"Hi!How are you？" The woman smiled as she took the seat beside me.She had to lower herself slowly，squeezing her ample bottom into the space.Positioning herself comfortably，she put her enormous arm on the armrest.I didn't reply and leaned towards the window.
   She repeated her greeting in a friendly voice.
   "Hi，" I replied.
   "My name is Laura.I'm from Britain.How about you？" A palm waved in front of my face. "Malaysia，" I shook the hand unwillingly.
   Laura started a conversation with me，taking no notice of my unfriendly reactions.Her voice was warm and caring.She was thoughtful.When we were served drinks and meals she made sure that I had room to move in my seat. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable with my elephant size!" she said with great sincerity.
To my amazement，her face that I disliked hours before，slowly opened into an extraordinary smile—lively and calm at the same time.I couldn't help but let down my guard.
   Laura was an interesting conversationalist.She was well-read in many subjects from philosophy to science.She turned a seemingly unimportant subject into something to explore and understand.Her comments were humorous and inspirational.When our topic turned to cultures，I was pleasantly surprised by her intelligent comments and well-thought-out analysis.
   I asked Laura， "Have you ever thought about losing some weight？You aren't worried about the diseases that come with being overweight？"
   "Not at all.You only get the diseases if you're worried about your weight all the time.You see advertisements from slimming centers that say，'Liberate yourself from your extra baggage so that you are free to be yourself.' It's rubbish!You're liberated only if you're comfortable with who you are，and what you look like!I eat healthily and walk regularly；I'm this size because I am born to be big!"
   She sipped her wine. "Besides，God gives me so much happiness that I need a bigger body to hold all of it!Why would I lose weight to lose my happiness？"
   When we waved goodbye to each other at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport，I thought Laura was the most beautiful woman I had ever met in my life.

Word Bank squeeze挤 ample硕大的 palm手掌 analysis分析 philosophy哲学

根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填涂在答题卡相应位置。
（1）Why was the author unfriendly toward Laura in the beginning？

D

D

A．The author was in a bad mood that day.
B．The author hoped to enjoy the trip alone.
C．The author was unfamiliar with Laura.
D．The author wasn't comfortable with Laura's size.
（2）What made the author change her attitude？

A

A

A．Laura talked a lot.
B．Laura was such a wonderful person.
C．Laura taught her a lot during the trip.
D．Laura helped her a lot during the trip.
（3）Laura didn't want to lose weight because

A

A

.
A．She didn't think she needed to
B．She believed it was too difficult for her
C．She didn't trust advertisements
D．She thought happiness was more important than health
（4）What does the underlined word "Liberate" probably mean？

B

B

A．摆脱
B．解放
C．束缚
D．克制
（5）Which of the following words can best describe Laura？

C

C

A．Talkative and loud.
B．Knowledgeable and proud.
C．Warm and thoughtful.
D．Wild and fearless.