Question

    When Amanda Wanklin and Michael Biggs fell in love, they didn't realize the challenges they might face as a biracial couple. Amanda says, ''At first we only knew that we wanted together. '' They settled down in Birmingham, England, eager to start a family. On July 3, 2006, the black and white couple got their “one in a million'' miracle: Amanda gave birth to fraternal twin (异卵双胞胎) girls with completely different skin colors, and the greatly amazed parents gave their daughters intertwined names: one would be Millie Marcia Madge Biggs, the other Marcia Millie Madge Biggs.

From a young age the girls had similar features but very different color schemes. Marcia had light brown hair and fair skin like her English-born white mother, while Millie had black hair and brown skin like her black father, who is of Jamaican descent. ''We never worried about it; we just accepted it，'' Michael says.

''When they were first born, '' Amanda recalls, ''people would look at my one daughter and then look at my other daughter. Then I'd get asked the question: 'Are they twins? '''

''Yes. ''

''But one's white and one's black. ''

According to Amanda, people who commented on the girls weren't openly discriminatory (歧视的) or judgmental—just very curious, and then as time went on, people just saw the beauty in them.

The twins know what racism is. ''Racism is where somebody judges you by your color and not by your true self, '' Millie says.

Michael, the father, says he’s faced inequality at times throughout his life because of the color of his skin. '' But it's a different time now, '' he says. Neither he nor Amanda has ever witnessed racist behavior toward their twin girls.

''When people see us, they think that we're just best friends, '' Marcia says. ''When they learn that we're twins, they're kind of shocked because one's black and one's white. '' But when the twins are asked about their differences, they mention something else entirely. ''Millie likes things that are girlie. She likes pink and all of that, '' Marcia says. '' I don't like the color pink; I'm a tomboy. People should know about us by our true selves, not by our colors. After all, people are made how they are. ''

1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A.Amanda and Michael are of the same race.

B.Amanda and Michael were not happy about the birth of their twins.

C.The possibility of twins with different skin colors is small.

D.It was easy for Amanda and Michael to start a family of their own.

2.According to the passage which of the following is NOT true?

A.Sometimes Michael is unequally treated because of his race.

B.The twin girls see their skin colors as their major difference.

C.People are curious but friendly to the twin girls.

D.People who are racists judge a person by his appearance.

3.How does Marcia react to the people who ask questions about their differences?

A.She never answers them.

B.She is upset about their questions.

C.She answers with their different characters.

D.She tells them about colors.

4.What is the author’s attitude towards racism?

A.Opposed. B.Supportive.

C.Indifferent. D.Tolerant.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章讲述一对黑人和白人夫妇生下一对肤色不同的双胞胎女儿，这对姐妹并没有把肤色看作她们之间最大的不同，她们认为她们的不同之处是性格。通过这篇文章作者表达了种族主义的反对。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第一段的On July 3, 2006, the black and white couple got their “one in a million” miracle: Amanda gave birth to fraternal twin (异卵双胞胎) girls with completely different skin colors. (2006年7月3日这对黑人和白人夫妇获得了他们百万分之一的奇迹：阿曼达生下了一对异卵双胞胎的女儿，她们的肤色完全不一样)可推测不同肤色的双胞胎情况是极少见的。C. The possibility of twins with different skin colors is small. (不同肤色的双胞胎可能性很小)符合以上说法，故选C项。

2.细节理解题。根据文章最后一段的But when the twins are asked about their differences, they mention something else entirely. (当双胞胎被问及她们的不同时，她们会完全提到另外的事。) 可知双胞胎姐妹并没有把肤色看作她们之间的不同。B. The twin girls see their skin colors as their major difference. (双胞胎姐妹把肤色看作她们之间最大的不同)不符合以上说法，故选B项。

3.细节理解题。根据文章最后一段的''Millie likes things that are girlie. She likes pink and all of that, '' Marcia says. ''I don't like the color pink; I'm a tomboy. (“米莉喜欢女孩子气的东西，她喜欢粉色之类的东西，我不喜欢粉色，我是个假小子”玛西娅说。)可知当被问及她们的不同时，玛西娅用她们的性格特点来回答他们的问题。C. She answers with their different characters. (她用她们不同的性格特点来回答)符合以上说法，故选C项。

4.推理判断题。根据文章倒数第二段的Michael, the father, says he's faced inequality at times throughout his life because of the color of his skin. ''But it's a different time now, '' he says. Neither he nor Amanda has ever witnessed racist behavior toward their twin girls. (父亲Michael说在他一生中他因为肤色有时会面临不平等的待遇。“但是现在不同了”他说。他和阿曼达从来没有看到别人对双胞胎女儿的种族主义的行为)和最后一段的People should know about us by our true selves, not by our colors. After all, people are made how they are. '' (人们应该通过我们真实的自己来了解我们，而不是我们的肤色。毕竟，人是自我创造的。)可推测作者借由父亲和女儿的话表达了自己对种族主义的反对。故选A项。