A
One day while trying to print all the class worksheets we needed for the day, I found myself shouting at my printer in front of my son.“Why won't this stupid thing print？” I shouted.My son came up to me quietly, saying, “Calm down, Mommy.Maybe if you don't shout at the printer, it will work.You need to have patience.”
He was right.I needed patience — patience with this whole situation.I stopped myself, realizing this was not the behavior I wanted my son to see.He was also right that I needed to calm down.Just like what I told him to do, I took a few deep breaths and walked away from the collapsed printer.Later that day when we were outside, I tried to keep the sense of calm I had slightly achieved.Once I blocked out all the anxiety over the virus, school, and my work — I found the afternoon peaceful and pleasant.I played flying disc with my son, simply enjoying each other's company while the birds sang.It was an everyday moment I'll never take for granted again.
From then on, things got a little easier.I started to give myself, and everyone else, some favour.I stopped holding myself to my perfectionism standards with every little thing because they were truly impossible to keep to.
With that favour, I changed my focus.Getting every school worksheet done correctly is not important.Neither is cleaning the house.And, apart from getting fired, neither is my work.Spending time with my family, and staying healthy emotionally and physically, became my main concerns.We took walks.We danced our hearts out during the Disney Family SingAlong.We got up early and walked secretly into our backyard with telescopes to bird watch.Who knows, birding may be the new hobby we're never giving up.
语篇解读：本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者因为打印机发生故障打不出表，在儿子面前大喊大叫，而儿子劝她保持冷静，也许事情就会出现转机，进而使作者悟出一个道理，停止追求完美会使生活变得更加简单。
1．What did the author's son ask her to do?
A．Print later. B．Stop printing.
C．Change another printer. D．Stay calm.
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据文章第一段中的My son came up to me quietly, saying, “Calm down, Mommy.Maybe if you don't shout at the printer, it will work.You need to have patience.” 可知，作者的儿子让她保持冷静。故选D。
2．What does the underlined word “collapsed” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．Sensitive. B．Stubborn.
C．Brokendown. D．Unfriendly.
解析：选C 词义猜测题。根据文章第一段中的 One day while trying to print all the class worksheets we needed for the day, I found myself shouting at my printer in front of my son.“Why won't this stupid thing print？” 可知，应该是打印机发生了故障，因此可以猜测collapsed为“有故障的”，与brokendown同义。故选C。
3．How did the author make her life easier?
A．By giving up dreams.
B．By focusing on others.
C．By stopping pursuing perfection.
D．By paying little attention to work.
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据第三段内容可知，作者是通过停止追求完美使生活变得更简单了。故选C。
4．Which of the following does the author think most important?
A．Watching birds.
B．Doing house cleaning.
C．Seeking after her career.
D．Finishing school worksheets.
解析：选A 推理判断题。根据文章最后一段最后一句可推断，A选项的“观鸟”应该是作者认为最重要的事情。故选A。
