Still in shock!I moved around the house purposeiessly trying to decide what to put into the suitcases.Earlier that evening，I'd received a call telling me that my brother was killed in a car crash."Come as soon as you can."cried my mother.
    I wanted to hurry to her at once.But my husband，Larry，and I were packing to move from New York to Seattle.Our house was in total mess.Supper dishes sat on the kitchen table.Toys lay everywhere.I purposelessly picked things up and put them down.Mother's crying went through my head again and again.
    Larry called some friends to tell them what had happened.Someone asked to speak to me."If there's anything I can do，let me know."But I didn't know what to ask for.
    Suddenly，the doorbell rang.It was Emerson.He and his wife Donna lived in the block nearby.
    "I've come to clean your shoes，"he said.
    I asked him to repeat.
    "Donna had to stay with the baby，"he said，"but we want to help you.I remember when my father died，it took me hours to clean our shoes for the funeral.Give me all your shoes."
    I gathered all our dirty shoes to the kitchen.Emerson got to work right away.Watching him devoting himself to one task helped me pull my own thoughts into order.I told myself to wash clothes first.Then，Larry and I bathed the children and put them to bed.One job after another.
    When we returned to wash the dishes，Emerson had left.All our shoes stood in a line against the wall，clean，shining.I couldn't help crying.Early the next morning，we left for the airport with all the jobs done.
    Now whenever I hear of a friend who's lost a loved one，I no longer call with the polite offer，"If there's anything I can do..."Instead，I try to think of one specific task that suits that man's need，like taking the dog to the boarding kennel（狗屋；養(yǎng)狗場） or house-sitting during the funeral（葬禮）.If the person asks，"How did you know I needed that one？"I reply，"Because a man once cleaned my shoes."

（1）What can we learn from Paragraph 1？

C

C

A.The writer's house was in a mess.
B.The writer's mother was very sad about her son's death.
C.The writer heard the sad news and had no idea what to do.
D.The writer packed the suitcase and was ready to go to Seattle.
（2）In what order did the following events happen？

C

C

a.The writer washed the clothes.
b.The writer's brother was killed.
c.The writer and her husband left for the airport.
d.The writer washed the dishes.
e.Emerson came to clean the shoes.
A.c-b-e-d-a
B.c-e-b-d-a
C.b-e-a-d-c
D.b-a-e-d-c
（3）If one of the writer's friends loses a loved one，what will she probably NOT do？

A

A

A.Call her friend to ask what she can do.
B.Look after her friend's young children.
C.Take her friend's dog to the boarding kennel.
D.Offer her friend house-sitting during the funeral.
（4）Which sentence can best express the theme of this story？

D

D

A.One person's loss is another's gain.
B.An act of kindness is often rewarded.
C.A near neighbour is better than a brother far off.
D.Do something specific to help those in need.