Question

       I’m from the South Bronx．At 7, my neighborhood was the beginning and end of my universe．It was a small town to me．Everyone knew each other, so if you got into trouble in school, chances are that your mom knew about it before you got home．I felt watched over and safe．

       But just before I turned 8, things began to change．I watched two buildings on my block burn down．I remember seeing my neighbor Pito go up and down the fire escape to get people out．Where were the firemen? Where was the truck? Somebody must have called them．

       That same summer, after serving two tours in Vietnam, my brother was killed in the South Bronx．He was shot above the left eye and died instantly．

       People who could moved out of the neighborhood , and all I wanted to do was get out, too．I used education to get away from there and got good at avoiding the topic of where I was from．To be from the South Bronx meant that you were not a good person．It felt like a stain （污点）．

       After college, I didn’t want to come back to the South Bronx, but in order to afford graduate school, I had to．I was almost 30 and could only afford to live at my parents’ home．It felt like a defeat, and I hated it．

       At the same time, the city was planning a huge waste facility here, and no one seemed to care -- including many of us who lived here．They were like, “Well, it’s a poor community; what’s the difference?”

       After that, I realized it’s just as important to fight for something as it is to fight against something．So we dreamed up a new park on the site of an illegal waste dump – and after many community clean-ups, along with $3 million from the city, we have one．And it’s a glory．It was the seed from which many new plants for our community have grown．

       Today, the South Bronx is no longer a stain; it’s a symbol of honor for me．I believe that where I’m from helps me to really see the world．Today, when I say I’m from the South Bronx, I stand up straight．This is home, and it always will be．

1.From Paragraph 2 and 3 we can learn that ______．

       A．the author felt watched over and safe

       B．the author’s brother was a bad man

       C．the author’s neighbor Pito was braver than a fireman

       D．the author felt his hometown was not a safe place to live in

2.The author went back to the South Bronx after college because ______．

       A．he couldn’t afford to live without his parents’ help

       B．he loved his hometown and wanted to work there

       C．he was defeated in studies at college

       D．he almost reached the age of 30

3.The underlined sentences （Paragraph 2） imply that ______．

       A．the author wondered where the firemen and the truck were

       B．the author wanted someone to call the firemen

       C．the firemen didn’t come to help although called

       D．the firemen didn’t find a place to park the truck

4.What does the author want to convey in the passage?

       A．You can make a difference to your hometown if you act．

       B．The South Bronx is a beautiful place to live in．

       C．Great changes have taken place in the South Bronx recently．

       D．Everyone should love his hometown all his life．

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.C

4.A