Question

Mark was a great kid from a tough neighborhood. Crime, drugs, fighting and poverty: You name the problem and his neighborhood had it. A scholarship fund provided his tuition to Catholic High, where he was a great baseball player.

Mark struggled in the classroom, though. He was bright, just behind, due to a more than difficult home environment. But there were problems finding the time for all he needed to do. After-school tutoring seemed impossible because of baseball practice. Some suggested Mark abandon sports and concentrate on “schooling”. But, in reality, if he was going to attend college he would need his sports; so to miss practice and then perform any less than at his best on the field was not wise.

A fellow teacher, Mrs. Jones, offered to tutor Mark in math at her home. I asked Mark to come to my house for other areas of work. No one paid us. Mrs. Jones summed it up this way: “Pay day doesn’t always come on Mondays”.

When we were not working with Mark to improve his skills for the ACT, the coach and Mark’s dad took him to various colleges to talk with both baseball and football program coaches. He settled on the college that offered him scholarships to play both sports. But he needed a good ACT score.

It takes months to receive the results of college entrance exams. One afternoon after school, while I was grading papers in my room, there was a noise outside the door.

Mark came in, lifted me out of the seat behind my desk, spun me around in the air, and yelled over and over: “I’m going to college! I’m going to college!”

“I guess you got your scores!” I asked.

“Well, yeah!” he laughed. “And guess what? I got one point more than I need to be admitted. One point extra. Thank you! Now, where’s Mrs. Jones? I’ve got to tell her too!”

Until that moment, I had never quite understood what the expression “Pay day doesn’t always come on Mondays” meant. But it was clear to me the instant Mark ran into the room to announce his news. No amount of money could ever replace my spin in the air at the hands of a boy who finally had a chance at a better life.

1.Mark had difficulty in learning mainly because ________.

A. he spent most of his spare time practicing baseball.

B. his family couldn’t afford any tutoring for him.

C. his parent didn’t care about his study.

D. he was constantly involved in the crimes in his neighborhood.

2.According to the article, which of the following is false?

A. The teachers offered to tutor Mark free of charge.

B. Theft was a problem in Mark’s neighborhood.

C. Mark owed his success in passing ACT to his teachers.

D. Mark went to college mainly due to his good ACT score.

3.The underlined word “settled on” in the fourth paragraph probably means _____.

A. was accepted by    B. reached a final decision about

C. paid a visit to    D. became familiar with

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A. Practice Makes a Better Life.

B. Pay Day Will Come Some Day.

C. Relationships between Teachers and Students.

D. Never Give up on Yourself.

Answer

1. A

2. D

3. B

4. B

【解析】

本文是一篇夹叙夹议的文章。作者通过帮助Mark提高他的ACT成绩，最终使Mark实现了上大学的梦想，改变了他的命运。这使作者真正理解了“Pay day doesn’t always come on Mondays”的真正含义。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中Mark struggled in the classroom, though. ---But there were problems finding the time for all he needed to do. After-school tutoring seemed impossible because of baseball practice.可知，马克学习有困难，主要是因为他大部分业余时间都在练习棒球。故选A。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段中A fellow teacher, Mrs. Jones, offered to tutor Mark in math at her home. I asked Mark to come to my house for other areas of work. No one paid us.可知排除A；根据第一段中Mark was a great kid from a tough neighborhood. Crime, drugs, fighting and poverty: You name the problem and his neighborhood had it.可知排除B；根据第四段中When we were not working with Mark to improve his skills for the ACT, the coach and Mark’s dad took him to various colleges to talk with both baseball and football program coaches.可知排除C。D项文中未提到，故选D。

3.词义猜测题。根据第四段When we were not working with Mark to improve his skills for the ACT, the coach and Mark’s dad took him to various colleges to talk with both baseball and football program coaches. He settled on the college that offered him scholarships to play both sports. But he needed a good ACT score. 当我们没有和马克一起提高表演技巧的时候，教练和马克的爸爸带他去不同的大学，与棒球和足球项目的教练交谈。他选定了提供奖学金给他参加两项运动的大学。但他需要一个好的表演成绩。由此推知划线部分的意思是“做出最后决定”，故选B。

4.B

主旨大意题。根据最后一段Until that moment, I had never quite understood what the expression “Pay day doesn’t always come on Mondays” meant. But it was clear to me the instant Mark ran into the room to announce his news. No amount of money could ever replace my spin in the air at the hands of a boy who finally had a chance at a better life. （直到那一刻，我才真正明白“吃苦在先，享乐在后”这句话的含义。但是马克一跑进房间宣布他的消息，我就很清楚了。在一个终于有机会过上更好生活的男孩手中，再多的钱也无法取代我在空中的旋转。）由此可知本文最佳主题是“Pay Day Will Come Some Day.”故选B。