Yesterday was my stepmom’s birthday. I hadn’t been home for a long time so I wanted to stop by the house to see her on this special day.
I have been struggling financially so I was afraid of the long trip. Gas is so expensive nowadays! Anyway, I filled my tank with gas and set off.
I stopped at the shopping mall and found a present. It was the perfect gift and I knew she
would love it. But when I got to the cashier my card was declined! I did not have enough money in my account to pay for the gift!
So I pondered the issue for a few minutes. I could put it back and get something cheaper, but I knew there was nothing else in the store she would like as much. So, I got on my smart-phone and transferred some money from my savings account so I was able to pay for the gift. It took a big chunk of my savings but I wanted her to have something special.
She loved the gift and I felt that even though I had spent almost all my money my stepmom deserved the best and I was glad I gave her the best that I could.
Before leaving my parents’ house, my dad took me to one side and, with our secret hand-shake, he gave me some money. I had not said anything to him about my finances but I guess my dad had just known it. When I got to the car, I saw the amount he gave me was three times what I had spent on the gas and the gift!
It goes to show that doing the right thing always comes with great rewards.
Why was the writer unwilling to have a long trip？

A．Because gas was hardly available.	B．Because the writer was short of money.
C．Because the writer didn’t like driving.	D．Because the road was difficult to drive on.

The underlined word “pondered” in Para. 4 means ________.

A．thought about	B．tried on
C．depended on	D．got through

From the passage, we can infer that ________.

A．the writer loves his/her stepmom very much

B．the gift the writer bought was loved by his/her father very much

C．the writer spent all his/her savings buying the gift for his/her stepmom

D．the gift the writer bought was the most expensive one in the shop

Why did the writer’s father shake hands with the writer in secret?

A．Because he wanted to ask the writer for something special.

B．Because he wanted to give the writer some money.

C．Because he knew the writer had been struggling financially.

D．Because he didn’t want others to copy their handshake.