I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, and every morning, sometimes before I woke up, my dad left for work. I didn't know much about what my dad actually did all day. But one thing I did know about my dad's day was that he often spent his lunch break looking for books for me. He would often come home in the evening with a book for me in his bag. When he handed the "gift" over to me, I immediately investigated its cover, checked out the description on the back, and sometimes started reading right then.

I was not always as appreciative of those books as I should have been, especially in my younger years. One time, Dad brought home a paperback£¨Æ½×°Ê飩called Bunya the Witch. I scanned the cover quickly before declaring, "Ugh! It's just another stupid farm book," and dropping it on the ground. I was rightfully reprimanded for being an ungrateful kid, and I learned that valuable lesson about not judging a book by its cover—Bunya the Witch turned out to be one of my favorites.

As I got older, my dad favored books focused on strong young female characters, like Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs, Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt, and Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz, books I remember to this day.

It's not just the books themselves that stay in my memory. It's the girl reading them, and what she felt as she read. I think back to hours spent in my childhood bedroom, reading about young women who faced lives much more difficult than mine. I learned from their courage and drew inspiration from their bravery.

To this day, I love to read. I love the excitement of opening up a new book and getting lost in whatever story the author wants to tell me. And quite often, when I've read something really wonderful, the first person I pass it along to is my dad. I figure I owe him.

4£®What do we know about the young author from Paragraph 1?

A£®She asked for gifts every evening.

B£®She was interested in books.

C£®She cared about her dad's work.

D£®She enjoyed investigating incidents.

5£®What does the underlined word "reprimanded" in Paragraph 2 mean?

A£®Ignored.                 B£®Defended.               C£®Excused.                D£®Scolded.

6£®What lesson may the author learn from the three books mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A£®Treasure one's present life.

B£®Never judge a book by its cover.

C£®One should fight against life's hardships.

D£®Teens can also achieve really great things.

7£®What can be the best title for the text?

A£®Dad, me, and love of reading                      B£®Dad—my first teacher in life

C£®Reading—a source of knowledge                 D£®Readers, books, and a key to success