.1.

A sitting room

B kitchen

C yard

D dining hall

解析：选B。B。根据下文“to help my grandmother wash dishes”可推知，此处指作者在厨房洗碗。故选B。

2.2.

A As always

B By the way

C For example

D Here and now

解析：选A。A。根据语境，结合下文“my grandmother would tell me stories about her childhood”可推知，此处指作者的祖母经常给作者讲童年故事，这次一如既往的给作者讲她童年的故事。故选A。

3.3.

A adjusted

B promoted

C achieved

D experienced

解析：选D。D。根据下文“an entirely different childhood lifestyle from mine”可推知，此处指祖母经历的童年与作者的不同。故选D。

4.4.

A work

B school

C court

D press

解析：选B。B。根据下文“The only opportunity she could seize to 7 was when her brother was having Chinese 8 with the family tutor”可推知，此处在指祖母生活的年代，她是没有机会上学的。故选B。

5.5.

A favored

B tolerated

C trusted

D acknowledged

解析：选A。A。根据上文“She did not have a chance to go to school. Like in typical families”并结合语境可推知，此处指作者祖母生活的年代是重男轻女的，所以祖母才不被允许上学。故选A。

6.6.

A gardening

B homework

C business

D housework

解析：选D。D。结合语境，再根据上文“my grandma had to stay at home”可推知，此处指作者祖母在家里做家务。故选D。

7.7.

A exercise

B study

C explore

D teach

解析：选B。B。根据上文“She did not have a chance to go to school.”以及下文“with the family tutor”可推知，此处指祖母不被允许上学，自己找机会学习。故选B。

8.8.

A food

B guests

C lessons

D tea

解析：选C。C。根据上文“having Chinese”以及下文“with the family tutor”可推知，此处指祖母的哥哥和家庭教师一起上语文课。故选C。

9.9.

A closely

B directly

C nervously

D freely

解析：选A。A。根据上文“The only opportunity she could seize to study was when her brother was having Chinese lessons with the family tutor. She would sit quietly at the far end of the long dinner table”可推知，此处指祖母抓住学习机会，仔细地旁听学习。故选A。

10.10.

A professional

B awkward

C simple

D practical

解析：选D。D。根据上文“This training taught her to read and write her Chinese upside down”以及下文“especially whenever we share the newspaper”可推知，此处指祖母学会的技能是非常实用的。故选D。

11.11.

A market

B mountain

C beach

D class

解析：选C。C。根据下文“they would walk through deep water, sit down cross-legged underwater”可推知，此处指祖母和哥哥去海滩玩水。故选C。

12.12.

A secret

B breath

C view

D tongue

解析：选B。B。根据上文“they would walk through deep water, sit down cross-legged underwater”可推知，此处指祖母和哥哥在水下屏住呼吸。故选B。

13.13.

A admire

B notice

C adopt

D value

解析：选A。A。根据下文“her ability to open her 14 underwater and still sit comfortably on the seabed”可推知，此处指作者佩服祖母在水里的能力。故选A。

14.14.

A hands

B mouth

C eyes

D arms

解析：选C。C。根据上文“open her”以及下文“still sit comfortably on the seabed”可推知，此处指祖母张开嘴在水底坐着。故选C。

15.15.

A difficult

B complex

C happy

D similiar

解析：选C。C。通读全文，再根据“compared with hers”可推知，此处指与祖母的童年经历相比，作者的童年相当快乐。故选C。

16.16.

A grateful

B surprised

C convinced

D regretful

解析：选A。A。根据上文“My childhood is quite happy compared with hers.”可推知，此处指作者很感激自己的童年是快乐的。故选A。

17.17.

A reflect upon

B go through

C ask about

D prepare for

解析：选B。B。根据上文“I am grateful that I did not need”以及下文“the hardships like she did”可推知，此处指作者感激自己不需要经历祖母经历过的那些磨难。故选B。

18.18.

A unemployment

B health

C education

D communication

解析：选C。C。通读全文，再根据上文“She did not have a chance to go to school.”可推知，文章主要讲了祖母不被允许上学，没受过教育的困境，所以此处指作者从来没有遇到过受教育的问题。故选C。

19.19.

A attend

B refer

C lead

D talk

解析：选D。D。结合上文祖母给作者讲故事，再根据上文“makes my grandmother such an amazing person”可推知，此处指祖母的经历使祖母成为了一个交谈时令人惊叹的人。talk to“与某人交谈”。故选D。

20.20.

A come true

B come around

C come out

D come alive

解析：选D。D。根据上文“I guess our different childhood background is what makes my grandmother such an amazing person to talk to: her stories always make my history textbooks”可推知，此处指作者祖母的经历和故事丰富了作者的人生，使历史书上的故事变得生动鲜活，跃然纸上。故选D。