Question

My folks bought their first house in the early 1940s after Dad got a better job in Marquette, Michigan. We lived just inside the city limits in what was still a rural area.

In the spring of 1948, when I was 6 years old, my parents bought a calf (小牛) to replace our cow, which had been killed the year before. So one day we drove to a local farm and returned with a white and brown calf we named Tubby.

We didn’t own a truck, so Tubby rode home in the backseat of Dad’s car with my 9-year-old brother Steve, and me. As you can imagine, the trip was a lot of fun for us kids.

Later that summer, Mom thought it would be cute to take a picture of me sitting on Tubby’s back. All went well unti1 the snap of the camera shutter sent Tubby charging off on a run, with me holding on for dear life. I lasted for about 30 feet before I hit the ground. Mom was quick enough to shoot a follow-up picture, so we had photos of me both on and off Tubby!

When summer had passed, the day arrived for poor Tubby to fill our freezer I must have been somewhere else with my Mom on the fateful day, because I have no memory of how it happened. All I knew was that the barn was empty, and that we had plenty of meat for dinners.

I hadn’t lived on a farm like my mother, so I didn’t understand that what happened to Tubby was not unusual. Livestock aren’t meant to be pets, and most farm kids know and accept that truth.

Whenever we had beef for dinner, I would tearfully, “Is this Tubby” This went on for a couple of weeks until Dad had finally had enough and declared, “No more cows!” That made me feel a little better about poor Tubby.

1.The writer’s parents bought Tubby so that ________.

A. they would have more cows in the future

B. it would provide their children with milk

C. the family would have enough meat to eat

D. they would no longer feel lonely on the farm

2.Which word can be used to describe the author’s mom?

A. Serious.    B. Strong-willed.

C. Careless.    D. Quick-minded.

3.We learn from the passage that ________.

A. Steve was not so fond of Tubby as his younger brother

B. the author had much trouble with Tubby in the summer

C. the author’s mom thought it natural to kill a cow for meat

D. the author was pleased to see their freezer filled with beef

4.We can most probably read the text above in a website on ________.

A. pets    B. education

C. diet    D. animals

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.C

4.A

【解析】本文是一篇记叙文，主要讲述了作者在6岁暑假时与家里买的小牛Tubby之间发生的暖心故事，后来因为Tubby被家人宰杀时，作者的伤心与难过。体现了作者作为一个孩子的单纯与纯真。本文以讲述故事的形式描写本文，行文流畅，较容易理解。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段"my parents bought a calf (小牛) to replace our cow, which had been killed the year before"与第五段"All I knew was that the barn was empty, and that we had plenty of meat for dinners"，可知，家人买小牛Tubby是为了有足够的肉吃。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段中"Mom was quick enough to shoot a follow-up picture, so we had photos of me both on and off Tubby"可知，妈妈是一个思维敏捷、反应迅速的人，故选D。

3.细节理解题。A 选项根据"Tubby rode home in the backseat of Dad’s car with my 9-year-old brother Steve, and me. As you can imagine, the trip was a lot of fun for us kids"，可知，A选项表述有误；B 选项根据"Tubby charging off on a run, with me holding on for dear life"，由dear可知，B选项不正确；D选项根据本文"Whenever we had beef for dinner, I would tearfully, “Is this Tubby” "可知，作者对Tubby被宰杀很难过；C选项根据文中"I hadn’t lived on a farm like my mother, so I didn’t understand that what happened to Tubby was not unusual"可推断，妈妈认为家畜被宰杀很正常。故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据本文"Livestock aren’t meant to be pets, and most farm kids know and accept that truth"，可推断作者将Tubby看做宠物，所以这篇文章最有可能在宠物网站上看到。故选A。