On the 25th of December，my mother expected her children to be present，exchanging gifts and eating turkey.But as an artist and daughter，my heart seemed to be more in my work as an artist.As for my mother and my family，I thought we would have more time to spend Christmas together.I was going to do my own thing.
   I made plans for my winter adventure in New Hampshire.The MacDowell Colony （麥道爾藝術(shù)村） was everything I could have wished for.About 20 to 30 artists were present，and it was as captivating as I had imagined.Snowy New England，sledding （滑雪橇） and whisky!It felt like my life had become an unexpected independent film.
   By Christmas Eve，I had been at the colony more than a week.The fresh feelings were wearing off，but I would never admit it.Everyone around me was having too much fun—drinks and deep conversations by the fireplace.It seemed so amazing!What was wrong with me？This was the holiday I'd always dreamed of.No plastic reindeer.Not a Christmas sweater anywhere in sight.People here didn't even say "Christmas"，but they said "holiday".Then why was I so down？
   Finally，I called home.My dad answered.He told me that my mother was out shopping with my brothers.I found there was a fire in my heart.They were having a fine Christmas without me？Didn't they miss me？How could they？
   Despite a serious snowstorm，a large package with my mother's beautiful handwriting showed up near my door at the artist colony on Christmas morning.I seized it as if I had been five years old.Inside was my favorite cake.
   As I sliced （切） the cake，everyone gathered around —young and old.My mother had sent a real homemade gift.It was a minor Christmas miracle that one cake managed to feed so many.We ate it from paper towels with our hands，satisfying a hunger we didn't know we had and reminding us of our dear families，who must be missing us too.

（1）Why was the author unwilling to spend Christmas at home？

B

B

A．She met some trouble at work.
B．She wanted to focus on her career.
C．She had disagreements with her mother.
D．She was tired of staying at a familiar place.
（2）What does the underlined word "captivating" in Paragraph 2 probably mean？

A

A

A．Attractive.
B．Tough.
C．Strange.
D．Simple.
（3）What can we learn about the artist colony from Paragraph 3？

C

C

A．It attracted many sports lovers.
B．It was suitable for holiday parties.
C．It lacked the Christmas atmosphere.
D．It gave the author some artistic ideas.
（4）What did the author mainly intend to express in the last two paragraphs？

D

D

A．She learned to be open to others.
B．She enjoyed bringing kindness to strangers.
C．Her mother was good at taking care of her family.
D．Her mother's cake cured the artists of their homesickness.