Question

In the course of working my way through school, I took many jobs I would rather forget. But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant. The work was hard, the pay was poor; What’s more, the working conditions were terrible.

First of all, the job made huge demands on my strength. For ten hours a night, I took boxes that rolled down a metal track and piled them onto a truck. Each box contained twelve heavy bottles of apple juice. I once figured out that I was lifting an average of twelve tons of apple juice every night.

I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much if the pay had not been so poor. I was paid the lowest wage of that time—two dollars an hour. Because of the low pay, I felt eager to get as much as possible. I usually worked twelve hours a night but did receive a low pay.

But even more than the low pay, what made me unhappy was the working conditions. During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degree temperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, which made my feet feel like stone. And after the production line shut down at night and most people left, I had to spend two hours alone cleaning the floor.

I stayed on the job for five months, all the while hating the difficulty of the work, the poor money, and the conditions under which I worked. By the time I left, I was determined never to go back there again.

1.Why did the writer have to take many jobs at the time?

A.to pay for his schooling B.to save for his future

C.to contribute to charities D.to gain some experience

2.The following facts describe the terrible working conditions of the plant EXCEPT ________.

A.loading boxes in the freezing cold B.having limited time for breaks

C.working and studying at the same time D.getting no pay for lunch time

3.What is the subject discussed in the text?

A.The writer’s unhappy school life.

B.The writer’s eagerness to earn money.

C.The writer’s experience as a full-time worker.

D.The writer’s hard work in an apple plant.

4.How is the text organized?

A.Topic-Argument-Explanation

B.Opinion-Discussion-Description

C.Main idea-Comparison-Supporting examples

D.Introduction-Supporting examples-Conclusion

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.D

【解析】

本文是记叙文。文章记述作者在那家苹果厂打工时的可怕经历。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一句话In the course of working my way through school, I took many jobs I would rather forget.可知，作者是为了付学费而不得不打工。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段中During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degree temperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, which made my feet feel like stone.可知，作者在接近零度的温度装箱子，只有两次10分钟的休息时间，没有报酬的午餐时间，这些都是艰苦的工作条件，不包括同时工作和学习。故选C。

3.主旨大意题。根据文章第一段中But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant.可知，此处明确地表明了此文的主题，记述作者在那家苹果厂打工时的可怕（dreadful）经历。故选D。

4.推理判断题。记叙文的一般结构，结合本文，为“引入—分述—总结”结构。故选D。