Question

    Many years ago, when we were a young couple with two small children, aged 2 and 4, we were practically impecunious. My parents­in­laws lived from hand to mouth, so we didn't expect any help from them. My parents lived a great distance away, and I was too ashamed to let them know about our situation.

My husband was trying to earn a living with an old pick­up truck, carrying groceries for local shopkeepers, but it was constantly breaking down. It took almost all the money we had to have it fixed. The truck was also the only means of transportation for us.

We lived in the countryside, and we always used the back door because the driveway led to it. One winter evening, I stepped outside to take a bag of trash to the barrel and almost tripped over something. It was nearly dark, and I had to bend down to see what it was. I could hardly believe my eyes. There sat a large basket loaded with food.

It was heavy, so I called my husband to carry it into the house. Once inside, we discovered two loaves of bread, some butter, several cans of vegetables, a can of orange sauce, and a large turkey. There was so much that I couldn't remember it all, but it was everything we needed to fix a wonderful dinner — everything except potatoes.

A little while later I remembered that I hadn't taken the trash to the barrel. By now it was dark, so I had to turn on the yard light — and that's when I spotted a small bag of potatoes sitting on the porch.

That dinner was the best I could remember.

We weren't able to thank our donators, though, because we never found out who had been so generous in helping a struggling young family. Whoever it was, we are forever grateful.

1.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “impecunious” in Paragraph 1?

A. Generous. B. Cautious

C. Stubborn. D. Penniless.

2.How did the author's husband support the family?

A. By selling food door to door. B. By delivering goods.

C. By starting a garage. D. By working as a shop assistant.

3.How did the author feel when she saw the basket?

A. She was annoyed. B. She was terrified.

C. She was astonished. D. She felt a sense of relief.

4.What may be the best title for the text?

A. A struggling young couple B. A tale of potatoes

C. A helping hand in time D. A reward from a stranger

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.C

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。“我”和丈夫有两个孩子，很多年前，我们生活贫困，但羞于将处境告诉父母。丈夫用一辆旧卡车送货谋生。一天晚上，“我”在家门口发现一篮子丰盛的食物，那一餐令“我”终生难忘。“我”将永远感谢那位送食物给“我”家的人。

1.词义猜测题。根据第一段最后一句My parents lived a great distance away，and I was too ashamed to let them know about our situation可知，“我”的父母住在很远的地方，“我”羞于让他们知道我们的处境；结合该段中的when we were a young couple with two small children，aged 2 and 4，we were practically impecunious.可知，我们是有着两个孩子的年轻夫妻，据此可以推知，我们的日子过得相当贫穷，才会羞于让远方的父母知道我们的情况。据此可以判断，画线词意为“身无分文的”。故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段第一句的My husband was trying to earn a living with an old pick-up truck，carrying groceries for local shopkeepers.可知，“我”的丈夫用一辆旧卡车为当地的店主送货谋生，故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段最后两句I could hardly believe my eyes. There sat a large basket loaded with food.可知，看到一篮子的食物，“我”几乎不能相信自己的眼睛；据此可以判断，作者很惊讶，故选C。

4.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要讲述了“我”和丈夫有两个孩子，生活贫困，但羞于将处境告诉父母。丈夫用一辆旧卡车送货谋生。一天晚上，“我”在家门口发现一篮子丰盛的食物，那一餐令“我”终生难忘。“我”将永远感谢那位送食物给“我”家的人。据此可以判断，C项最能概括文意，体现文章主旨，故选C。