福建省晨曦中学2016届开学第一考英语试题 Still, it was a shock to drive by her house the other day and see nothing but a stump in her front yard. I missed that tree. I missed its beauty, its leaves shinning in the afternoon sun. I missed seeing its limbs reach towards the heavens. I thought that the stump would be a sad reminder of its loss for a long time to come. My wonderful neighbor, though, had another plan. When I drove by her home today I saw a tiny bird feeder sitting on that stump and a colorful songbird having its dinner. It was such an affirmation of life. It was such a joy to see. I could feel my heart smile.
Life by its very nature is a mixed bag. It hands us both beauty and tragedy, love and loss, pleasure and pain. What we do with it, however, is up to us. We can let it split us in two, or we can use even its hardest times to make our souls stronger and our hearts more loving. We can spend it complaining or we can use it to help others.
21. We know from the first paragraph that _____．
A. the tree grew very slowly.
B. the tree showed its beauty and benefits.
C. the author’s neighbor was good at planting trees.
D. the tree was so strong that it could bear any weight.
22. The author’s neighbor left a stump in her front yard to use it as_____.
A. a good reminder. B. a seat after dinner.
C. a place to feed birds. D. a beautiful sculpture.
23. What does the author mainly want to show in the passage?
A. Life has beauty and tragedy.
B. Life consists of pain and suffering.
C. Life should be pleasant rather than painful.
D. Life is determined by our attitude towards it.
