1 . It would be easy to believe that Mother’s Day was created by a greeting card company. After all, the day is celebrated with special sales and brunches, lots of presents and massive advertising campaigns. But the day was actually conceived more than a century ago by Anna Jarvis of West Virginia as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.
Jarvis’s mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs,” teaching women how to care for their children. During the Civil War, she organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” where mothers of Union and Confederate soldiers met to try to promote harmony. The younger Jarvis Was inspired by all the things her mother had accomplished with her social work.
When Jarvis was young, she overheard her mother praying, “I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will find a memorial mother’s day honoring her for the matchless service she offers to humanity in every field of life.” When her mom died in 1905, Jarvis looked through all the sympathy cards she received. She underlined all the kind words that praised her mother, reading them over and over. The outpouring of kindness for her mother inspired her to create a day to honor all mothers.
The white carnation was her mother’s favorite flower, so it became the symbol for the day. She said it symbolized the truth, purity and charity of a mother’s love. Her idea of celebrating Mother’s Day was wearing a carnation while visiting your mother or maybe going to church together. Children were also encouraged to write letters to their mothers, sharing the depths of their appreciation.
The first official Mother’s Day events were held on May 10. 1908, at the church where her mother taught Sunday School in Grafton, West Virginia, and at the Wanamaker’s department store auditorium(礼堂)in Philadelphia. Jarvis didn’t attend the event in Grafton, but she sent 500 white carnations.
1. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “conceived” in paragraph 1?A.Thought up | B.Figured out. |
C.Found out. | D.Believed in. |
A.She created Mother’s Day. | B.She was active in social work. |
C.She joined in the American Civil War. | D.She taught Jarvis how to care for children. |
A.Pray for their mother’s happiness. | B.Send some flowers to their mothers. |
C.Write a letter to thank their mothers. | D.Accompany their mothers to the celebration. |
A.A Memorable Mother | B.Carnation and Mother’s Day |
C.The Greatness of a Mother | D.The Founding of Mother’s Day |
2 . One of my earliest memories was walking up to the smell of camp smoke and my mother’s hot chocolate. My parents were poor, and we lived in the countryside in Portland. Dad had two jobs and Mom was disabled, but that didn’t stop them from heading into the Cascade Mountains several times a year.
Our clothes were old and worn and our food was usually cheap and simple. However, we were always satisfied with our hot chocolate, which was made in a traditional way handed down from my grandmother to my mother.
There was no store to buy anything we needed. We just had powdered cocoa in our camp.
Mom would set the smoke-blackened coffee pot at the side of the fire and slowly warm the milk, adding chocolate and sugar, and stirring (搅拌) until the contents became thick and rich brown. The wonderful smell of chocolate filled the camp. More than once, I could remember people that we had just met hours before stepping into our camp to enjoy mother’s creation.
Once we were trapped in our tent (帐篷) for days because of a terrible rainstorm. Every morning I was woken up by the attractive smell of Mom’s hot chocolate.
Now, many years have passed, when we head for the mountains, I still use that worn coffee pot. And we always bring extra cups for the neighbours who will certainly turn up.
I have told my family a lot about Mom, and it seems that nothing brings back those warm memories better than sitting around the fire at night and tasting sweet hot chocolate.
1. Where did the author live when she was a child?A.In a village. | B.In a big city. | C.In a hotel. | D.In a palace. |
A.Kind. | B.Friendly. | C.Disabled. | D.Serious. |
A.Her parents were poor. | B.Her mom had two jobs. |
C.Her mom was a boss of Coffee House. | D.Her dad stopped them from camping. |
A.Saved. | B.Absorbed. | C.Caught. | D.Suffered. |
A.Camp Smoke | B.Mom’s Hot Chocolate |
C.My Neighbours | D.Grandmother’s Creation |