Question

I remember the first time I got on a horse. When I was a little boy aged two, my mom agreed to let me take a short ride and that was it! From then on, I drove my parents crazy Begging for a horse.

When I was four, I had Mutism, in which children stop speaking in certain social situations. I went days, weeks months without a sound at school. At most, I might quietly whisper to a friend. I suffered silently through school until I was ten when a psychologist had an idea. He asked me what I wanted more than anything else in the world. He explained I was going to be given an opportunity to work for that. And I was permitted to whisper the answer in my mother's ear, "A horse."

I was to get a pony, but I had to live up to my end of the bargain. I had a chart of weekly tasks I had to accomplish. I had to answer the phone five times per week, something I had never done before. I had to say one word to my teacher at school and the list went on. For a child with Mutism, saying one word to someone can be like climbing Mount Qomolangma. I did everything that was asked of me and the day came. His name was Sequoia, whom I fell in love with immediately. When I was in Sequoia's presence, I forgot all about my problems and felt strong and secure.

I am a fully participating member of society these days. My horses and I made it through a master’s degree. I may have made it otherwise, but I’m not sure. I feel I owe my life to the horses and I try to give it back to them every day. They have given me the best gift I could ever imagine, my life.

1.What was the situation like when the author was four?

A. He didn't say a word at all.

B. He learned how to ride a horse.

C. He found his classmates unfriendly.

D. He had difficulty in communicating.

2.What can we infer about the author from Paragraph 3?

A. He completed some tasks easily.

B. He pushed himself extremely hard.

C. He fell in love with Sequoia gradually.

D. He found the psychologist's idea ineffective.

3.What is the author's purpose in writing the text?

A. To share his unfortunate childhood.

B. To give tips on how to cure Mutism.

C. To show his deep gratefulness to horses.

D. To inspire kids struggling against Mutism.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.C

【解析】

试题分析：文章讲述了作者小时候不善交流，患上缄默症，在马儿的帮助下成为一个善于社交的人，表达了对马儿的感激之情。

1.1】D 细节理解题。根据When I was four, I had Mutism, in which children stop speaking in certain social situations.可知，在四岁的时候，作者患上缄默症，不善交流，故选D。

2.2】B 细节理解题。根据第三段I was to get a pony, but I had to Live up to my end of the bargain.及第三段排比用到had to，可知作者为了得到一匹马把自己逼得很紧，故选B。

3.3】C 推理判断题。根据I feel I owe my life to the horses and I try to give it back to them every day. They have given me the best gift I could ever imagine, my life.可知，文章讲述了马儿帮助自己从缄默症中走了出来，表达了对马儿的感激之情，故选C。

【名师点睛】

作者态度及写作意图推断。每一篇文章都会包含作者的某种观点和态度，只不过有的直截了当，有的含而不露，有的通过所用词语的褒贬来体现。此类题可细分为作者态度题(表明作者的好恶)和作者观点题(表明作者对某事物的看法)。准确把握作者的情感和态度，需要注意以下几点：

1.作者对某一事物的看法,要么支持,要么反对,带中立色彩的词最不可能是正确答案。

2.漠不关心类词语往往不对,既然写文章就不会不关心。

3.不要把自己的态度揉入其中,也要区分作者的态度和作者引用的别人的态度。

4.当作者的态度没有明确提出时,要学会根据作者使用词语的褒贬性来判断。

5.作者的观点一般与文章的主旨相关联。

6.绝对化或语气过于强烈的选项常常是错误的,如:strong, complete, entire等。

考点：考查人生感悟类短文阅读。