Question

Christmas was near a season that we took seriously in our house. But a week or so before the 25th, my father would give each of his children $ 20. This was the 1970s, and $ 20 was quite a bit of money.

But I saw it differently. My father trusted me to have the smart to spend money wisely. Even better, he gave me the means to get it. On a very basic level, my father was giving me a shopping spree (狂欢) every year.. But he was also giving me charge over my own fun, trusting my ability to manage money and making me feel like a grown-up. He didn’t buy me Sherlock Holmes, but he gave me the means to walk into the bookstore and choose it for myself, so it felt like a gift from him.

My mother had a gift for giving me what I needed, usually right at the moment I needed it most. This was when I was 25, I failed at being an adult on my very first try. I had quitted my previous job but had no new one. But when my mother paid me a visit, I put on a good show, telling her I had started my own company.

My mother knew that I was trying hard and failing at that time. It wasn’t until after she left that I noticed at the foot of my bed an envelope thick with cash. She knew how desperately I needed it. She knew that had she just shown up with groceries, or offered to pay my rent, she would have made me feel much worse. The cold, hard cash meant she was helping me. And, funnily enough, the distance with which she gave the gift felt like she was giving me space to fix my life and preserve my dignity. My mother and father both did the same thing. One was giving me the means to take my own decisions, and the other was giving me a second chance when those decisions had cost me dearly.

1.What can we learn about the author from the first two paragraphs?

A. His family once celebrated Christmas happily.

B. His father gave the author chances to make decisions.

C. His best memories about Christmas were in the 1970s.

D. He used to choose books as his father’s gift on Christmas.

2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. money offered by his father.    B. father generous with money.

C. Christmas being important.    D. the means of spending money.

3.When he was 25 years old, the author       .

A. planned to open his company    B. became interested in shows

C. gave his mother a gift    D. was out of work

4.Which word can best describe the author’s mother?

A. sensitive.    B. optimistic.

C. considerate.    D. determined.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】作者从讲述圣诞节父母给自己的不同礼物，说到父母对自己伟大的，理智的爱，让我在成长的过程中越来越坚强。父亲教会我做决定的方法，母亲在我因所作决定损失惨重时，给我帮助，让我再一次拥有机会。

1.推理判断题。根据前两段内容，圣诞节时父亲不是直接给我买礼物，而是给我一些钱，让我学会做决定买自己需要的东西。可知“父亲给作者做决定的机会”。故选B。

2.词义猜测题。根据上下文的内容可知，父亲会在圣诞节给我20美元，虽然不是大数目，但我有不同看法，我认为父亲相信我有能力理智的花钱。!可知这里的it是父亲给我钱。故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段内容This was when I was 25,I failed at being an adult on my very first try.I had quitted my previous job but had no new one.可知作者在25岁时，失去了先前的工作但是没有找到新的工作，可知他处在失业的状态。故选D。

4.推理判断题。格局最后一段内容，作者在最困难的时期，妈妈不是直接给我带东西，付房租，而是看出我经济窘怕，临走时不做声的给我留下一些钱，这样有距离的礼物给我安排生活的空间并保留我的尊严（giving me space to fix my life and preserve my dignity），可推断妈妈很体贴，善解人意。故选C。