One day, my friend Mareya called. “Nora, I will travel to Hawaii. There’ll be beaches, sandcastles…” she said. Her words made me have a strange feeling. I was happy for her but envied her a little. “Oh, well,” I thought, “I will have a hiking trip with Olivia. That will also be very interesting.”

Later that day, I learnt Olivia would visit her uncle’s new beach house. So we had to put off our hiking trip. “I’m really sorry. But you understand, right?” she said. “Oh, sure,” I said. I tried to push the corners of my mouth into a smile, but inside, my heart was sinking.

At that time, I saw Mrs. Daisy in her garden. I offered to help her water the flowers in the hope of taking my mind off unpleasant feelings. Watering the flowers made me feel good but I still couldn’t stop wishing I could also be on holiday with my friends.

“Be careful!” Mrs. Daisy said. “That is a harmful plant. I’ll get it out of here.” Suddenly, I realized what I was watering. Mrs. Daisy was aware of my bad mood, smiled at me and said, “Dear Nora, plants or feelings, we should watch what we’re watering, right? If we nourish the harmful plants or bad feelings, then that’s what we have. But if we try to nourish the beautiful flowers or good feelings, then that’s what we get.” “I guess that makes sense,” I said, “but I fail to tell my mind to stop being sad.” “Just let yourself feel all of your feelings,” she said, “but after a while, you can try feeding your mind with happier thoughts. Talk to a friend, go for a run or just enjoy the beauty of a flower.”

I thought Mrs. Daisy’s advice was worth trying. So I called Olivia at once. After sharing my feelings with her, I cheered up again and moreover we both agreed to have our hiking trip after she came back.

— Adapted from the story by Lissa Rovetch

1.1. How did Nora feel when she knew about two friends’ plans?

A She got excited.

B She became curious.

C She felt a little blue.

D She was very angry.

解析：选C。细节理解题，题干问诺拉得知两位朋友的计划时的感受。根据原文第一段 “envied her a little”（有一丝羡慕）、第二段 “my heart was sinking”（内心沮丧），可知她情绪低落。选项 C “感到有点郁闷” 符合题意；A “兴奋”、B “好奇”、D “非常生气” 均与原文不符。

2.2.Why did Nora offer to help Mrs. Daisy water the flowers?

A Because Mrs. Daisy needed Nora’s help.

B Because Mrs. Daisy invited Nora to enjoy flowers.

C Because Nora hoped to ask Mrs. Daisy for advice.

D Because Nora wanted to forget unpleasant feelings.

解析：选D。细节理解题，题干问诺拉主动帮黛西太太浇花的原因。第三段明确提到 “in the hope of taking my mind off unpleasant feelings”（希望忘却不快的情绪），与选项 D 一致；A “黛西太太需要帮助”、B “黛西太太邀请赏花”、C “想征求建议” 均未在原文提及。

3.3.What does the underlined word “nourish” probably mean in Paragraph 4?

A Put something away.

B Leave something alone.

C Help something grow.

D Make something disappear.

解析：选C。词义猜测题，题干问 “nourish” 的含义。结合上下文，黛西太太将 “有害植物” 与 “糟糕情绪” 对比，“美丽花朵” 与 “美好情绪” 对比，“浇灌” 植物会让其生长，同理 “nourish” 情绪也指 “滋养、促进其发展”。选项 C “帮助某物生长” 符合语境；A “收起某物”、B “不理会某物”、D “让某物消失” 均与逻辑相悖。

4.4. What does the writer really want to tell readers?

A Watering flowers to change moods.

B Helping old people to gain wisdom.

C Ways of getting along well with friends.

D Dealing with our feelings in a proper way.

解析：选D。主旨大意题，题干问作者想传达的核心思想。全文围绕诺拉的负面情绪展开，通过黛西太太的建议，诺拉学会正确对待情绪并解决问题，核心是 “合理处理情绪”。选项 D 符合主旨；A “浇花改变心情” 是表面情节，B “帮助老人获智慧” 偏离核心，C “与朋友相处之道” 非文章重点。