Question

My teenager son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes. In this way he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.

One night I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as a head teacher, “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences (缺席).” Before he could say another word I choked up (硬咽), and said sadly, “I love my son. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The head teacher seriously said, “Thank you for your time.”

Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. He was even on the list of the best students at school. In his fourth year, I took part in a parent-teacher meeting. I noticed that his teachers were surprised at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the head teacher last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but I heard you said. It really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”

1.Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “withdrawn”?

A. Quiet and lonely.    B. Relaxed and excited.

C. Active and lively.    D. Happy and easygoing.

2.According to the first report card, Karl ________.

A. often went to school late    B. did well at school

C. did a good job at school    D. failed in the exams

3.When the mother “it’s out of my hands” to the head teacher, she meant that she ________.

A. didn’t know what to do about her son.

B. would drive her son away from the house.

C. had no money to support the family.

D. would have to Kang up.

4.Who telephoned Karl’s mother that day?

A. The head teacher.    B. The school adviser.

C. Karl himself.    D. The passage doesn’t tell us.

5.From the passage we can learn that ________.

A. children in single-parent families always have mental problems

B. mother’s love is important to teenager’s life

C. parents should give their children everything that they need

D. school education still works well without the support from parents

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.A

4.C

5.B

【解析】本文是一篇记叙文。本文通过讲述Karl与母亲之间的故事说明母亲的爱对青少年的生活很重要。

1.词义猜测题。由第一段As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away.可知作者的丈夫去世后，作者的儿子变得沉默寡言，所以withdrawn的意思是安静和孤独，选A。

2.推理判断题。由第一段When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes. In this way he would never graduate.可知，Karl逃课达95次，这样他将无法毕业，所以推知根据第一份成绩单，Karl应该是考试不及格，选D。

3.推理判断题。由第二段I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked.可知这位母亲对校长说：“it’s out of my hands”，意思是她对她的儿子束手无策，选A。

4.细节理解题。由最后一段On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the head teacher last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but I heard you said, It really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”可知给Karl的母亲打电话的人正是Karl自己，选C。

5.推理判断题。由最后一段“That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but I heard you said, It really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”可推知母亲的爱对青少年的生活很重要，选B。