Question

The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. “Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 totals for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.

When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.

I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” I asked him.

“I…I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills. “Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir.” he said. “Thank you very much!”

When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a cheat? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.

Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.

“Oh, gosh! Long time.”

“Are you in school now?” I asked.

He nodded.

“That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s a gift.”

He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”

1.What was the author’s first impression of the boy?

A. He seemed to be poor and greedy.

B. He seemed to have suffered a lot.

C. He seemed younger than his age.

D. He seemed good at bargaining.

2.The second time the author met the boy, the boy ______.

A. told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts

B. wanted to express his thanks

C. asked him for money for his schoolbooks

D. tried to take advantage of him

3.Why did the author give his money to the boy?

A. Because he had enough money to do that.

B. Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.

C. Because he held a higher position in the society.

D. Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.

4.Which of the following best describes the boy?

A. Brave and polite.           B. Kind and smart.

C. Honest and thankful.        D. Shy and nervous.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

1.细节理解题。文章第一段第二句提到 “..., he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. 他似乎已经知道了生活的艰辛。” 由此可知， 作者对这个男孩的第一印象应该是“他承受了很多苦难”。A选项的意思是 “贫穷， 贪婪”， 显然不符合原文； C选项的意思是“看上去比实际年龄小”， 原文并未有过这样的描述， 故排除； D选项的意思是“善于讨价还价”， 也不符合原文。因此B选项为正确答案。

2.细节理解题。作者与男孩第二次相遇后， 男孩对作者说“I don’t have money to buy books for school.”由此可知， 这是他出来卖香蕉和花生的原因。B选项的内容是男孩第三次与作者相遇时想表达的东西， 排除； C选项不符合原文； D选项与文章整体大意相悖， 男孩并不是想利用作者。因此A选项是正确答案。

3.推理判断题。作者给男孩钱的原因在文章第四段有比较清楚的论述“My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.”作者的父母从小就教育作者要认识到自己拥有的优越条件和因此需要承担的责任， 这是作者给男孩钱的根本原因。A选项浮于表面， 没有挖掘到作者内心深处； C选项不能成为理由； D选项不符合文章内容。因此B选项为正确答案。

4.推理判断题。在作者与男孩6个月后的第三次相遇中， 男孩给作者留下了一捆香蕉和一包花生， 并且说“I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”可见， 男孩很有感恩之心， 这也是文章着力突出的部分。结合四个选项可知， C选项与原文最贴近， 因此C选项为正确答案。