Question

When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper:

Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you.”

I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.

When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., your angry feelings won’t amount to much.

I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye.” He gave me something to treasure forever.

If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.

You may never have another chance.

1.According to the passage, we know that _______.

A. Jim was always ashamed of himself

B. Jim did very well in his studies

C. Jim’s parents were patient with him

D. Jim failed to finish his high school

2.The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 most probably means _______.

A. annoying B. aggressive

C. impatient D. thrilling

3.By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the author intends to _______.

A. mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident

B. remind people to be cautious of motorcycles

C. tell parents to take better care of their children

D. suggest people taking the chance to express their love in time

4.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. Love your Family.             B. Do it Today.

C. Walk with Pride.               D. Appreciate Smiles.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】

试题分析: Polly Tyner夫妇有一个学习有障碍的孩子，在他们的耐心教导下，Jim快乐地成长着，然而不幸地是，Jim在车祸中丧生。后来他的母亲写了一篇文章发表在报纸上告诫人们不要吝惜和家人在一起的时间，也不要吝惜对他们爱的表达，因为生活中充满了未知。

1.细节理解题。根据文章首段内容可知Jim在学习方面有缺陷，需要老师和家长的耐心，而且在本段的介绍中可知Jim的父母在提醒他自己缺点的时候，也帮助他认识到自己的长处，把Jim培养成了一个阳光的孩子，由此推断他的父母对他很有耐心，选C。

2. 词义猜测题。根据该词后列举的事物such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc.可知选A。

3. 推理判断题。根据文章倒数第二段内容If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.可知作者的目的是想告诫人们当有机会向家人表达爱的时候，就不要犹豫，选D。

4. 主旨大意题。文章主要通过讲述Polly失去儿子后的遗憾、后悔来告诫人们不要犹豫去向亲人们表达自己的感情，故答案选B。

考点：考查故事类短文阅读