Question

    When I was a senior in college, I came home for Christmas vacation and anticipated a fun-filled fortnight with my two brothers. We were so excited to be together and we volunteered to watch the store so that my mother and father could take their first day off in years. The day before my parents went to Boston, my father took me quietly aside to the little den behind the store. He took out a cigar box, opened it and showed me a little pile of newspaper articles.

“What are they?” I asked.

Father replied seriously, “These are articles I’ve written and some letters to the editor that have been published.”

As I began to read, I saw at the bottom of each neatly clipped article the name Walter Chapman. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d done that?” I asked.

“Because I didn’t want your mother to know. She has always told me that since I didn’t have much education, I shouldn’t try to write. I wanted to run for some political office also, but she told me I shouldn’t try. I guess she was afraid she’d be embarrassed if I lost. I figured I could write without her knowing it, and so I did. When each item would be printed, I’d cut it out and hide it in this box. I knew someday I’d show the box to someone, and it’s you.”

He watched me as I read over a few of the articles and when I looked up, his big blue eyes were moist. “I guess I tried for something too big this last time,” he added.

“Did you write something else?”

“Yes, I sent some suggestions in to our church magazine on how the national nominating committee could be selected more fairly. It’s been three months since I sent it in. I guess I tried for something too big.”

This was such a new side to my fun-loving father that I didn’t quite know what to say, so I tried, “Maybe it’ll still come.”

“Maybe, but don’t hold your breath.” father gave me a little smile and a wink and then closed the cigar box.

The next morning our parents left on the bus to the railway station where they took a train to Boston. When I ran the store with my two brothers, I thought about the box. I’d never known my father liked to write. I didn’t tell my brothers. It was a secret between father and me.

Early that evening I looked out the store window and saw my mother get off the bus—alone.

“Where’s Dad?” We asked together.

“Your father’s dead,” she said without a tear.

She told us they had been walking through the Park Street Subway Station in the midst of crowds of people when father had fallen to the floor. A nurse bent over him, looked up at mother and said simply, “He’s dead.” Mother had stood by father stunned, not knowing what to do as people tripped over him in their rush through the subway.

Mother told us the shocking tale without shedding a tear. Not showing emotion had always been a matter of discipline and pride for her. We didn’t cry either and we took turns waiting on the customers.

One steady patron asked, “Where’s the old man tonight?”

“He’s dead,” I replied.

“Oh, too bad,” and he left.

I’d never thought of father as an old man. He’d always been healthy and happy and he’d cared for frail mother without complaining and now he was gone. No more whistling, no more singing hymns while stocking shelves. “The old man” was gone.

On the morning of the funeral, I sat at the table in the store opening sympathy cards and pasting them in a scrapbook when I noticed the church magazine in the pile. Normally I would never have opened it, but maybe that sacred article might be there—and it was.

I took the magazine to the little den, shut the door, and burst into tears. I had been brave, but seeing Dad’s bold recommendations in print was more than I could bear. I read and cried and then I read again. In the magazine I also found a two-page letter to my father from Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr., thanking him for the campaign suggestions. I took out the box and put them in it.

I didn’t tell anyone about the box.

1.Who was Walter Chapman in the passage?

A.A writer of detective stories B.The author’s father

C.An edition of a newspaper D.A customer in the store

2.Which one shows the order in which the events happened?

a. My father showed me a little pile of newspaper articles.

b. Our parents took a train to Boston.

c. My father’s article to the church magazine was published.

d. I came home for Christmas vacation.

e. My father died in an accident.

f. My father sent some suggestions in to the magazine.

A.f-d-a-b-e-c B.d-a-f-b-e-c

C.d-f-c-a-b-e D.f-d-b-a-c-e

3.The underlined sentence “Not showing emotion had always been a matter of discipline and pride for her” does NOT show that ____________.

A.she is unwilling to share her feelings with others

B.she is too proud to express her feelings

C.she is used to being serious

D.she is an emotional person

4.Why did the author burst into tears at last?

A.Because he thought of father’s whistling and singing hymns.

B.Because his father’s article to the church magazine was published.

C.Because the box full of his father’s articles was yet unknown to people.

D.Because he was moved by the funeral and the sympathy cards.

5.What’s the father’s attitude towards his writing?

A.He was ashamed of his writing so he hid the box.

B.He was proud of his talent in writing.

C.He was interested in writing and found it great fun.

D.He took writing as a means to make a living.

6.Which is the best title for this passage?

A.The Death of My Father B.Father and I

C.The Mystery of a Hidden Box D.A Sad Christmas Vacation

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.B

5.C

6.C

【解析】

本文为记叙文。文章叙述了作者的爸爸因为文化不高，害怕母亲担心，私下里写了许多文章和建议。每次发表之后就藏在小盒子里，想留给作者看。不幸的是作者的父亲在旅游途中去世，再次读到父亲盒子里的文章让作者流泪不止。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第一段至第三段的对话“He took out a cigar box, opened it and showed me a little pile of newspaper articles.“What are they?” I asked. Father replied seriously, “These are articles I’ve written and some letters to the editor that have been published.”As I began to read, I saw at the bottom of each neatly clipped article the name Walter Chapman. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d done that?” I asked.“Because I didn’t want your mother to know.父亲悄悄地把我带到商店后面的小书房。他拿出一个雪茄盒，打开，给我看了一小堆报纸文章。“他们是什么？”我问。父亲认真地回答：“这些是我写的文章，还有一些写给编辑的信，已经发表了。”当我开始阅读时，我在每一篇文章的底部看到了沃尔特·查普曼这个名字。“你为什么不告诉我是你写的？”我问。“因为我不想让你妈妈知道。......”，根据对话的内容可推断出文章中的Walter Chapman是他的父亲。故选B项。

2.细节理解题。根据事情发展的过程，第一段中“When I was a senior in college, I came home for Christmas vacation ... volunteered to watch the store so that my mother and father could take their first day off in years. The day before my parents went to Boston, my father took me quietly aside to the little den behind the store. He took out a cigar box, opened it and showed me a little pile of newspaper articles.” 上大学四年级的时候，...我们主动要求去看商店，这样我的父母可以在多年劳累后的第一天休息。我父母去波士顿的前一天，父亲把我悄悄带到商店后面的小房间里。他拿出一个雪茄盒，打开，给我看了一小堆报纸文章。可知，我先回家过节（d. I came home for Christmas vacation.），让父母去波士顿旅行（b. Our parents took a train to Boston.），在去波士顿前父亲给了我一小堆报纸（a. My father showed me a little pile of newspaper articles）。作者的父亲是在他回家过圣诞节前写的，这三者的顺序是d--a—b，故可排除D。作者的父亲在去波士顿旅游时去世的，所写的文章及提议是在父亲死于事故（e. My father died in an accident.）之前写的，即e是最后，e在f之前，故排除B和C。综合可知。故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据第17段“Mother told us the shocking tale without shedding a tear. Not showing emotion had always been a matter of discipline and pride for her“ 母亲一声不吭地告诉了我们这个令人震惊的故事。对她来说，不流露感情一直是一个自律和骄傲的事。由此判断出，妈妈能控制自己的情绪，因此“妈妈不是个情绪化的人”，故选D。

4.细节理解题。根据最后一段“but seeing Dad’s bold recommendations in print was more than I could bear. I read and cried and then I read again.” 但在文章中看到爸爸的提议出现在报纸上，我实在无法忍受。我读了又哭，哭了又读。可知，作者见到发表在教堂的报纸上爸爸的文章，他大哭了起来，故选B。

5.推理判断题。根据第五段Because I didn’t want your mother to know. She has always told me that since I didn’t have much education, I shouldn’t try to write. I wanted to run for some political office also, but she told me I shouldn’t try. I guess she was afraid she’d be embarrassed if I lost. I figured I could write without her knowing it, and so I did.” “因为我不想让你妈妈知道。她总是告诉我，既然我没有受过多少教育，我就不应该尝试写作。我也想竞选一些政治职位，但她告诉我不应该尝试。我想她担心如果我输了她会很尴尬。我想我可以在她不知道的情况下写作，所以我做到了......”由以上内容可知，爸爸只是告诉了作者他写作的事情，而从他的叙述中，可看出，尽管妻子不支持，他还是愿意尝试去写，应该是兴趣所致。由此判断出作者的父亲对写作感兴趣，觉得很有趣。故选C 。

6.主旨大意题。本文第一段叙述作者回家过圣诞节时，父亲给他看了自己藏在小盒里的文章，并告诉作者，因为害怕母亲担心而把发表的文章藏在小盒子里想留给作者看，这是父子俩的秘密。在父亲去世后，作者打开小盒子，又读到了父亲小盒里的文章。还把找到的父亲发表在杂志上的文章放入小盒子里。文中“I didn’t tell my brothers. It was a secret between father and me.”以及最后一句“I didn’t tell anyone about the box.”说明这个小盒子是作者和父亲之间的秘密一个秘密，对应了C项中的“mystery”。因此全文围绕这个装有爸爸文章的盒子写作的，这个小盒子是线索，故C选项一个隐藏的盒子的秘密。为短文最佳标题。故选C。