Question

As I walked into the drugstore to pick up a roll of toilet paper and cat food the week of Halloween, I found myself being stared down by an oversized Rudolph doll. His eye expression aroused a swell of anxiety within me. This is not because I have an irrational fear of dolls. The red nose is a mocking reminder that for those of us who are members of dysfunctional(功能失调的) families, the most wonderful and challenging time of year is upon us. The issue isn’t that the holiday season brings a new, once-a-year, unpleasant feeling. Rather, this time of year enlarges the most complicated, sensitive area of my life: family.

Over the past several months, certain situations have left me emotionally raw when dealing with the subject of family, particularly my mom. The holiday season has never agreed well with her, physically or emotionally. Her first heart attack took place two weeks before Christmas when I was in the seventh grade. The song “Jingle Bell Rock” instantly took me back to driving to the hospital to visit her after her emergency heart operation. When I was at grade 2 at high school, we found ourselves awkwardly putting turkey into our mouths after my mom had come from a week-long stay in the hospital to recover from heart attack and a stroke. A girl of 15, due to the gift of having my mom alive and home to celebrate, my heart was contradictory that Thanksgiving.

1.The author went to the drugstore to ________.

A. buy some medicine    B. buy a doll

C. buy some necessities    D. see her family members

2.By saying the holiday season has never agreed with her, the author wanted to show ________.

A. her mother was not comfortable on holidays

B. her mother didn’t like holidays

C. her mother didn’t agree with her holiday plan

D. her mother often disagreed with her

3.What can be inferred about the author’s family?

A. Her family may be badly off.

B. Holidays may be hard times for them.

C. her mother was a strong-willed woman.

D. Her parents were not concerned about her.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

【解析】文章描述作者在万圣节前去商店买东西，装扮节日气氛的鲁道夫娃娃唤起自己对节日的恐惧，并介绍自己恐惧节日的原因（母亲在节日期间不舒服。）

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一句As I walked into the drugstore to pick up a roll of toilet paper and cat food the week of Halloween可知，我去杂货店是为了买卫生纸和猫食，故necessities（必需品）符合题意，选C。

2.推理判断题。通过作者下文叙述的两次妈妈心脏病发作时间都是在节日前，可知作者说节日季节和妈妈不相符的意思是：妈妈在节日期间不舒服，故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据文章第一段内容The issue isn’t that the holiday season brings a new, once-a-year, unpleasant feeling. Rather, this time of year enlarges the most complicated, sensitive area of my life: family.（问题并不是节日带来新的、一年一次的、不快乐的情感，而是每年的这个时期扩大了生活中最复杂，敏感的区域：家庭。）以及下文描述母亲两次在节日前心脏病发作的经历，可知节日对作者一家来说是艰难的时期。故选B。