题目内容
As a young man, Al was a skilled artist, a potter with a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son 1 a severe stomachache. Thinking it was only some 2 intestinal(肠道) disorder, neither I nor his wife took the condition very 3 . But the boy died suddenly that night.
Knowing the death 4 if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, he always felt he was guilty. 5 his wife left him a short time later, leaving him 6 with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were 7 Al could stand, and he turned to alcohol for help. 8 Al became an alcoholic.
As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose 9 he possessed--his land, house, etc. Finally Al 11 alone in a small bar. Hearing of Al’s death, I thought, “What a totally 11 life! What a complete failure!”
As time 12 , I began to re-value my earlier rough 13 . I knew Al’s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, 14 and most loving men I have ever known. I saw the love between Ernie and his children, thinking that kindness and caring had to come from 15 .
I hadn’t heard Ernie talked much about his father .One day, I 16 my courage to ask him what on earth his father had done 17 he became such a special person. Ernie said quietly, “As a child until I left home at 18, AI came into my room every night, gave me 18 and said, ‘I love you, son.’ ”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what 19 I had been to judge Al as a failure. He had not left any 20 behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and left behind his best love.
1. A. produced B. developed C. discovered D. explored
2. A. common B. strange C. unusual D. unknown
3. A. for granted B. regularly C. particularly D. seriously
4. A. could have been prevented B. should have taken place
C. must have been stopped D. would be avoided
5. A. To tell the truth B. To begin with C. To make matters worse D. To be exact
6. A. along B. alone C. lonely D. single
7. A. rather B. other than C. more than D. less than
8. A. For a time B. In time C. By the time D. In no time
9. A. something B. nothing C. everything D. some thing
10. A. got drunk B. gave up drinking C. regretted his drinking D. died
11. A. honored B. disappointed C. suffered D. wasted
12. A. went on B. went by C. went away D. went down
13. A. idea B. opinion C. thinking D. judgment
14. A. most clever B. most caring C. very fine D. most special
15. A. somewhere B. everywhere C. anywhere D. nowhere
16. A. held up B. broke up C. worked up D. joined up
17. A. in order that B. so that C. now that D. on condition that
18. A. a kiss B. a gift C. a story D. a suggestion
19. A. a cheat B. a wise man C. a lie teller D. a fool
20. A. spiritual wealth B. material possessions C. debts D. good things
1. B develop “患病,出问题”之意,produce为“生产、出产、制造”等意思,本文指孩子得了严重的肠炎,应该用develop。
2. A 从上下文可知,我们把孩子的严重(severe)肠炎当成了一般的(common)肠道疾病,所以就没有把它当回事,才有下文孩子的死和父母的后悔。
3. D
4. A 本句为Al对孩子的马虎而造成的不可挽回的损失的后悔,是对过去的虚拟与假设,“如果当时认识到事态的严重性,孩子的死是可以避免的。”
5. C “更糟糕的是,他妻子也离他而去,只留下六岁的小儿子与他相依为命”,“to make matters worse”相当于“what’s worse”,更糟糕的是;“to tell the truth”说实话;“to be exact”准确的说。
6. B
7. C Al的大儿子与妻子的去世这两件事带来的痛苦与伤害超乎了Al的承受(能力),所以用比较结构。
8. B in time 意思是”sooner or later; in the end ”; for a time “短时间内,暂时”; in no time 意思是“very quickly, at once, right away”.
9. C 从上下文看,酗酒要钱,Al失去了他所有的家产,而不是一些东西(something)或某件东西(some thing).
10. D 从上下文可知。
11. D 从下一句可知,我认为Al的一生是失败的,白活了。C选项虽然是事实,但我此时对Al并没有同情之意。
12. B 时间的过去可用“go by”或“pass”等。而go on 指时间的推进。
13. D 上文是我对Al的一生的“断定”,从文章最后一段第一句话,也可以推断出。
14. B 从下一句的kindness和caring可以推断出此空的最佳选项。D选项是对具有所有好品质的Ernie的笼统说法,A选项的聪明是天生的,且不属于品质范畴。
15. A 我认为Ernie的这些好的品质一定来自于某处。
16. C “work sth. up”意思是“increase sth in number or strength”,此处为“鼓足勇气”;“hold sth. /sb. up”意思是“put sth./sb. As an example; delay sth. /sb .;rob sb. By force”等。
17. B “so that”此处引导结果状语从句,“now that”相当于“in that”;since ;because;”on condition that”相当于 “if”,引导条件状语从句。
18. A 从上下文可知,此时父亲要给Ernie以爱,所以爱的表示用语言(love you)和行动(kiss),正是这种爱影响了Ernie,这也是父亲伟大之处。
19. D 我彻底清醒了,改变了以前对Al做出的rough judgment,所以认为以前自己好傻(a fool)。
20. B 从前文看,Al失去了所有的家产(lose everything),剩下的只有精神财富――对孩子的爱的培育出一个有爱心的儿子。
I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as Mother sat doing letters(学问). Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk”, she said again, “is for Elizabeth.” I never saw her anger, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter. They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was too emotional. But she lived “on the surface”.
As years passed, I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive(原谅)me. I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came. My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace-it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written in, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside-a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded and refolded many times. Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you chose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
【小题1】The writer began to love her mother’s desk _______.
| A.after Mother died. | B.before she became a writer. |
| C.when she was a child. | D.when Mother gave it to her. |
| A.Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter. |
| B.Mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done. |
| C.Mother cared much about her daughter in words. |
| D.Mother wrote to her daughter in careful words. |
| A.deep understanding between the old and the young. |
| B.different ideas between the mother and the daughter. |
| C.free talks between mother and daughter. |
| D.part of the sea going far in land. |
| A.She had never received the letter. |
| B.For years, she often talked about the letter. |
| C.She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life. |
| D.She read the letter again and again till she died. |
| A.My Letter to Mother. | B.Mother and Children. |
| C.My Mother’s Desk. | D.Talks between Mother and Me. |