The only thing that troubled me more than the pain in my back that morning was my worries about money. I’d been excited to visit my sister--Therese, but all I could think about was how I’d hurt my back and had to     down my hours at work. Even with my savings, I wasn’t sure I’d have enough to cover the bills.
“Are you OK?” Therese asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Just wish I could stop worrying about      .”
“Why don’t we make Mom’s cake?” she said. “Mom    to make this kind of cake for all of us. It will      you up.”
It wasn’t easy being a single mom, raising eight of us kids with    money, but that couldn’t bring Mom down. She got that spirit from our grandmother, who was never     about the hardships(艰难，困苦). Also, Mom was good at     use of food. She always found a way to include a special(特别的) treat on birthday or Christmas--a tasty cake with 43   eggs, milk or butter.
“     how we’d all run around the living room singing,‘eggless, milkless, butterless cake’?” Therese asked, laughing.
“Those were good times,” I said. We didn’t have money,        we knew how to have      together.
Thinking about the eight of us gathered around the kitchen table waiting for Mom to cut the cake         my worries. Mom would make the cake extra      for Christmas--a coin was put into the cake. “Whoever finds the     in their cake can keep it and they won’t have to do housework for a week.”she would say.
My siblings﹙兄弟姐妹﹚and I are now separated from each other, but the cake still  us.
“Cake’s done,” Therese said. I pulled it out of the oven(烤箱), then called everyone in. We gathered around the kitchen table,       like old times.
“Feeling any     ?” Therese asked.
“Yeah,” I said. I looked at the    around the table, reminded once again that whatever hardships come my way I can do more than just get through them.
I can find     in my life, even in a simple cake, and share it     the ones I love.

A．break B．pass C．put D．cut

A．money B．business C．time D．health

A．used B．had C．got D．enjoyed

A．wake B．cheer C．bring D．pick

A．little B．extra C．good D．easy

A．faced B．upset C．surprised D．caught

A．getting B．having C．making D．finding

A．many B．some C．few D．no

A．Wonder B．Explain C．Remember D．Understand

A．and B．but C．if D．as

A．freedom B．performance C．fun D．dream

A．ended B．hid C．deepened D．kept

A．special B．round C．heavy D．large

A．candle B．prize C．butter D．secret

A．connects B．challenges C．treats D．interests

A．also B．somehow C．so D．just

A．faster B．closer C．younger D．better

A．plates B．guests C．faces D．chairs

A．limit B．joy C．respect D．luck

A．for B．at C．with D．to