When I was thirteen, my family moved from Boston to Tucson, Arizona. ___36___ the move, my father ___37___ us in the living-room on a freezing January night. My sisters and I sat around the fire, not ___38___ that the universe would suddenly change its course. “In May, we’re ___39___to Arizona.” The words, so small, didn’t seem ___40___ enough to hold my new life. But the world changed and I awoke on a tram moving across the country. I watched the ___41___ change from green trees to flat dusty plains to high mountains as I saw strange new plants that ___42___ mysteries(奥秘) yet to come. Finally, we arrived and ___43___ into own new home. ___44___ my older sisters were sad at the loss of friends, I ___45___ explored(探索) our new surroundings. One afternoon, I was out exploring ___46___ and saw a new kind of cactus(仙人掌). I crouched (蹲) down for a closer look. “You’d better not ___47___ that.” I turned around to see an old woman. “Are you new lo this neighborhood?” I explained that I was, ___48___, new to the entire state. “My name is Ina Thorne. Have you got used to life in the ___49___? It must be quite a ___50___ after living in Boston.” How could I explain how I ___51___ the desert? I couldn’t seem to find the right words. “It’s vastness,” she offered. “That vastness ___52___ you stand on the mountains overlooking the desert — you can ___53___ how little you are in comparison with the world. ___54___, you feel that the possibilities are limitless.” That was it. That was the feeling I’d bad ever since I’d first seen the mountains of my new home. Again, my ___55___ would change with just a few simple words. “Would you like to come to my home tomorrow? Someone should teach you which plant you should and shouldn’t touch.” 36. A. During B. Until   C. Upon  D. Before 37. A. gathered      B. warned       C. organized   D. comforted 38. A. hoping B. admitting   C. realizing     D. believing 39. A. going   B. moving      C. driving       D. flying 40. A. good    B. simple C. big     D. proper 41. A. picture  B. ground       C. sense   D. area 42. A. suggested     B. solved C. discovered  D. explained 43. A. settled  B. walked       C. hurried       D. stepped 44. A. If  B. After   C. once   D. While 45. A. bitterly B. easily  C. proudly      D. eagerly 46. A as well   B. as usual      C. fight away  D. on time 47. A. move   B. dig     C. pull    D. touch 48. A. of course     B. in fact C. after all      D. at least 49. A. desert   B. city     C. state    D. country 50. A. luck     B. doubt  C. shock  D. danger 51. A. found   B. examined   C. watched     D. reached 52. A. why     B. when  C. how    D. where 53. A. prove   B. guess  C. sense   D. expect 54. A. However     B. Otherwise   C. Therefore   D. Meanwhile 55. A. idea     B. life     C. home  D. family