Question

In my living room, there is a plaque (匾) that advises me to “Bloom (开花) where you are planted.” It reminds me of Dorothy. I got to know Dorothy in the early 1980s, when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program with Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. The job responsibilities required occasional visits to the classroom of each teacher in the program. Dorothy stands out in my memory as one who “bloomed” in her remote area.

Dorothy taught in a school In Harlan County, Kentucky, Appalachian Mountain area. To get to her school from the town of Harlan, I followed a road winding around the mountain. In the eight-mile journey, I crossed the same railroad track five times, giving the possibility of getting caught by the same train five times. Rather than feeling excited by this drive through the mountains, I found it depressing. The poverty level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of hopelessness.

From the moment of my arrival at the little school, all gloom (忧郁) disappeared. Upon arriving at Dorothy’s classroom. I was greeted with smiling faces and treated like a queen. The children had been prepared to show me their latest projects. Dorothy told me with a big smile that they were serving poke greens salad and cornbread for “dinner” (lunch). In case you don’t know, poke greens are a weed-type plant that grows wild, especially on poor ground.

Dorothy never ran out of reports of exciting activities of her students. Her enthusiasm never cooled down. When it came time to sit for the testing and interviewing required to receive her Child Development Associate Certification, Dorothy was ready. She came to the assessment and passed in all areas. Afterward, she invited me to the one-and-only steak house in the area to celebrate her victory, as if she had received her Ph. D. degree. After the meal, she placed a little box containing an old pen in my hand. She said it was a family heirloom (传家宝), but to me it is a treasured symbol of appreciation and pride that cannot be matched with things. (360 words)

1.“Early Childhood Development” in Paragraph 1 refers to __________.

A.a program directed by Dorothy

B.a course given by the author

C.an activity held by the students

D.an organization sponsored by Union college

2.In the journey, the author was most disappointed at seeing __________.

A.the long track B.the poor houses

C.the same train D.the winding road

3.Upon arriving at the classroom, the author was cheered up by __________.

A.a warm welcome B.the sight of poke greens

C.Dorothy’s latest projects D.a big dinner made for her

4.What can we know about Dorothy from the last paragraph?

A.She was invited to a celebration at a restaurant.

B.She got a pen as a gift from the author.

C.She passed the required assessment.

D.She received her Ph. D. degree.

5.What does the author mainly intend to tell us?

A.Whatever you do, you must do it carefully.

B.Whoever you are, you deserve equal treatment.

C.However poor you are, you have the right to education,

D.Wherever you are, you can accomplish your achievement.

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.A

4.C

5.D

【解析】

本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。文章主要讲述了作者作为一个项目的评估专家去拜访一位贫困山区的教师的故事。开始一路上的穷困景象让作者很沮丧，但后来这位教师以及她的学生们的热情和乐观使作者深受感动且印象深刻。

1.词义猜测题。根据文章第一段的意思特别是when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program with Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. 可知，当我在肯塔基州巴布尔维尔的工会学院的一个项目中教授Early Childhood Development 时，因此土地这是作者所教的课程。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段最后一句“The poverty level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of hopelessness.”可知，贫穷程度令人震惊，破旧的小房子给了我最大的绝望感。因此可知，看到破旧的小屋时作者感到最失望，而不是看见“长长的轨道”“同一列火车”或“蜿蜒的道路”时，所以正确答案是B。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段第二句“Upon arriving at Dorothy's classroom，I was greeted with smiling faces and treated like a queen.”可知作者一到Dorothy的教室，就受到了“女王”般的待遇，即受到了热烈欢迎。故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段第四句“She came to the assessment and passed in all areas.”可知她通过了所需的评估，所以正确答案是C。A、B两项的描述与原文相反，应该是她请作者去吃饭庆祝，并送给作者一支钢笔；原文中说她像得到博士学位一样高兴，而不是真的得到了博士学位，故选C.。

5.推理判断题。作者在文章开头提到了那块有着不寻常意义的匾上的字，“Bloom where you are planted.”，即“在你被播种的地方开花”，并通过一个真实的故事告诉我们，不管我们在哪里，都可以实现自己的梦想，取得成就，故选D。