Question

That woman carried a new blanket over her arm. Wordlessly, she gave it to me.

“Is it finished?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. It is ready,” she replied. I handed her the money and took the blanket.

“It is beautiful, so skillfully woven(编织），” I said to my mother. “But what did she mean when she said it was not finished? How can it be ready if it is not finished?”

“I will tell you later,” my mother said, “but first I will take you to the Navajo village.”

We went down to the village. A group of young men were making sand pictures. We walked through the whole village, watching the different things the people were doing.

It was not until that evening that my mother finally explained the Navajo woman’s words.

“Did you notice anything about the things the people were making?” my mother asked.

“What should I have noticed?” I looked at her and asked.

“Each thing the Navajo make has one small part that is not complete. The designs in their sand pictures are often not perfectly done, for example---the line of a circle may not quite close. If you look carefully at your blanket, you will probably find a stitch(一针）missing.”

I took the blanket off, but it looked as perfect as any design could be. Then suddenly, I noticed that sure enough a stitch was missing!

“But why do the Navajo intentionally leave some tiny part unfinished?” I asked.

“They believe that when anything is completed or finished, it means the end has come--it will not be perfect until then. Then too, with a circle, they believe that they must leave a pathway for the bad spirits to run away and the good spirits to come in. So, often, they do not make the line close.”

1.The blanket the author received_____ .

A. was poorly woven.

B. made her think a lot.

C. cost her a lot of money.

D. was finished, but not ready.

2.Why was the author shown around the village?

A. To buy more things made by the Navajo.

B. To make friends with some of the Navajo.

C. To have a deeper understanding of the Navajo.

D. To look for the woman who sold her the blanket.

3.Which of the following may the Navajo believe?

A. A stitch in time is very important.

B. Life only becomes perfect when you die.

C. He who makes no mistake is a perfect man.

D. You must always try to make your life complete.

4.What’s the main idea of the text?

A. The Navajo are good at making things.

B. The Navajo are brave and hard-working.

C. A blanket tells a lot about the Navajo culture.

D. Skills are needed to do business with the Navajo.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析: 本文介绍作者的一次经历介绍Navajo的文化和世界观。Navajo有在纺织品上留下最后一针的习俗，并且在最后，作者知道了其习俗的原因。

1.B 考察推理判断。根据第四段第二句But what did she mean when she said it was not finished? How can it be ready if it is not finished?”可以得出作者收到的毯子让他思考了很多，故选B。

2.C 考察推理判断。根据第五段 “I will tell you later,” my mother said, “but first I will take you to the Navajo village.”以及第七段It was not until that evening that my mother finally explained the Navajo woman’s words.可以推断出其母亲的意图，故选C。

3.B 考察推理判断。根据最后一段They believe that when anything is completed or finished, it means the end has come--it will not be perfect until then. Navajo人相信任何东西完成了就意味着结束，因此可推断出Navajo人相信人只有死了的时候才完美，故选B。

4. 考察主旨大意。 根据第四段第二句But what did she mean when she said it was not finished? How can it be ready if it is not finished?”以及倒数第二段But why do the Navajo intentionally leave some tiny part unfinished?” I asked.可以归纳出本文的大意讲述Navajo的文化习俗。

考点：考察文化介绍阅读。