Question

I do not know Sybrina Fulton. Nor can I claim to understand the depth of her pain. Yet, we share a deep connection. A common feature experienced by those women who face the challenge of raising a Black male child in a nation that far too often views Black male bodies through fear. You see, Ms. Fulton is living my nightmare (恶梦). A constant worry that has stayed in the back of my mind since the birth of my eldest son, some sixteen years ago.

Through the years, I have witnessed the world’s reaction to my son evolve as he has grown from a small boy to a young man. In his early years, his easy smile and lovable character were nothing less than magnetic (有磁性的). Complete strangers would approach him in the street, draw him into conversation, and find themselves easily struck by his lively spirit. Even at that time I worried, how would my son react when in the years to come some of those who found themselves so impressed by this cute, intelligent boy, might grasp their purse tighter as he walked by.

Over the years I have sought to protect his spirit from the hurt that comes from undeserved hatred. I have also sought to arm him with the knowledge that could one day save his life. He knows, for example, that if he is ever pulled over by the police, that he is to keep both hands on the wheel at all times and only reach for his license when the officer is specifically observing his actions. He knows, even in less threatening situations, that rough play and loud interactions with his buddies of any color will be viewed very differently when he does it, than when his white friends display the very same behavior. Still, the truth of the matter is, no amount of advice or voiceless behavior overcomes the physical, immovable fact of the color of his skin. His intelligence, easy smile, and lovable character won’t protect him from unfounded assumptions of criminality.

What makes the Trayvon Martin travesty (歪曲) of justice so painful to me, personally, is the knowledge that Trayvon’s mother loved her baby no less than I love mine. The various pictures of moments throughout a happy childhood that have now found a home on nationwide newscasts provides clear evidence of that. Yet no amount of love and care, and no words of advice could have saved her son from the cruel killing he faced at the hands of a self-appointed neighborhood watch-dog. And perhaps even worse, nothing could have prepared her for the inhuman way her son has been treated by officials even in death. To think for three long days, his parents searched for him while officials failed to inform them of his fate and instead, performed drug and alcohol tests on his lifeless body, while failing to do the same for his attacker—the only one of the two who indeed had a criminal past is frankly, unforgivable. To know that the words of her son’s killer were given more weight than eye-witnesses and taped evidence of her child’s screams and eventual death must be heartbreaking. But to also have to live with the fact that his attacker still breathes free while her son lays buried underground is certainly more than any sorrowful parent should have to endure (忍受).

It is this type of pain that is not unfamiliar to the Black experience in America, for this is the Black mothers’ burden. A burden we have endured for centuries. We know the pain of having our newborn babies grabbed from our loving arms to be sold into lifelong servitude (奴役) and to never again experience the warmth of a mother’s loving hug. Yet, there is still the rightful expectation, that in modern-day America, the wheels of justice would not be stopped.

So today, it is my hope that Trayvon’s mother, father, family and friends can take some comfort in the fact that millions of Americans of every color stand with them in their fight for justice. This is a burden no family should have to endure alone.

We will not give up.

We will not forget.

We will continue the fight until justice is done.

1.What do you know about Sybrina Fulton?

A. She was anxious about her son.    B. She was painful to lose her son.

C. She had trouble in raising her son.    D. She had the same dream as the writer.

2.Who does the writer actually refer to when mentioning “grasp their purse tighter”?

A. Passers-by.    B. White people.

C. Teenagers.    D. Wealthy people.

3.By “keep both hands on the wheel at all times”, the writer means her son should ______.

A. get ready to resist    B. remain where he is

C. show his innocence    D. pretend to be scared

4.From the story of Trayvon Martin, we can infer that ______.

A. he was killed simply because of his color of skin

B. he was accused of taking drug even after his death

C. he kept silent even when he was being attacked

D. the police failed to find strong evidence against the attacker

5.The article is mainly intended to ______.

A. draw attention to the facts about killings    B. give comfort to the victims’ families

C. appeal for the end to the terrible situation    D. display hatred for terrible phenomena

6.Which can be the proper title for the passage?

A. The cruel killings    B. The daily sufferings

C. The black son’s fate    D. The black mother’s burden

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.A

5.C

6.D

【解析】

本文属于演讲稿，文章讲述了作者身为黑人母亲的痛苦，呼吁种族平等。

1.细节理解题。根据题干关键词Sybrina Fulton找到文章对应段落是第一段，根据该段第二句话Nor can I claim to understand the depth of her pain.以及这一段的其他内容可知，Sybrina Fulton失去了儿子并感到很痛，故选B。

2.推理判断题。passers­by行人；white people白种人；teenagers青少年；wealthy people富有的人。根据第一段中的black和第二段内容可推断，作者在此处提及这一点指的是白种人抓紧他们的钱包。故选B。

3.词义猜测题。get ready to resist准备好抵制；remain where he is留在原处不动；show his innocence显示他的清白；pretend to be scared假装害怕。根据下文的reach for his license推知，是显示他的清白的意思，故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据第四段的语气和前文的举例推断他的被杀就是因为他的肤色。故选A。

5.推理判断题。通读全文，并根据文章的最后两句话判断这是为了呼吁人们结束这一可怕的局面而撰写的演讲词。故选C。

6.标题归纳题。通读全文，并根据文章叙述的故事特别是黑人孩子母亲的痛苦可判断，D项是最佳题目。