Question

    For me, Christmas was always complicated. As a child, it was joyful, yet a bit bittersweet. On the one hand, there was my Scottish mother, who went all -out for tradition. On the other hand, there was my Bengali （孟加拉）father. He was a reluctant participant in our Christmas celebration.

To five-year-old me, the idea that someone might not love Christmas was unbelievable. It was years before I realised that my father’ s own childhood had been a Santa-free zone. I was vaguely aware of the Bengali equivalent （等同物）to Christmas. Every September or October, airmail parcels would arrive, and ambitious plans were hatched to acquire syrupy cottage-cheese dumplings. But for me this was an addition to 25 December^ not a substitution.

Matters were further complicated by my father^'s job. After going to medical school in Kolkata, he had got a posting as a junior doctor at a hospital in Glasgow, where he met my mother, a nurse.（She gave up work after having children.） He often had to work on Christmas Day, which would make Mum angry. My sister and I were largely unaware of this tension, thrilled to go to work with Dad and see actual Santa visiting sick children on the wards.

As the years went by, though, my father began to accept Christmas. He was promoted to consultant, so he didn't have to work on the day. Everyone was joyful. Somehow, the more Dad engaged with Christmas, the more I disliked it. It was as if happy atmosphere was one of the infectious diseases he specialised in—I had caught a terminal case” while he had gone on to make a full recovery.

Things probably became worse in adulthood by the fact that bad events had a habit of happening to me at Christmas: losing a job, a breakup, a health emergency. My symptoms worsened and I gave up on sending cards or putting up decorations.

But then, one day everything changed. In October 2012, my father died. He had been in good health; nothing could have prepared us for such a loss. I have no memory of Christmas that year, except that it was the worst of my life.

During that period,one of the only things that kept me sane （理智的）was weekly choir （唱诗班）practice. However, as anyone who has ever been in a choir knows, Christmas is non-negotiable.

So I dragged myself out on that freezing night. The lights were sparkling; London had never looked so beautiful. I was totally lost in the music, so I started dancing, laughing and doing jazz hands, carrying on like the naughty 15-year-old chorister I had been at school.

It was then that a woman approached me. "Hi,” she faltered （支吾），“You were wonderful up there—I wanted to thank you.” I made a joke about how we didn't sound as out of tune as normal, but she shook her head. “No, I wanted to thank you." I couldn't think what she meant. "Things aren't so good for me at the moment,” she told me.

I looked at her more closely. What I saw in the woman5 s watery blue eyes was grief. It dawned on me then that while I missed my father very much, the loss had come after 48 years of his devoted attention. What I had was a rare gift. Because of it, I would find my way back to myself. Not everyone was that lucky.

But the woman was still talking.  “Seeing you up there having such a good time, it made me realise I've forgotten how to enjoy myself.” She made a show of jazz hands: "I'm going to remember to do this.”

Six years on, I am the one buying wrapping paper in July and making my own Christmas cards. It might sound strange, but that generous conversation somehow gave me permission to get back to the serious business of enjoying life——and Christmas. Not only was it what my father would have wanted, but doing so could have a positive impact on others—even perfect strangers.

1.Christmas was complicated for the author as a child because  .

A.it was celebrated at a different time

B.her parents couldn't afford decorations

C.her parents had their own social customs

D.it was reduced to being abandoned in his family

2.What was to blame for the author s tense parental relationship at Christmas?

A.Mum's loss of job.

B.A junior doctor's workload.

C.Dad's absence from Christmas.

D.Children^' s curiosity about Santa.

3.Why did the author have a negative feeling towards Christmas in her youth?

A.Her father' s change touched her.

B.She matured and lost interest in it.

C.She was infected with an incurable disease.

D.Her misfortunes always came with Christmas.

4.What does the author mean by saying ^"Christmas is non-negotiable^” in Paragraph 7?

A.She changed her attitude towards Christmas.

B.She was fascinated with the merry atmosphere.

C.Her father^’ s sudden death was a heavy blow to her.

D.She had to join in the celebration as a choir member.

5.Why was the woman grateful to the author?

A.She was inspired by the author.

B.The author made her feel lucky.

C.The author taught her how to dance.

D.They were both in the same situation.

6.What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A.The woman' s remarks helped the author regain passion for life.

B.The author makes Christmas gifts with paper to make a living.

C.The author fails to live up to her father^' s high expectations.

D.Positive mind made little difference to people's well-being.

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.D

4.D

5.A

6.A

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章主要讲述了作者由于家庭因素和生活因素不喜欢圣诞节、消极生活，直到唱诗班小组的温暖际遇最终让她重拾对生活的热情。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一段中“On the one hand, there was my Scottish mother, who went all -out for tradition. On the other hand, there was my Bengali （孟加拉）father. He was a reluctant participant in our Christmas celebration.”可知，母亲”go all-out”全力以赴庆祝圣诞，而父亲是”reluctant participant”不庆祝圣诞，可知作者的家长有各自不同的风俗习惯。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第三段中“He often had to work on Christmas Day, which would make Mum angry. My sister and I were largely unaware of this tension, thrilled to go to work with Dad and see actual Santa visiting sick children on the wards.”可知，作者的父亲总在圣诞节当天工作，导致母亲生气，所以”parental tension”的原因是父亲圣诞节的缺席。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据文章第五段中“Things probably became worse in adulthood by the fact that bad events had a habit of happening to me at Christmas: losing a job, a breakup, a health emergency. My symptoms worsened and I gave up on sending cards or putting up decorations.”可知，一些不快的事如”break-up, losing a job”总在圣诞节发生，导致作者对圣诞节产生了更多负面情绪。故选D。

4.词义猜测题。根据文章第七段中“During that period,one of the only things that kept me sane （理智的）was weekly choir （唱诗班）practice. However, as anyone who has ever been in a choir knows, Christmas is non-negotiable.”可知，”non-negotiable”意为”不容商量的“，根据上下文，根据唱诗班的传统，圣诞节是必须要庆祝的。D选项有”不得不“的含义，能比其他项更为贴切的表达作者的心情。故选D。

5.推理判断题。根据文章倒数第二段中“Seeing you up there having such a good time, it made me realise I've forgotten how to enjoy myself.” She made a show of jazz hands: "I'm going to remember to do this.”可知，女人说作者的快乐感染了她，提醒了她自己也要快乐起来。故选A。

6.推理判断题。根据文章最后一段中“Six years on, I am the one buying wrapping paper in July and making my own Christmas cards. It might sound strange, but that generous conversation somehow gave me permission to get back to the serious business of enjoying life——and Christmas. Not only was it what my father would have wanted, but doing so could have a positive impact on others—even perfect strangers.”可知，看到当年与那位陌生女士的际遇使作者重燃对生活的希望，重新开始庆祝圣诞节。故选A。