Question

My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.

The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.

I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”

Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.

1.The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.

A．he could no longer afford to live without one

B．he wanted to work in the centre of London

C．he was not interested in any other available job

D．he had received some suitable training

2.The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.

A．he often traveled underground            B．he had written many poems

C．he had worked in a company             D．he could deal with difficult situations

3.What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?

A．How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be

B．How unsuitable he was for the job.

C．How difficult it is to be a poet

D．How badly he did in the interview.

4.The length of his interview meant that _________.

A．he did not like the interviewer at all

B．he had not done well in the intelligence test

C．he was not going to be offered the job

D．he had little work experience to talk about

5.What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?

A. He was rather unsympathetic.           B. He was unhappy with his job.

C. He was quite inefficient.               D. He was very aggressive（有进取心的）.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.C

5.A

【解析】

试题分析：文章大意：文章讲述了一个经常写诗的人去应聘伦敦地铁保安，结果在第二轮被淘汰的故事。对于这个人的内心世界进行了深刻的剖析，和形象地描写。

1.推理题。根据第一段最后2行Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.说明我需要一份稳定的收入，故我来找这份工作是因为我要养活自己。如果没有工作就没办法养活自己，故A正确。

2.推理题。根据第一段4,5行I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations.说明我一直在写诗。在接下来的6.7行中例举了Keats and Chekhov的例子来说明自己是诗人，但是也要有一份工作。同时也说明他认为自己做这份工作是绰绰有余的。故D正确。

3.推理题。根据文章最后一段, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.说明他意识到自己还缺乏责任意识，缺乏自我理解。自己是不适合这个工作的，故B正确。

4.推理题。根据文章第二段最后2行Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.说明我的面试时间很短。结合第三段内容可知我没有被录取，故C正确。

5.推理题。根据文章第三段后三行His closing statement, I thought, revealed（显示） a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”说明作者认为这个人很无情，打碎了我的梦想。故A正确。

考点：考查故事类短文阅读