Question

My grandfather came from Hungary and was the only one in his family who settled down in the United States. The rest of his family remained in Europe. When World War I broke out, he seemed to have become another man, downhearted. Such obvious change was not born out of concern for his welfare, but out of fear: if his only son, my uncle, had to go to war, it would be cousin fighting against cousin.

One day in 1918, my Uncle Milton received his draft notice. My grandparents were very upset. But my mother, at the age of 10, felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war. Realizing how he was regarded by his little sister and all of her friends, my uncle bought them all service pins, which meant that they had a loved one in the service. All the little girls were delighted.

    The moment came when my uncle and the other soldiers, without any training but all in uniforms, boarded the train. The band played and the crowd cheered. Although no one noticed. I’m sure my grandmother had a tear in her eye for the only son. The train slowly pulled out, but not about a thousand yards when it suddenly paused. Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station. There was a dead silence before the doors opened and the men started to step out. Someone shouted, “The war is over!” For a moment, nobody moved, but then the people heard someone bark orders at the soldiers. The men lined up in two lines, walked down the steps, and with the band playing, marched down the street, as returning heroes, to be welcomed home. My mother said it was a great day, but she was just a little disappointed that it didn’t last a tiny bit longer.

1.What the grandfather was most worried about was ______.

A. the spread of the world war

B. the safety of his two cousins

C. a drop in his living standards

D. his relatives killing each other

2.The underlined phrase “draft notice” means “______”.

A. order for army service    B. train ticket for Europe

C. letter of rejection    D. note of warning

3.What did the “service pins” （in Para. 2） stand for in the eyes of the little girls?

A. Strength.B. Courage.C. Victory.D. Honor.

4.Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story?

A. Disappointing.    B. Unexpected.    C. Uncertain.    D. Inspiring.

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

A. The grandfather felt downhearted because he was afraid of receiving a draft notice.

B. The train was traveling fast to the front when the news came that the war was over.

C. None of the soldiers who got on the train for the front line had been trained in advance.

D. Most people including the mother were disappointed that the war didn’t last a bit longer.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.D

4.B

5.C

【解析】

试题分析: 作者的祖父从匈牙利移民到了美国，当美国和欧洲开战的时候，祖父忧心忡忡，担心自己的孩子会和远在欧洲的堂兄弟们在战争中厮杀。但是他还是收到了儿子要入伍的通知，就在载着士兵的火车刚行驶了一千码的时候，却接到战争结束的通知，事情就这样出乎意料地结束了。

1.细节理解题。从文章首段…..but out of fear: if his only son, my uncle, had to go to war, it would be cousin fighting against cousin.可以判断祖父担心地是国家的战争对于他家来说是表兄弟之间的战争，故答案选D。

2.词义猜测题。根据文章第二段One day in 1918, my Uncle Milton received his draft notice…… But my mother, at the age of 10, felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war.可知当Uncle Milton收到“draft notice”的时候，他妹妹对于哥哥要去参战非常兴奋，由此推测“draft notice”是征兵入伍的通知，故答案选A。

3.推理判断题。文章第二段讲述了当知道Uncle Miton要去参军的时候，他的妹妹们非常骄傲自豪，再根据my uncle bought them all service pins, which meant that they had a loved one in the service.可以判断“service pins”是象征光荣，荣誉的东西，故答案选D。

4.推理判断题。通过文中作者的讲述可知就载着新入伍战士的火车刚刚使出车站一千码，就收到了战争结束的通知，就火车又调转车头回来了，再由Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station.可以判断这是人们没有预料到的结果，故答案选B。

5.细节理解题。从文章第三段 The moment came when my uncle and the other soldiers, without any training …...可以判断C选项正确。

考点：考查故事类短文阅读。