Question

I guess I always knew about the little fish treat, but this past summer it was all I could see. Pipin and Nemo were balancing on one front flipper(鳍), flying through hoops, dancing with the trainer, and we were all applauding — the little kids screaming with delight. That’s when the trainer, who wore a little treat bag on her belt, slipped Pipin and Nemo a fish. Each time they successfully performed a trick, they’d get an immediate reward.

These creatures weren’t really dancing, of course. They were performing a series of movements that they knew would produce a fish. It’s such a good show because the sea lions look like they’re having such fun. These talented performers who love to be in front of an audience seem almost human.

Somewhere in our faith journey, we all have a sea lion moment. You see how you’ve spent years jumping through hoops, balancing a ball on your nose, not because it’s really who you are, but because you’ve always done it and the system rewarded you for your performance. But when you’ve done that for ten or twenty years, you start to ask yourself, “Whose approval am I working for? What do I really believe?” Suddenly you see it: you’ve spent most all your life taking direction from other people. They’ve told you what to believe in, what to work for, what to value, how to live your life. You don’t want to end your life like Sinclair Lewis’s George Babbitt, the middle-aged real-estate broker(经纪人) who has everything and reached the top. But on the last page of Babbitt, George is speaking to his son Ted, who cannot follow in his father’s steps. He wants to leave college and head off on his own way. “Dad, I can’t stand it any more,” the boy says. “Maybe it’s all right for some fellows. Maybe I’ll want to go back some day, but now, I want to get into mechanics.” Babbitt, seeming old and subdued, says, “I’ve never done a single thing I’ve wanted to in my whole life!”

The Good-Bye Gate brings us naturally to a second passage, leading from dependency to self-possession. As you start separating from the whole worn-out system, you discover that where there is supposed to be a self, there really isn’t.

1.The sea lions were pleased to perform in front of the audience because they ____.

A. will be punished if it refuses it

B. wants to win the trainer’s favor

C. wants to get audiences’ applauses

D. can get food as a reward that way

2.While watching the sea lions’ performance, the author ____.

A. realized an important life philosophy

B. recalled the similar scene of last year

C. couldn’t help shouting and dancing

D. was happy to see them living freely

3.By saying “we all have a sea lion moment”, the author means that ____.

A. anyone can make it so long as they work hard

B. sometimes we don’t act following our own will

C. we can also get rewarded if we do something well

D. every human being also has his happy moment

4.What do you learn about George Babbitt?

A. He has been living a free life of his own.

B. His son ends up Babbitt family’s business.

C. He tends to agree to his son’s choice of life.

D. His son decides to follow his father’s steps.

5.Which can be the best title for this passage?

A. Challenge YourselfB. Summer Vacation Fun

C. No Pains, No GainsD. Now I Become Myself

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.C

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文通过动物的表演可以得到奖赏，产生了对于人生的思考，有些事并不是出自我们的意愿，要勇敢做自己。

1.D细节理解题。根据第二段提到These creatures weren’t really dancing, of course. They were performing a series of movements that they knew would produce a fish.这些生物并不会跳舞，但他们表演一系列的动作会出现一条鱼，可知选D项。

2.A 细节理解题。根据第三段提到But when you’ve done that for ten or twenty years, you start to ask yourself, “Whose approval am I working for? What do I really believe?当你做这件事十年或二十年，你开始问自己，我的工作为了什么，我的信念是什么，可知由海豹产生对人生的思考，故选A项。

3.B细节理解题。根据第三段提到You see how you’ve spent years jumping through hoops, balancing a ball on your nose, not because it’s really who you are, but because you’ve always done it and the system rewarded you for your performance.你看到你花费数年的时间知道如何跳过圆圈，在鼻子上平衡球，不是因为你是谁，面昌因为你做这一切会因此而得到奖赏，故选B项。

4.C 细节理解题。根据第三段提到他的儿子想退学，这时他说Babbitt, seeming old and subdued, says, “I’ve never done a single thing I’ve wanted to in my whole life!”我这一生中从来没有做一件我真正想做的事，故暗示同意儿子这样做，故选C项。

5.D 主旨大意。本文通过动物的表演可以得到奖励来思考人生，有些事并非出自我们的意志，通过George Babbitt对待儿子想退学的这件事的看法来证明，人必须要做自己想做的，做真正的自己，故D项符合文意。

考点：人生百味类阅读。