D
I moved to the Phoenix area in my early twenties, and to expand my social life I joined a young adult group at a church. Because I love music, I started singing in the choir(合唱队), where I met Lisa. We were about the same age. Finding people with similar interests helped reduce my feelings of loneliness after moving to a new city.
“Are you going to go on the retreat(静修)?” Lisa asked. Once or twice a year, the young adult group put on a retreat. I hesitated. I had little experience with retreats and I still felt like an outsider. “Come on,” Lisa said. “Everyone goes.” “Okay.” I agreed. After all, some cute guys were in the group. As the retreat weekend approached, I learned that the theme was forgiveness.
In my twenties, the world revolved(旋转) around me and what I wanted. And, as most people do, I learned how to be pleasant enough without giving in and having to apologize any more than necessary. In short, the forgiveness theme made me uncomfortable. I would attend the retreat, but I planned to sit quietly in the background and watch.
The retreat was held at a camp in Prescott, Arizona. The first night we gathered in the common room where we also ate out meals. According to the plan, I found a spot in the back where I could watch, unnoticed. The leader got up and spoke about the healing power of forgiveness. His words were touching. “Now comes the hard part,” he said. “I want to invite you to look into your hearts and if you feel moved to do so, go to a person here in the room and ask to be forgiven for something you’ve done.”
At the beginning, there was total silence. Was he kidding? Then Lisa stood up and made her way through the crowd toward me. Lisa planted her feet firmly in front of me. “Kathleen, I’d like to ask your forgiveness.” I shook my head. Then nodded, not sure how to respond. I felt the heat rise into my cheeks. I could hardly breathe knowing that everyone could hear and see all this. I had no idea what I was forgiving her for. I wanted her to just go away.
“I have been angry at how easily you joined our group. Even though you became my friend when we worked on music together, I still thought you were doing it for yourself. I’ve held that against you and I’m sorry.” “It’s okay,” I choked out. Stunned, I stood up, gave her an awkward hug and then sat back down. Lisa turned and went back to her seat. Lisa’s bravery broke the ice and everyone started to ask forgiveness for various injuries, some big, some small.
The world began to change for me. I learned empathy the day that Lisa asked my forgiveness. I had read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee several times. But I realized that I had never understood the message Atticus Finch taught his children: “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in him.” Through the years my friendships were better, stronger and deeper. I apologized and forgave quickly. Lisa allowed me the gift of friendship because her example taught me to forgive.
55. The author joined the adult group because she wanted to .
A. have a better social life
B. practice singing with her friends
C. learn the importance of forgiveness
D. get to know more about her neighbors
56. Which of the following can describe the writer before she attended the retreat?
A. Self-confident. B. Dishonest. C. Responsible. D. Self-centered.
57. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The writer didn’t want to join the retreat at first.
B. The writer thought Lisa should say sorry to her.
C. The writer thought the leader of the retreat was funny.
D. The writer knew Lisa before she moved to the new city.
58. According to Paragraph 5, how did the writer feel when Lisa asked for forgiveness?
A. Scared. B. Curious. C. Stressed. D. Satisfied.
59. What did Lisa apologize to the writer for?
A. That she made the writer feel lonely.
B. That she was envious of the writer.
C. That she once took advantage of the writer.
D. That she refused to make friends with the writer.
60. According to the last paragraph, Atticus Finch taught his children to ______.
A. try to apologize and forgive B. get to know people’s true face
C. value the friendship with others D. place oneself in others’ position
