题目内容
The native people of Australia are called Aborigines. Most of them live in the deserts of Australia, where they neither plant crops nor keep any animals. All the year round they move here and there through the deserts in search of food and water. They must depend on their own skills to track down (搜寻) wild animals for food in order to stay alive. It has been said that an Aborigine has the “eyes of an eagle (鹰)”.
The following story shows how surprising the Aborigines’ skill at tracking is.
Once a gold robbery in a small Australian town left the police quite puzzled (困惑的). They had to call on an old Aborigine tracker for help. The tracker found a set of footprints in the dusty street, and said he thought they were the tracks of the thief. Before the tracker could follow the prints very far, a rainstorm broke and washed the tracks away. Some time after that, the Aborigine was in another town, and his sharp eyes picked out the same footprints he had seen days before. The police could hardly believe his story, but they went with him as he followed the tracks through the dirty streets and past the outskirts (市郊) of the town. After about half an hour’s walk, the tracker stopped near a wooden house and simply pointed. Sure enough, the wanted man was hiding inside.
1. What kind of life do you think the Australian Aborigines live?
A. A lazy life. B. A hard life.
C. An easy life. D. A boring life.
2. The old Aborigine lost the first tracks he had found because ______.
A. there was a sudden rainstorm
B. the streets were covered with heavy dust
C. they were mixed with many other people’s footprint
D. he had been too tired to find them after a long walk
3. What can we know about the old Aborigine from the passage?
A. He was a friend of the police’s.
B . He knew the thief before.
C. His tracking skills helped the police find the thief.
D. He made his living by tracking for the police.
4. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A. Sharp eyes
B. What a life Aborigines live
C. Searching for a policeman .
D. Aborigines’ new way of life
BACA
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, "This is Mrs. Tan.”
And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, "Why he don’t send me check, already two week late.”
And then, in perfect English I said, "I’m getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived. "
Then she talked more loudly. "What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss. "And so I turned to the stockbroker again, "I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week. "
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
【小题1】Why was the author’s mother poorly served?
| A．She was unable to speak good English. | B．She was often misunderstood. |
| C．She was not clearly heard. | D．She was not very polite. |
| A．good at pretending | B．rude to the stockbroker |
| C．ready to help her mother | D．unwilling to phone for her mother |
| A．they forgave the stockbroker | B．they failed to get the check |
| C．they went to New York at once | D．they spoke to their boss at once |
| A．It confuses her. | B．It makes her ashamed |
| C．It helps her understand the world. | D．It helps her bear rude people. |
| A．is clear and natural to non-native speakers |
| B．is interesting and straight to non-native speakers |
| C．leaves a very bad impression on America |
| D．may bring inconvenience in America |
Li Hua