Question

I had been looking forward to my sister Patti’s visit for weeks. I had the whole thing planned. It would be one of our usual short-but-sweet get-togethers: a nice meal, some shopping, an outing with our kids.

When Patti arrived, lunch was cooking on the stove. Everything was perfect. Then, a few minutes later, a terrific clap of thunder rattled the window. A storm had sped in out of nowhere. The lights went out — for the next 12hours.

It seemed like a disaster. Our long-awaited plans! My homemade lunch! Seeing the unfinished pork, we had to eat cold food. We didn’t know what we can do next. The children asked, “Can we watch TV?” “The TV isn’t working.” I explained. So they begged, “Well, how about a video, then?” “How about computer games?” “Can’t you just microwave some popcorn?” I quickly realized just how much we all took electricity for granted.

But as the evening wore on, I also realized I had been taking something else for granted: the power of relationships. The point of my sister’s visit was not that we could go shopping. It didn’t matter whether we took our kids to the zoo. What counted were the people, not the plans.

We all sang old camp songs and put on shadow plays. After the kids eagerly went to bed with their own flashlights, Patti and I brought chairs onto my small front porch (门廊). At first we talked about our ruined plans. Then we sat back silently, listening to the rain dropping through the trees. I hadn’t sat out there in ages, and night air felt cool. We began to talk about our friends. We planned our parents’ upcoming anniversary party. Our conversation went to places it hadn’t gone in years.

I realized that what Patti and I had been looking forward to most was each other — something that often seemed vague on past short visits. Those get-togethers have always been enjoyable, but I must admit that they tend to melt together in my memory. That night the lights went out, on the other hand, they will burn brightly for a long time.

1.The author planned to do something for her sister’s visit except __________.

A. seeing a film          B. doing some shopping

C. cooking a nice meal    D. going out with their kids

2.Why did the lights go out?

A. Because thunder rattled the window.

B. Because a storm came.

C. Because someone played a trick on them.

D. Because they planned so.

3.It can be inferred from the passage that__________.

A. their get-togethers were usually long

B. the author prepared a party for Patti’s visit

C. the author and Patti talked a lot this time

D. the lunch was ready when Patti arrived

4.On the night without power, the author was         at last.

A. mad    B. grateful   C. sad     D. awful

5.What did the author try to convey through this passage?

A. A lot of things can be done when the electricity is cut off.

B. The plan should be more careful.

C. We should always turn off the lights.

D. What counts are the people, not the plans.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.B

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲了因为Patti的到来，“我”计划了许多“我”认为很美好的活动 。但是，一场未预料到的暴风雨的到来破坏了所有计划，“我们”又通过其他的方式来寻找快乐。这件事情让我认识到：重要的是人，而不是计划。

1. would be one of our usual short-but-sweet get-togethers: a nice meal, some shopping, an outing with our kids.”可以看出作者认为这次聚会将会和往常一样，是一次短暂但很甜蜜的聚会：一顿不错的晚餐，适当的购物，一次和孩子们的远足。并没有提到去看电影，故选A。

2. storm had sped in out of nowhere. The lights went out — for the next 12hours.”可以看出暴风雨从不知道的地方加速袭来。在接下来的12个小时里，一直处于停电状态，故选B。

3. first we talked about our ruined plans. Then ……….. We began to talk about our friends. We planned our parents’ upcoming anniversary party. Our conversation went to places it hadn’t gone in years.”可以看出作者和她的姐姐开始谈论着她们被毁坏的计划，然后开始讨论她们的朋友，紧接着又计划着她们父母即将到来的结婚周年聚会。她们这次的对话延伸到了这些年都没讨论过的话题。从而可以推断出作者和她的姐姐聊了很多，故选C。

4. night the lights went out, on the other hand, they will burn brightly for a long time.”看出虽然那晚停电了，但是，另一方面，那个经历将会长时间的燃烧并照亮作者内心。从而推断出作者最后是充满感激的，故选B。

5.

考点：考查记叙文阅读。