Question

Ifhas anyone noticed how, with the passage of time, one’s relationship with one’s grown-up daughters and sons becomes changed? I’ve been aware of this for some time but I’m not quite sure how to deal with it.
Take the kitchen sink for example.
Following a family get-together at my place, I walked into the kitchen to find Kate, my daughter, carefully cleaning the sink.
“Don’t do that; what are you doing that for?” I said, unhappy about the hidden criticism.
“Mum,” she said, “you really ought to put your glasses on when you clean the sink. Behind the tap here was black!”
But it’s not just things like kitchen sinks. Another time Kate arrived to pick me up to lunch. She looked at me and then asked, “Mum, why do you use brown eyebrow pencil when your hair is grey?”
A sudden memory of her, aged 14, going to her first mixed party flooded back. She had come in to say goodbye. For a moment I thought she’d been an accident. Both eyes were black. I remember suggesting that perhaps a little less eye make-up might be more effective.
Now I told her, “My hair used to be brown.”
“It looks absurd.(荒唐)”
“Mrs. Menzies had dark eyebrows with grey hair.”
“Yes, but you’re not Mrs. Menzies, are you?” she said triumphantly, as if that proved her point.
But a recent event made me realize that something really must be done.
She had returned home for a few weeks before getting married. One evening I went out on a dinner date. By the time my companion left me at the front door, it was about 2am. As I stepped in, an angry figure in a white nightgown（睡衣）stopped me.
“Well, what time of night is this to be coming home?” she shouted. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick!”
Shades of the past come back to disturb me. But what should I do about all this? Nothing, probably. Maybe, after all, it’s only a stage young people are going through.
【小题1】The daughter thought her mother didn’t clean the kitchen sink well because of her       .

A．laziness

B．carelessness

C．unhappiness

D．poor-quality glasses

【小题2】From the passage we know the daughter        .

A．didn’t want to help with the sink

B．didn’t like brown eyebrow pencils

C．had an accident when she went to her first party

D．shouted at her mum because she came home late

【小题3】How does the mother feel after all these have happened?

A．Shocked.

B．Proud.

C．Envious.（嫉妒）

D．Confused.

【小题4】The author writes the stories to prove that ________.

A．their relationship became stronger

B．their roles changed as time passed

C．her daughter very much cared about her

D．her daughter got upset as she grew up

Answer 1

【小题1】B
【小题2】D
【小题3】D
【小题4】B

解析【小题1】B 通过短文中提到的句子“Mum,” she said, “you really ought to put your glasses on when you clean the sink. Behind the tap here was black!”可知“her mother”不是懒惰(laziness), 也不是不高兴(unhappiness)和眼镜质量差(poor-quality glasses)。故选项B为最佳答案。
【小题2】D 根据短文中的句子：“Well, what time of night is this to be coming home?” she shouted. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick!”，很显然选项B为最佳答案。
【小题3】D 选项A意为“感到震惊的”；选项B意为“自豪的；骄傲的”；选项C意为“嫉妒的”；选项D意为“感到困惑的”。根据短文第一段可知D为最佳选项。
【小题4】B 根据短文的首段和末段，作者写这篇故事目的是说明随着时间的推移，她们的角色发生改变了。故选项B为最佳答案。