Question

My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.

  It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More importantly, I earned my pay, it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.

  I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person could have.

  When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dream of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.

  The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb (番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field--- except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.

1.The writer’s first job was ___________.

A. to stand down the fairway at the golf course

B. to watch over the sugar-cane plantation

C. to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields

D. to spot the balls as they landed so the golfers could find them

2.The underlined word “tedious” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ___________.

A. difficult        B. boring        C. interesting        D. unusual

3.The writer learned that ________ from his first job.

A. he should work for those who he liked most

B. he should work longer than what he was expected

C. he should never fail to say hello to his owner

D. he should show respect and faith to the people he worked for

4.________ gave the writer self-esteem.

A. Having a family of eight people

B. Owning his own golf course

C. Bringing money back home to help the family

D. Helping his father with the work on the plantation

5.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. He wanted to be a successful golfer.

B. He wanted to run a golf course near his house.

C. He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation.

D. He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.C

5.A

【解析】

试题分析：作者的第一份工作是赶着牛车犁甘蔗地，每天工作8小时，作者觉得这个工作没有意思。但是，作者这份工作教会了作者很多道理。作者用挣来的钱贴补家用，这让作者感到很自豪。

1.根据第一段“My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields.”可知，作者的第一份工作是赶着牛犁甘蔗地，故选C。

2.根据第一段“I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.”工作的描述可知，作者认为这份工作是无聊的，故选B。

3.根据第二段“I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for.”可知，作者学会的道理是，要尊敬并信任你的老板，故选D。

4.根据第三段“Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心)”可知，把挣得的钱拿回家帮助家里，这给了作者自尊心，故选C。

5.根据最后一段“I made my first golf club out of guava limb (番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth.”可知，作者想成为一名成功的高尔夫球手，故选A。

考点：故事类短文阅读