Question

The First Hello

The man from the telephone department got off the bus, and made his way to the tea stall, wiping the sweat off his head, face, then slipping his handkerchief under his shirt to wipe his neck and back. It was a year ago that the phone line had been installed, six months later men from the public works department had come to put up the phone booth — a neat box-like structure, with a glass window, and wooden ledges, yellow in color. And days after that, a painter had taken an entire day to color in broad, black brushstrokes, the words: STD Booth, local and STD allowed.

No one could tell that the last word had been misspelled. Besides, he had taken the entire day. After he had a cup of tea, he had left, waving cheerfully. And now months later, someone else was here again.

Everyone watched the man as he sat on the bench. No one said a word, and soon the sound of him slurping his tea filled the hot afternoon. A few leaves fell, heavy in the heat, and sometimes a car passed, on its way to the main city farther away.

When the man had finished, he made to pay but the tea shop owner who sat behind his steaming kettle and the washed upturned cups, waved him away.

“You are our guest here.”

So the man took his handkerchief out again and wiped his face.

They crowded around him as he shut himself up in the phone booth. When the children pressed their nose against the glass, he shooed them away, as he took out a shiny black instrument and placed it on the narrow shelf. A sigh of satisfaction passed through everyone that soon changed to an excited yell as they saw him dial a number, pressing a finger into the ringed dialer of the phone and letting it go all the way in a half-circle. A while later, they hear him say into the mouthpiece, “Hello.”

“Hello,” the children around the booth took up the cry, the teashop owner broke into a smile and the men waiting for a bus smiled and said hello to each other. The sadhu(印度的僧人) who sat under the banyan tree nodded wisely. As the sound carried, more hellos were heard. The women winnowing grain giggled as they tried the word tentatively, the shepherds feeding their flocks called out to their sheep, laughing as they used the word.

“It‘s a big occasion,” said the headman, in an awed voice.

“It is,” agreed those around him. The telephone man emerged and handed over a small chit of paper to the headman. “This is the telephone number”.

The headman looked at it reverently as if it were a mantra(符咒). The others around him read out the numbers slowly, digit-by-digit.

The telephone man was now too tired to notice the cheering around him. He knew he had to wait long before the bus to take him back arrived. As he sipped his second cup of tea, he remembered something else.

“Oh, you can’t start using the phone now. The minister will come next month and inaugurate it.”

No one said a word. No one was surprised. They had waited so long; a month more did not really matter.

1.In the story, fitting a working telephone booth __________.

A. was a process that had already taken 12 months    B. was in the charge of the headman.

C. should have been finished more than a year ago    D. was an artistic challenge for a local painter

2.A misspelled word on the booth __________.

A. was a joke shared by the painter and the local people    B. made the painter miss his tea break

C. went unnoticed by the local people    D. kept everyone occupied for an entire day

3.When the man from the telephone department arrived, __________.

A. the hot afternoon was filled with quiet expectation

B. there was a sudden rush of activity in the village

C. he was greeted like a regular customer

D. he learned about the village while having a nice drink

4.What can be inferred from the story?

A. The man from the telephone department had a mentally demanding job.

B. Only the minister had the authority to make the first call.

C. It was a distant village free from modern technology.

D. Few of the local children went to school for education.

5.The examples of the children, the teashop owner, the men waiting for the bus, the women and the shepherds are given to illustrate __________.

A. the local people’s curiosity for the new thing

B. the ignorance of the local people

C. the local people’s enthusiasm for English learning

D. the popularity of the man from the telephone department

6.What words can be used to best describe the local people?

A. Innocent and cooperative.    B. Hospitable and respectful.

C. Patient and competent.    D. Independent and admirable

Answer

1. A

2. C

3. A

4. C

5. A

6. B

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文,在一个远离城市的小村庄首次装了一部电话,当地人对此感到很好奇。

1.考查细节理解。根据第一段中的"It was a year ago that the phone line had been installed, six months later men from the public works department had come to put up the phone booth-a neat box-like structure, with a glass window, and wooden ledges, yellow in color“可知,安装工作电话亭的过程已经有一年了。故选A。

2.考查细节理解。根据第二段中的“ No one could tell that the last word had been misspelled."可知,没有人注意到最后一个词被错误拼写。故选C。

3.考查细节理解。根据第三段中的" Everyone watched the man as he sat on the bench. No one said a word, and soon the sound of him slurping his tea filled the hot afternoon:可知,在那个炎热的下午,每个人都在期待着。故选A。

4.考查推理判断。根据第三段中的 “A few leaves fell, heavy in the heat, and sometimes a car passed, on its way to the main city farther away.”以及后面的描写可以推断出,那是—个远离现代科技的遥远村庄。故选C。

5.考查推理判断。本文列举了孩子、茶店老板、等公共汽车的人、妇女以及牧羊人的例子,都是说明了当地人对新事物的好奇，故选A。

6.考查推理判断。根据第五段中的“ You are our guest here.“以及倒数第四段中的“ The headman looked at it respectfully as if it were a mantra(符咒).“等内容可以推断出,当地人友好并有礼貌，故选B。