Question

As I went down the wooden snowy steps, I held the rough railing (栏杆) with one hand, held my crying daughter Kelly with the other and made my way into the yard. I knew everything would be okay if I located my mother.

Instead of a smile, she greeted me with concern. I knew she had read my face as I’d approached. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

I held the baby out. “I can’t take care of this baby,” I said simply. My mother didn’t take her from my arms as I expected. She smiled slightly, and then replied firmly, “You have to take care of that baby.” This was not the response I wanted. Couldn’t she hear the baby crying? I wanted her to fix this problem. Instead, she took off her gloves and asked me in for some coffee.

Mom held Kelly while I held the coffee cup. At that moment the baby finally stopped crying. I glanced over at Kelly, content in my mother’s arms. Her tiny blue eyes were fixed on me, as if to ask, “What’s the problem here, Mama?” Her sweet, familiar breath eased the stress in the air. I looked at my mother, feeling foolish but relieved. She stood and placed an arm around my shoulders. “By the time you came along, things were quite the opposite for me. But with my first child, you can bet that I often felt helpless.”

The baby showed no signs of our afternoon struggle, while my own hair remained damp and messy from sweat and worry. “Crying is the only way babies have to communicate. Try to listen to her cries and hear them as language. She’s not crying to annoy you; she’s trying to convey a message with the only voice she has.”

Once again, her gentle guidance had supported me through a storm and back into clear skies. As I headed back to my own home, Mom reminded me, “It won’t always be so hard. Children grow fast. Before you know it, you’ll have an empty nest and you’ll miss her.”

1.Why did the author visit her mother in the rough weather?

A. She was concerned about her mother’s safety.

B. She was helpless and needed her mother’s help.

C. She wanted everything to be OK with her family.

D. She wanted to learn to care for babies from her.

2.How did the author’s mother feel when bringing her up?

A. Experienced and confident.

B. Inexperienced but patient.

C. Thoughtless and unconcerned.

D. Considerate but impatient.

3.What did the author’s mother think about babies’ crying?

A. It’s babies9 way of expressing discomfort or hunger.

B. It’s babies9 main way to exercise and grow healthy.

C. It’s babies, only way of communication with people.

D. It’s babies’ fight for love and care from the world.

4.What can we infer about the author’s mother?

A. She likes to raise small children and give advice.

B. She lives a lonely life without her children.

C. She used to sail out to the sea with the author.

D. She often gives advice to the author in trouble.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】本文是一篇记叙文。当作者陷入困境的时候，作者的母亲都会给出好的建议。

1.B

推理判断题。根据第一段最后一句I knew everything would be okay if I located my mother.可知，作者在恶劣的天气里拜访她的母亲是因为她很无助，需要母亲的帮助。故选B。

2.A

推理判断题。根据第三段中My mother didn’t take her from my arms as I expected. She smiled slightly, and then replied firmly, “You have to take care of that baby.” This was not the response I wanted. Couldn’t she hear the baby crying? I wanted her to fix this problem. Instead, she took off her gloves and asked me in for some coffee.可知，作者的母亲在养育孩子方面有经验并且自信。故选A。

3.C

根据倒数第二段中“Crying is the only way babies have to communicate. Try to listen to her cries and hear them as language. She’s not crying to annoy you; she’s trying to convey a message with the only voice she has.”可知，作者的母亲认为婴儿的哭声是婴儿与人交流的方式。故选C。

4.D

推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句Once again, her gentle guidance had supported me through a storm and back into clear skies.可知，当作者陷入困境的时候，作者的母亲经常提出建议。故选D。