Question

    When my grandmother died at the age of 96, there were two things she left behind in abundance — nearly 100 photo albums documenting decades of travel and home life, and a dozen quilts, one of which my mother gave me.

Quilting is the process of sewing together fabric (布料) to make one large piece of fabric. In my family, quilting and sewing is a tradition that has been passed down through the generations. My mother says her great-grandmother would occasionally travel around New York State to sew clothing for other families.

In the United States, quilting was a craft (手艺) that started as a necessity and eventually became much more. In 1862, the U.S. government offered millions of acres of land to Americans who wanted to move west. This allowed families to settle on land that they could eventually own. They often built their own homes and lived off the vegetables in their gardens and the livestock they had. Sewing was very important for women because they were responsible for clothing their families and keeping them warm.

Quilting also became a chance for women to socialize with each other. They would gather for so-called “quilting bees”, where they would meet and work on one quilting project together. This provided a much-needed relief from the lonely life of living on a large piece of land.

Throughout history, the different patterns on American quilts have conveyed all kinds of information. From them, we can tell where a person lived, what region of the world they originated from, or sometimes a story is told in pictures on a quilt. Even today, women still gather to quilt together in a show of friendship and a love for the craft, just like the old days. My sister has tried quilting a few times, and hopefully, her two daughters may one day continue this family tradition.

1.What do we know about quilting?

A.It is a lost traditional craft.

B.It is a major means of making a living in the USA.

C.It is a craft that has become a cultural symbol.

D.It was a way to carry on the American history.

2.What does the author intend to do in paragraph 3?

A.Introduce a new topic for discussion.

B.Summarize the previous paragraphs.

C.Add some background information.

D.Praise the U.S. government’s policy.

3.What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A.Working on the land. B.Participating in “quilting bees”.

C.Clothing the family. D.Designing a quilting project.

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A.Quilting patterns can convey limited information.

B.Quilting can’t meet the need to socialize nowadays.

C.Quilting is not a tradition in the author’s family.

D.The author hopes quilting can be passed on to younger generations.

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。缝被子是作者家族的传统，也在美国历史上有重要的意义，本文呼吁大家保护好这一传统。

1.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段Throughout history, the different patterns on American quilts have conveyed all kinds of information. From then, we can tell where a person lived，what region of the world they originated from, or sometimes a story is told in pictures on a quilt.(伴随着历史，美国被子上不同的图案传达者不同的信息。从那些图案，我们能看出一个人曾在哪儿生活，他们最初来自于世界上哪儿，或者有时候被子上的图案就是一个故事)可知，美国被子的不同图案传递了各种各样的信息，比如在哪里生活，来自哪里等，说明被子本身已经有了文化符号，承载着特定的文化。故选C。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段中的In the United States, quilting was a craft (手艺) that started as a necessity and eventually became much more(在美国，缝被子一开始是必须的一种手艺，最终却变得更加有意义)可知，这段话主要讲述缝被子的历史，目的是为本文话题缝被子增加了新的背景知识。故选C。

3.词义猜测题。根据本段They would gather for so-called “quilting bees”, where they would meet up and work on one quilting project together.(他们将会参加所谓的“被子蜜蜂”，在那里他们聚在一起，一起完成一个缝被子的项目)可知，this指代的就是这句话中出现的内容，即妇女们能够坐在一起完成一个被子。故选B。

4.推理判断题。由最后一段中的My sister has tried quilting a few times, and hopefully, her two daughters may one day continue this family tradition.(我的姐姐试着缝了几次被子，希望她的两个女儿有一天也会继承家里的传统)可知，作者希望缝被子的传统能够传递给年轻的一代，代代相传。故选D。