Right after lunch, Mother found she had got a cold. She did need a rest in bed. But first she had a few things to do. Prepare the meat for    31   . Leave a note for the cleaners...
At last, she fell into bed, soon asleep...
Then the door banged(砰地一声) open as the    32    came home from school. ＂Mom! Mom! Where are you?＂ ＂Didn’t you even get up yet?＂ ＂What about dinner?＂
＂I’m sick. And I can’t do anything. I’ll have to leave all to    33   . Cook the potatoes. Take care of the baby. Put plates, spoons and forks on the table.＂
＂Wonderful! " " No problem! " The children ran off    34   . Mother was left in her quiet room. She felt terrible! But everyone else seemed great. In fact, there seemed to b a party going on with loud laughs    35    the children.
There was a sudden crash(破碎声). Then a voice shouted, "Get the baby out of the way —    36    he cuts himself. Don’ break Mom’s rest!＂
Another crash came! The younger girl rushed in with news. "They    37    your plate and the dog ate all your dinner.＂
The girl ran off. There was more noise until, finally, the children appear,    38   . They were proud of what they brought. There is a glass of water, three beans, a cold boiled potato and a small piece of burned meat.
Suddenly, Mother felt    39   . As the children watched carefully, she ate her cold dinner. ＂Everything     40    so good,＂ Mom smiled. ＂Thank you, my kids. I feel better now.＂
31. A. tea B. breakfast C. lunch D. dinner
32. A. father B. cleaners C. children D. dog
33. A. you B. me C. her D. him
34. A. excitedly B. sadly C. quietly D. angrily
35. A. in B. with C. from D. under
36. A. after B. before C. when D. until
37. A. made B dropped C. sold D. changed
38. A. crying B. smiling C. cooking D. sleeping
39. A. tired B. afraid C. weak D. great
40. A. tastes B. looks C. smells D. sounds
31. D【解析】结合第一段第一句、第三段最后一句＂What about dinner?＂和第四段内容可推知，A、B、C三项不符合题意，此处指为晚餐准备肉。