Question

My six-year-old granddaughter stared at me as if she were seeing me for the first time. “Grandma, you are an antique(古董),” she said. “You are old. Antiques are old. You are my antique.”

I was not satisfied to let the matter rest there. I took out the Webster’s Dictionary and read the definition to Jenny. I explained, “An antique is not only old, it’s an object existing since or belonging to earlier times...a work of art... a piece of furniture. Antiques are treasured,” I told Jenny as I put away the dictionary. “They have to be handled carefully because they sometimes are very valuable. In order to qualify as an antique, the object has to be at least 100 years old.”

“I’m only 67,” I reminded Jenny.

We looked around the house for other antiques, besides me. There was a desk that was handed down from Rone aunt to another and finally to our family. “It’s very old,” I told Jenny. “I try to keep it polished and I show it off whenever I can. You do that with antiques."

There was a picture on the wall bought at a garage sale. It was dated 1867. “Now that’s an antique,” I said with pride. “Over 100 years old.” Of course it was marked up and scratched (刮坏) and not in very good condition. “Sometimes age does that,” I told Jenny. “But the marks are good marks. They show living, or being around. That’s something to display with pride. In fact, sometimes, the more an object shows age, the more valuable it can become.” I believed this was important for my own self-worth.

Our tour of antiques continued. There was a vase on the floor. It had been in my house for a long time. I was not certain where it came from but I didn’t buy it new. One thing about antiques, I explained to Jenny, was that they usually had a story. They’d been in one home and then another, handed down from one family to another, traveling all over the place. They’d lasted through years and years. They could have been thrown away, or ignored. or destroyed, or lost. But instead, they survived.

For a moment, Jenny looked thoughtful. “l don’t have any antiques but you,” she said. Then her face brightened. “Could I take you to school for show and tell?”

“Only if I fit into your backpack,” I answered. And then Jenny’s antique lifted her up and embraced her in a hug that would last through the years.

1.Grandma read the definition of “antique” to Jenny in order to ________.

A. express her disappointment at being called “antique”

B. change Jenny’s shallow understanding of antiques

C. tell Jenny the importance of protecting antiques

D. list all the important characteristics of antiques

2.Which of the following information did grandma express to Jenny?

A. The desk reminded her of her dear relatives.

B. There was usually a sad story behind each antique.

C. The spots on the picture showed its age and value.

D. She planned to buy a new vase to replace the old one.

3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. Grandma was too old to lift Jenny up.

B. Jenny was too young to know grandma’s humor.

C. Jenny had a strong desire for grandma’s love.

D. Grandma had a deep long-lasting love for Jenny.

4.What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Jenny’s Antique    B. Grandma’s Antique

C. A Tour of Antiques    D. A Story of Antiques

Answer

1. B

2. C

3. D

4. A

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，从祖母和小孙女对古董这个词的理解入手，小孙女说祖母就是她的古董，体现了祖孙之间深深的爱。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“I was not satisfied to let the matter rest there. I took out the Webster’s Dictionary and read the definition to Jenny.”可知，祖母不想她和小孙女关于古董的谈话就此打住，她希望让小孙女对古董有更进一步的认识，故B项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段中的“But the marks are good marks. They show living, or being around. That’s something to display with pride. In fact, sometimes, the more an object shows age, the more valuable it can become.”可知，祖母想告诉小孙女这幅画上的斑点体现了它的年代和价值，故C项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“And then Jenny’s antique lifted her up and embraced her in a hug that would last through the years.”可知，祖母把小孙女抱起来拥入怀中，那是个恒久的拥抱，由此推知祖母深深地爱着小孙女，故D项正确。

4.主旨大意题。根据第一段中的“You are my antique.”及最后一段中的“l don’t have any antiques but you”可知，文章从祖母和小孙女对古董这个词的理解入手，小孙女说祖母就是她的古董，体现了祖孙之间深深的爱，故A项正确。