Question

Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”

Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”

In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.

That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.

“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow(肘子). Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.

One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”

For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf（为了我）. She had never let me see her tears.

16. Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom’s   attitude when she made the child to peel potatoes?

A. Cruel.             B. Serious.             C. Strict.                   D. Cold.

17. What does the word “that” in paragraph 2 refer to?

 A. complaining  

 B. sewing

 C. “I” have only one hand

 D. to peel the potatoes

18. What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” imply?

A. Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.

B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult at all.

C. Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.

D. What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.

19. When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open  because ______.

A. they felt sorry for what they had done before

B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt

C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars

D. they were surprised to find the author’s progress

20. The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ______.

A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep

B. the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her own

C. Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph

D. in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child’s growth

Answer 1

文章讲的是一位母亲是如何帮助自己缺一只手的儿子解决成长中的问题。

16. C。推理判断题。从他妈妈的话“And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again”可知他妈妈对他要求很严，即答案选C。

17. C。代词的指代意义。妈妈让他“不要再以‘只有一只手’来作为借口。

18. A。推理判断题。第二天妈妈带我去学校帮助我练习monkey bars，可推知妈妈是个很有恒心的人，故答案选A。

19. D。推理判断题。根据常识可知同学们对我的表现都很吃惊，即答案选D。

20. D。推理判断题。从Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears可知对于我的成长中的痛苦妈妈比我承受得还要多，即答案选D。