1．I am not interested in making the New Year's decisions.But this year，there came a decisive moment.It came when my adult children，who'd been home for two weeks，headed back to their homes.There was a sadness I felt as I waved their cars out of sight，not knowing when I'd see them again.But there was also a knowing in that moment that something in me needed to change.So I asked myself， "What is truly good in your life？"
What is good is my relationships with my children，but not only those relationships.What also keeps my heart beating is creating a home，no matter who is there，and cooking balanced，plant-based meals，even if just for me.I find joy in nature and connections with close friends and family.I love doing photography and writing and teaching myself piano.
Whatever was missing from my life，at the end of last year I knew about the parts that worked.As winter ended and the visiting children prepared to leave，I looked to the future.
I think of my friend，Lisa，who in May lost her husband of 30 years to cancer，and who found herself on New Year's Eve with no one to be with.Her aloneness was lasting in that turning-point moment，but her sadness was momentary （短暫的）. "I realized I had a choice，" she told me.Instead of giving way to loneliness and despair，she chose to find something productive to do.
We humans can become bored with defeat.We know something is just the other side.Like a new year，I have two choices.I can brand myself as the longs-uffering mother who never figured out how to live on after her children left.Or I can take to the piano in the center of the house each day and practice Ode to Joy with one hand until such time as I feel ready to play with two.
（1）What can we know about the author from the first paragraph？
A．She didn't want to live a lonely life any more.
B．She was curious about her life in the New Year.
C．She had a difficult relationship with her children.
D．She didn't think her life kept any promise any more.
（2）How will the author probably change her life？
A．By improving her physical health.
B．By taking more music classes when free.
C．By spending more time with her children.
D．By focusing on things that bring her happiness.
（3）Why does the author mention her friend Lisa？
A．To show there are people with worse lives than herself.
B．To point out there are choices even when life is difficult.
C．To prove being on one's own has a big influence on others.
D．To stress the importance of family members on New Year's Eve.
（4）How does the author feel about her future？
A．Optimistic.
B．Doubtful.
C．Worried.
D．Hopeless.
