Question

A small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree and it has been there for the past ten years or so.

It all began because my husband Justin hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas. Overspending was one thing, but compared to the difficult experience of choosing gifts—running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and a pair of gloves for Grandma…,spending money is nothing. I felt too tired to think of any special gifts.

Knowing Justin felt the same way, I decided one year not to buy the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so on. I reached for something special just for Justin. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling （摔跤）at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored (赞助) by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in such worn-out shoes that shoe strings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, while our boys were in their blue and gold uniforms and new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was shocked to see that the other team were wrestling without wearing helmets (头盔) to protect their ears. Well, our boys ended up defeating them. We took every weight class.

Justin, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot potential (潜力) , but losing like this could take the heart out of them.” Justin loved kids—all kids, and he knew them, having coached little league football and baseball. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought different kinds of wrestling helmets and shoes. I sent them to inner-city church without leaving my name.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Justin what I had done and that was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and since then the envelope has become the highlight of our Christmas.

1.Justin hated Christmas because _____.

A. he didn’t enjoy receiving gifts 

B. he had a hard time choosing gifts

C. he spent too much money buying gifts 

D. he disliked putting gifts under the Christmas tree

2.We know from the passage that the team sponsored by inner-city church_____.

A. were well dressed                B. paid no attention to safety 

C. feared Kevin’s team              D. couldn’t afford a helmet

3.How did Justin feel about the team’s failure ?

A. Upset    B. Angry   C. Hopeless   D. Shameful

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. The Church Gift                    B. A Special Note

C. The White Envelope                 D. A Christmas Card

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：信封已经成为作者家过圣诞节的亮点，作者先从以往过圣诞的苦恼，到面对孩子参加的一场摔跤比赛中，发现有更多的孩子因为贫穷而没有护具，作者进行了一次捐助，并且在平安夜，作者把信封放在了圣诞树上，里面写着作者做的事情告诉贾斯廷，那是送给他的礼物。他的笑容是最灿烂的事在这一年的圣诞节。

1.B细节理解题。从第二自然段中的句子“spending money is nothing. I felt too tired to think of any special gifts.”可以知道贾斯廷很难选择圣诞礼物，故答案选B。

2.D推理判断题。 根据短文中的句子“I was shocked to see that the other team were wrestling without wearing helmets (头盔) to protect their ears。”我震惊地看到其他队摔跤手没有戴头盔来保护他们的耳朵。从中得知他们买不起头盔。故答案选D。

3.A词汇理解题。文中shook his head sadly（悲伤地摇着头）A. Upset不安，心烦；B. Angry生气；C. Hopeless绝望的；D. Shameful可耻的。选项中与其相近的单词只有upset，故答案选A。

4.C标题归纳题。通过本文的第一段与结尾部分均体现了The White Envelope，白色的信封。故选C。

考点：人生百味类短文阅读。