Question

For much of my childhood, my mother filled in the evening hours doing something for someone else. Sometimes she knitted ( 编织 ) hats for babies, and at other times, she cooked chicken soup for sick neighbors. Therefore, I wasn't surprised when one evening my mother announced she had undertaken a new project.

“I am going to telephone seniors,” said my mother. “Every night? But you don't even know these people.” “It doesn't matter,” she said. “What's important is that I listen.” I was sixteen years old and couldn't understand why my mother was willing to spend her evenings talking to strangers. She had friends and my two older sisters to call if she felt lonely. “They will talk your ear off. Some people didn't even stop to catch breath.” I said.

My attitude didn't decrease my mother's enthusiasm for the project. That evening, she settled on the sofa and dialed. For a while, I listened as she asked the woman on the other line about her day and what she had eaten for dinner. When she finished the call, I said, “Why do you care whether she had cookies or rice pudding for dessert?” My mother grasped one of my hands and gave it a slight squeeze. “I'm the only person she talked to today.”

It took me more than thirty years to fully understand the significance of that statement. Now, as my mother is nearing eighty, I find myself thinking about those nightly calls she used to make. I am often the only person who telephones my mother, and sometimes I'm the only person she speaks to all day. I ask her what she cooked for dinner, but mostly I just listen as she recounts a walk she took, or how her dog Lucky stole foods from the refrigerator. I realize that my mother's calls were lifelines that ensured housebound seniors remained connected to the world. Without her, their world would have been empty.

1.Why wasn’t the writer surprised about her mother's decision to undertake a new project? (no more than 9 words)

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2.What's the mother's purpose of calling the seniors and listening? (no more than 8 words)

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3.What does the underlined sentence “They will talk your ear off.” in Paragraph 2 probably mean? (no more than 10 words)

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4.What was the author’s attitude towards her mother’s new project thirty years later according to the last paragraph ? (no more than 9 words)

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5.What do you think of the author’s mother? And why?  (no more than 20 words)

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Answer

1. (Because)She always devoted herself to helping others

She was always ready to help others.

She was willing to help others.

2. To make those old people feel less lonely.

3. They will talk all the time on the phone.

They will talk on the phone all the time.

They will not stop talking on the phone.

4. The author thinks highly of her mother's calls.

She thinks it is of great significance.

She thinks it is quite significant to the seniors.

5. Open

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。作者的母亲给老年人打电话和倾听的目的是让那些老人感到不那么孤独。作者当时不理解，但是30年后作者对她母亲的电话评价很高。

1.根据第一段第一句For much of my childhood, my mother filled in the evening hours doing something for someone else.结合问题可知答案为(Because)She always devoted herself to helping others/She was always ready to help others./She was willing to help others.

2.根据第三段中For a while, I listened as she asked the woman on the other line about her day and what she had eaten for dinner. ---My mother grasped one of my hands and gave it a slight squeeze. “I'm the only person she talked to today.”可知，母亲给老人打电话和倾听的目的是让那些老人感到不那么孤独。故答案为To make those old people feel less lonely.

3.根据第二段中“They will talk your ear off. Some people didn't even stop to catch breath.” “他们会把你的耳朵都说掉的。有些人甚至没有停下来喘口气。”由此推断划线词的意思是“他们会一直打电话。”故答案为They will talk all the time on the phone./They will talk on the phone all the time./They will not stop talking on the phone.

4.根据最后一段第一句It took me more than thirty years to fully understand the significance of that statement.可知，根据最后一段，30年后作者对她母亲的电话评价很高。故答案为The author thinks highly of her mother's calls./She thinks it is of great significance./She thinks it is quite significant to the seniors.

5.Open