Question

Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her life was unhappy and that she was tired of struggling all the time.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes, eggs and coffee beans in them. After 20 minutes, he took them out, putting the potatoes and eggs in a bowl and the coffee in a cup. Turning to his daughter, he said, “Look closer, and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. Its good smell brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans were in the same adversity (逆境)—the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.

The strong and hard potato became soft and weak in boiling water. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard, However, the coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. “Which one do you want to be like?” he asked. “When adversity knocks on your door, how will you respond?”

In life, challenges happen to us all, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

1.Why did the girl complain to her father?

A. Because of her father’s busy work.

B. Because of her hard life.

C. Because of her tiring job.

D. Because of the food her father cooked.

2.What can we infer from this story?

A. Different people have different reactions towards adversity.

B. The father was good at cooking.

C. The girl didn’t like the potatoes and eggs.

D. The girl liked the coffee best.

3.What does the underlined word “fragile” mean in the 4th paragraph?

A. thick

B. hard

C. strong

D. easily-broken

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Father and daughter

B. A chef and coffee beans

C. Challenges and responses

D. Adversities and a chef

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】这是一篇夹叙夹议文。文章讲述一个女孩告诉爸爸，她厌倦于生活中的努力，奋斗，想放弃。于是爸爸将她带到厨房，用土豆，鸡蛋和咖啡分别在热水里煮，让她看这三种东西的反应，从而启发孩子在逆境的时候应该怎么做。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段“a daughter complained to her father that her life was unhappy and that she was tired of struggling all the time.”可知，是因为生活不快乐，厌倦了一直努力奋斗而向父亲抱怨，由此可知女孩是因为生活中的困难向父亲抱怨。分析选项可知B项符合题意。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段“He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans were in the same adversity(逆境)—the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently”（他解释说，土豆、鸡蛋和咖啡豆处于同一逆境——沸水。然而，每一种反应都不同。），然后第四段中描述了三种物品在沸水中的反应，从而得出“When adversity knocks on your door, how will you respond?”（当不幸降临时，你该如何应对？），你是一枚土豆、一颗鸡蛋还是一粒咖啡豆？即面对逆境，你会如何回应？所以不同的人们面对逆境有不同的反应。分析选项可知，A项正确。

3.【解题剖析】此题通过逻辑推理猜测词义，答案需要推断出thin outer shell和fragile的关系。

【答案定位】根据第四段中的“The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard”根据后一句可知，鸡蛋的外壳很薄，保护着里面的液体，直到它被放进沸水里，然后鸡蛋的内部变得坚硬。由此可推断出fragile意为“易碎的”。可推知thin outer shell和fragile 关系。

【推理关系】题干 What does the underlined word “fragile” mean in the 4th paragraph?☞文章内容with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid until it was put in the boiling water. . Then the inside of the egg became hard

thin outer shell和fragile的关系。☞D选项easily-broken