Question

Looking out of the window, my son saw a tree whose branches were strongly swaying back and forth. “How does the tree move its branches like that?” He asked.

Without rising from my chair, nor looking up from my book, I started to answer, “The tree is not moving the branches, son. The wind is…” But before the words were out, I caught myself. Instead I rose from my chair and moved to the window to join my son. I looked at the tree. From inside our room, from behind the window, I could neither feel nor hear the wind. I saw instead a tree with its branches silently moving and thought to myself, from inside this room, how could I possibly be sure that the branches were moving because of the wind rather than from the tree’s own willing?

        As I stood there with my son watching the tree, I became struck by the movement of the branches, the shimmer of the leaves. My mind quieted and I became less sure myself of what was causing the branches to move. Was it the wind, or was it some expressive, independent movement of the tree? “I see what you mean,” I said to my son. “The movement of the tree is very beautiful.”

         “Do you think the tree is dancing?” asked my son. “Why would it be dancing?” I asked. “Maybe it is happy because the sun is shining,” he said. “Perhaps,” I said. “Or because it’s spring,” he added, “and it’s not cold any more.” “Perhaps,” I said.

         As we continued to watch the tree together, I, too, began to appreciate the dance of the tree. I enjoyed the movement and sway of the branches, seeing little nuances(微妙之处) that I hadn’t noticed before. There seemed to be a rhythm to the movement, first strong and forceful, then light and gentle, then more vigorous, sometimes nearly violent.

         “Are trees alive?” my son asked. “Yes, they are alive. Why do you ask?” “Because this tree looks happy,” he answered. “Can a tree be happy or sad?” “What do you mean?” I asked.

         “In the winter, trees seem sad,” he said. “Their branches hang down, and they look cold and lonely. But now with the leaves on the tree and the sun shining and the birds flying, it looks happy.”

1.What is the meaning of the underlined word “caught” in Para 2?

A. stopped                  B. grasped                   C. seized                      D. held

2.What on earth caused the tree to move?

A. The tree itself felt happy and was dancing.

B. The tree was too sad to sway as if to get rid of all trouble.

C. It was the warm spring.

D. The wind did so.  

3. What do you think of the boy?

A. Naughty.                 B. Imaginative.    C. Clever.                 D. Foolish.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.D

3.B

【解析】

试题分析：树为什么会动呢？是因为开心而跳舞吗？是因为明媚的阳光而快乐吗？这种在成年人眼中在平常不过的事情，在孩子眼里却是那么的美好，他们有着丰富的想象力，赋予了树感情。在本文中透过作者的讲述我们可以领略到孩子们眼中美妙的世界。

1.A词义猜测题。根据文章第二段“The tree is not moving the branches, son. The wind is…”可知作者的话没有说完就停住了，由此推断“caught”意思为“停止”，所以A选项正确。

2.D推理判断题。由常识可知树枝的摆动是风造成的，故D选项正确。

3.B推理判断题。根据文中孩子的话“Maybe it is happy because the sun is shining,” and it’s not cold any more.”可以判断孩子想象力特别丰富，所以B选项正确。

考点：考查故事类短文阅读。