8．
On this fine winter day，when much of the country is freezing，I know I shouldn't complain．I live in the Mojave Desert on a hill overlooking Las Vegas，so I can sit outside，feel the sun on my face and not feel cold．But I'm just going to say it：I am tired of winter．Around this time of year，I always look forward to spring．
I blame my grandmother．Growing up，I spent most spring breaks with her on her farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains．Once，when I was 8or so，I said："Why do they call it spring break？It still feels like winter．"
She studied me for a minute，and then said："Spring is where you find it．Let's go take a look．"Then we each took a walking stick and with that we were off．
You could not outwalk my grandmother．The woman was never tired．We followed a dusty trail，zigzagging （曲折前进） up the mountain from the farm to the top of a hill．Finally，she stopped．"There，"she said．"There's your spring．"She pointed to a tree covered in pink blooms that looked like little puffs （蓬松的一团） of cotton candy on sticks．
I wish you could've seen it．
"It's a dogwood （山茱萸），"she said．"It blooms every year whether we're around to see it or not．It's a promise．You can count on it．"
That tree became a ritual （例行习惯），a promise I counted on．Every spring we went looking for it and every time we found it in all its glory．When I grew up and moved away，I carried the memory of that tree and its promise with me from the mountains of North Carolina，to the coast of California，to a hill overlooking Las Vegas．
My grandmother has been gone for years．Her farm was sold and the hill above it became a subdivision （供出卖的小块土地）．I don't know if the dogwood survived．But it still blooms，without fail，in my memory．
Sometimes，in the dead of winter，it helps to remember the promise I learned as a child．
Life persists in spite of us．The Earth is reborn every spring，every day，and every moment．When we least expect it，trees bloom on mountains in our memories．It's a promise．
56．Which of the following is TRUE according to the article？D
A．The author's grandmother got tired quickly．
B．The author's grandmother and the dogwood both died years ago．
C．The place the author lives in is colder than other places in the country．
D．The dogwood is a sign of spring and it lived on in the author's memory for years．
57．When the author complained that it was still too cold during spring break，her grandmotherC．
A．suggested that she enjoy the beauty of winter
B．took her to climb the hill to get warmer
C．showed her that spring actually had come already
D．convinced her that spring would come soon
58．The main purpose of the article is toD．
A．show the importance of promises
B．explain why dogwoods have a special meaning for the author
C．share the author's memories of her happy childhood with her grandmother
D．argue that life keeps on going，and thus we should be patient when things seem dark or sad．
