Question

Flower Power

When her grandmother’s health began to worsen last autumn, Mary would make the drive from Washington, DC to Winchester, VA every few days.

She hated highway driving, finding it ugly and boring. She preferred to take winding country roads to her grandmother’s hospital. When she drove through the rocky town of Harpers Ferry, the beauty of the rough waters was always appealing to her.

Toward the end of her journey, Mary had to get on highway 81. It was here that she discovered a surprising bit of beauty during one of her trips. Along the shoulder of the highway, there was a long stretch of wild flowers. They were thin and delicate and purple, and moved back and forth in the wind as if whispering poems to each other.

The first time she saw the flowers, Mary was seized by an uncontrollable urge to pull over on the highway and pull a bunch from the soil. She carried them into her grandmother’s room when she arrived at the hospital and placed them in a vase by her bed.

For a moment her grandmother seemed more lucid（清醒的）than usual. She thanked Mary for the flowers, commented on their beauty and asked where she had gotten them. Mary was overjoyed by the ability of the flowers to wake something up inside her sick grandmother.

Afterwards, Mary began carrying scissors in the car during her trips to visit her grandmother. She would quickly glide onto the shoulder, jump out of the car, and clip a bunch of flowers. Each time Mary placed the flowers in the vase, her grandmother’s eyes would light up and they would have a splendid conversation.

One morning in late October, Mary got a call that her grandmother had taken a turn for the worse. Mary was in such a hurry to get to her grandmother that she sped past her flower spot. She decided to turn around, head several miles back, and cut a bunch.

Mary arrived at the hospital to find her grandmother very weak and unresponsive. She placed the flowers in the vase and sat down to hold her grandmother’s hand. She felt a squeeze on her fingers. It was the last conversation they had.

1.Mary preferred to take country roads to the hospital because she could ________.

A. get on highway 81 more easily    B. enjoy the natural view along the roads

C. pick wild flowers for her grandmother    D. spend less time driving to the destination

2.When Mary placed the flowers by her grandmother’s bed, her grandmother _________.

A. came alive at the sight of the flowers    B. commented on Mary’s beauty

C. was overjoyed by the flowers    D. was curious about the type of the flowers

3.From the passage, we know that ________.

A. Mary discovered the wild flowers along the country roads

B. Mary’s grandmother had passed away before she arrived at the hospital

C. Mary’s last conversation with her grandmother was a silent one

D. Mary headed several miles back because she sped past the hospital

4.What does the passage convey to us?

A. Beauty in nature can be powerful.    B. Love has no beginning or ending.

C. Life is as beautiful as summer flowers.    D. Flowers have the magic to cure diseases.

Answer

1. B

2. A

3. C

4. A

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，Mary的奶奶病情很危重，每次她回去看望奶奶的时候都带着一些从路边采回的野花，奶奶看见这些野花似乎比平时更加清醒了，也非常喜欢这些花儿。这个故事告诉我们大自然里的美的力量很强大，

1.细节理解题。根据第二段第三句“When she drove through the rocky town of Harpers Ferry, the beauty of the rough waters was always appealing to her.”可知Mary不喜欢走高速公路，而喜欢走乡村小路是因为路边的风景很吸引她。故B项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第五段“For a moment her grandmother seemed more lucid（清醒的）than usual. She thanked Mary for the flowers, commented on their beauty and asked where she had gotten them. Mary was overjoyed by the ability of the flowers to wake something up inside her sick grandmother.”可知当Mary的奶奶看见这些鲜花的时候，比平时更加清醒了。故A项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段“Mary arrived at the hospital to find her grandmother very weak and unresponsive….She felt a squeeze on her fingers. It was the last conversation they had.”可知当Mary到达医院的时候，奶奶非常虚弱已经无法回应了，只能感觉到她的手指了。说明她们之间最后一次对话是无声的。故C项正确。

4.主旨大意题。本文是一篇记叙文，Mary的奶奶病情很危重，每次她回去看望奶奶的时候都带着一些从路边采回的野花，奶奶看见这些野花似乎比平时更加清醒了，也非常喜欢这些花儿。这个故事告诉我们大自然里的美的力量很强大，故A项正确。