When I was thirteen, my family moved from Boston to Tucson, Arizona. ___36___ the move, my father ___37___ us in the living-room on a freezing January night. My sisters and I sat around the fire, not ___38___ that the universe would suddenly change its course. “In May, we’re ___39___to Arizona.”
The words, so small, didn’t seem ___40___ enough to hold my new life. But the world changed and I awoke on a tram moving across the country. I watched the ___41___ change from green trees to flat dusty plains to high mountains as I saw strange new plants that ___42___ mysteries(奥秘) yet to come. Finally, we arrived and ___43___ into own new home.
___44___ my older sisters were sad at the loss of friends, I ___45___ explored(探索) our new surroundings.
One afternoon, I was out exploring ___46___ and saw a new kind of cactus(仙人掌). I crouched (蹲) down for a closer look. “You’d better not ___47___ that.”
I turned around to see an old woman.
“Are you new lo this neighborhood?” I explained that I was, ___48___, new to the entire state.
“My name is Ina Thorne. Have you got used to life in the ___49___? It must be quite a ___50___ after living in Boston.”
How could I explain how I ___51___ the desert? I couldn’t seem to find the right words.
“It’s vastness,” she offered. “That vastness ___52___ you stand on the mountains overlooking the desert — you can ___53___ how little you are in comparison with the world. ___54___, you feel that the possibilities are limitless.”
That was it. That was the feeling I’d bad ever since I’d first seen the mountains of my new home. Again, my ___55___ would change with just a few simple words.
“Would you like to come to my home tomorrow? Someone should teach you which plant you should and shouldn’t touch.”
36. A. During B. Until   C. Upon  D. Before
37. A. gathered      B. warned       C. organized   D. comforted
38. A. hoping B. admitting   C. realizing     D. believing   
39. A. going   B. moving      C. driving       D. flying
40. A. good    B. simple C. big     D. proper      
41. A. picture  B. ground       C. sense   D. area
42. A. suggested     B. solved C. discovered  D. explained
43. A. settled  B. walked       C. hurried       D. stepped
44. A. If  B. After   C. once   D. While
45. A. bitterly B. easily  C. proudly      D. eagerly
46. A as well   B. as usual      C. fight away  D. on time
47. A. move   B. dig     C. pull    D. touch
48. A. of course     B. in fact C. after all      D. at least
49. A. desert   B. city     C. state    D. country
50. A. luck     B. doubt  C. shock  D. danger
51. A. found   B. examined   C. watched     D. reached
52. A. why     B. when  C. how    D. where
53. A. prove   B. guess  C. sense   D. expect
54. A. However     B. Otherwise   C. Therefore   D. Meanwhile
55. A. idea     B. life     C. home  D. family