题目内容
Brenda Linson never goes anywhere without an empty spectacles case. It is as vital to her as her purse. Yet, she doesn’t wear glasses. The reason she cannot do without it is that she cannot read and she cannot write. If ever she gets into any situation where she might be expected to do either of these things, she fishes around in her bag for the spectacles case, finds it’s empty, and asks the person concerned to do the reading for her. Until a few months ago hardly anybody knew about her problem. Her husband didn’t know and her children didn’t know. The children still don’t.
She had many tactics for hiding her difficult—for example, never lingering near a phone at work, in case she had to answer it and might be required to write something down.
It has never occurred to the children that their mother cannot read. She doesn’t read them stories, but then their father doesn’t either, so they find nothing surprising in the fact. Similarly they just accept that Dad is the one who writes the sick notes and reads the school reports. Now that the elder boy Tom is quite a proficient reader, Brenda can skillfully get him to read any notes brought home from school simply by asking,“What’s that all about, then?”
Brenda’s husband never guessed the truth in ten years of marriage. For one thing, he insists on handling all domestic correspondence and bills himself. A salesman for a large company, he travels a great deal and so is not around so much to spot the truth. While he’s away Brenda cores with any situations by explaining that she cannot do anything until she’s discussed it with her husband.
Brenda was very successful in her job until recently. For the last five years she had worked as waitress at an expensive restaurant, and had eventually been promoted to head waitress. She kept the thing a secret there too, and got over the practical difficulties somehow.
1．Brenda carries an empty spectacles case wherever she goes because__________.
A．she is always so forgetful
B．she uses it as a purse
C．it may provide her with an excuse
D．she wishes to look like an educated woman
2．Brenda’s children have never found out about her problem as__________.
A．she isn’t often at home
B．they are too young to guess the truth
C．they find it normal to ask their father for everything
D．they think it natural that short-sighted people like their mother don’t do much reading or writing
3．What most probably made Brenda try hard to hide her difficulty?
A．Her desire to be successful in her job.
B．Her fear of losing face.
C．Her deceitful nature.
D．Both A and B.
4．Of the following suggested titles, which is the most appropriate?
A．Brenda and Her Family
B．A Woman Who Doesn’t Wear Glasses
C．A Woman with an Empty Spectacles Case
D．The Miserable Life of a Waitress
C C D C
智能训练练测考系列答案Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big problem lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''
1.Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
A. Because she didn't want others to hear her play
B. Because she didn't mean to disturb others.
C. Because she didn't have her own room
D. Because she didn’t like her neighbors.
2.Brenda started to give concerts _______.
A. after she practiced in her space bubble
B. when she became part of the unique space journey
C. after she became a real musical astronaut
D. when people came to see her in the space bubble
3.Brenda became famous because _______.
A. she was good at music and science
B. she became a real musical astronaut
C. she invented a special way of practice
D. she played well and had a talent
4.Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
A. Kind, hardworking and clever
B. Brave, kind and hardworking.
C. Lovely, brave and kind
D. Nervous, kind and clever.
5.It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
A. He laughs best who laughs last
B. It's never too old to learn
C. Two heads are better than one
D. One good turn deserves another