Question

    Although Bertha Young was thirty she still had moments like this when she wanted to run instead of walk, to take dancing steps on and off the pavement, to throw something up in the air and catch it again, or to stand still and laugh at — nothing — at nothing, simply.

What can you do if you are thirty and, turning the corner of your own street, you are overcome, suddenly by a feeling of happiness — absolute happiness.

Oh, is there no way you can express it without being “drunk and disorderly”? How stupid civilization is! Why should you be given a body if you have to keep it shut up in a case like a rare, rare fiddle(小提琴)?

“No, that about the fiddle is not quite what I mean,” she thought, running up the steps and feeling in her bag for the key — she’d forgotten it, as usual — and rattling the letter-box. “It’s not what I mean, because — Thank you, Mary” — she went into the hall. “Is nurse back?”

“Yes, M’m.”

“I’ll go upstairs.” And she ran upstairs to the nursery.

Nurse sat at a low table giving Little B her supper after her bath. The baby looked up when she saw her mother and began to jump.

“Now, my lovey, eat it up like a good girl,” said nurse, setting her lips in a way that Bertha knew, and that meant she had come into the nursery at another wrong moment.

“Has she been good, Nanny?”

“She’s been a little sweet all the afternoon,” whispered Nanny. “We went to the park and I sat down on a chair and took her out of the pram (婴儿车) and a big dog came along and she pulled its ear. Oh, you should have seen her.”

Bertha wanted to ask if it wasn’t rather dangerous to let her pull a strange dog’s ear. But she did not dare to. She stood watching them, her hands by her side, like the poor little girl in front of the rich girl with the doll.

The baby looked up at her again, stared, and then smiled so charmingly that Bertha couldn’t help crying.

“Oh, Nanny, do let me finish giving her supper while you put the bath things away.

“Well, M’m, she oughtn’t to be changed hands while she’s eating,” said Nanny, still whispering. “It unsettles her, it’s very likely to upset her.”

How absurd it was. Why have a baby if it has to be kept—not in a case like a rare, rare fiddle — but in another woman’s arms?

“Oh, I must!” said she.

Very offended, Nanny handed her over.

“Now, don’t excite her after her supper. You know you do, M’m. And I have such a time with her after!”

Thank heaven! Nanny went out of the room with the bath towels.

“Now I’ve got you to myself, my little precious,” said Bertha, as the baby learned against her.

She ate delightfully, holding up her lips for the spoon and then waving her hands. Sometimes she wouldn’t let the spoon go; and sometimes just as Bertha had filled it, she waved it away to the four winds.

When the soup was finished Bertha turned round to the fire. “You’re nice — you’re very nice!” said she, kissing her warm baby. “I’m fond of you. I like you.”

And indeed, she loved Little B so much — her neck as she bent forward, her pretty toes as they shone transparent in the firelight — that all her feeling of happiness came back again, and again she didn’t know how to express it — what to do with it.

“You’re wanted on the telephone,” said Nanny, coming back in victory and seizing her Little B.

1.In paragraph 3 and 15, a “rare, rare fiddle” is used to show that ________.

A.Bertha is frustrated by not feeling free to express her musical talents

B.wealthy mothers are not allowed to look after their children

C.Bertha considers her baby girl an extraordinary child

D.people of a certain age are expected to follow a certain code of behavior

2.Nanny’s facial expression on seeing Bertha’s arrival in the nursery suggest ________.

A.a vain attempt to hide her joy at seeing Bertha

B.fear of dismissal from her job for untidy nursery

C.dislike for Bertha’s ill-timed visits to the nursery

D.a relief as she can at last eat her supper

3.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 11 imply?

A.Bertha wishes to have care-giving time with her baby.

B.Bertha lacks emotional and psychological strength.

C.Bertha desires a closer relationship with Nanny.

D.Bertha suffers from an unrealistic hope of having more babies.

4.Which of the following best describes the relationship between Bertha and Nanny?

A.Bertha feels that Nanny is a competent nurse and will do anything liberate her from chores.

B.Nanny considers herself the baby’s primary caregiver and Bertha just an occasional visitor.

C.Bertha prefers to leave the child in Nanny’s care so that she can fulfill her inappropriate fantasies.

D.Nanny is tired of working hard for Bertha and would like to find other pleasant employment.

5.In Nanny’s eyes, what was Bertha like?

A.She is a kind employer but a strict mother.

B.She is a thoughtless person and inexperienced mother.

C.She is excited and is always lost in her overactive imagination.

D.She is forgetful and has no sense of class distinctions in society.

6.Which of the following sentences best describes Nanny’s possessiveness (占有欲)?

A.“She’s been a little sweet all the afternoon,” whispered Nanny. “...Oh. you should have seen her.”

B.“Now, my lovey, eat it up like a good girl,” said nurse, setting her lips in a way that Bertha knew.

C.“Now, don’t excite her after her supper. You know you do, M’m. And I have such a time with her after!”

D.“You’re wanted on the telephone,” said Nanny, coming back in victory and seizing her Little B.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.A

4.B

5.B

6.D

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。本文节选自曼斯菲尔德小说《幸福》，文章讲述了女主人公Bertha的婚姻生活故事。文章讲述的是Bertha的女儿有保姆Nanny来照看。Nanny认为自己是孩子的主要看护者，而Bertha只是偶尔的访客。在保姆眼里，Bertha是个考虑不周并且没有经验的母亲，而Bertha希望有时间照顾她的孩子。

1.词义猜测题。根据第3段中Why should you be given a body if you have to keep it shut up in a case like a rare, rare fiddle (小提琴)?和第15段Why have a baby if it has to be kept — not in a case like a rare,rare fiddle — but in another woman’s arms?可知，在第3段和第15段中，“rare, rare fiddle”被用来表示一个特定年龄的人被期望遵循一定的行为准则。故选D。

2.推理判断题。根据第8段“Now, my lovey, eat it up like a good girl,” said nurse, setting her lips in a way that Bertha knew, and that meant she had come into the nursery at another wrong moment. (“好了，我的宝贝，像个好姑娘那样把它吃掉吧，”保姆说，她的嘴唇摆出一种Bertha知道的姿势，这意味着她在另一个错误的时刻来到育儿室)可推知，Nanny看到Bertha进了育儿室，脸上的表情表明她不喜欢Bertha不合时宜地进育儿室。故选C。

3.句意猜测题。根据第11段中Bertha wanted to ask if it wasn’t rather dangerous to let her pull a strange dog’s ear. But she did not dare to.(Bertha想问问，让她拉一只陌生狗的耳朵是不是很危险。但是她不敢)和第12段The baby looked up at her again, stared, and then smiled so charmingly that Bertha couldn’t help crying.(婴儿又抬头看着她，盯着她看，然后露出迷人的微笑，Bertha禁不住哭了起来)可推知，第11段划线的句子暗示“Bertha希望有时间照顾她的孩子。”故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据第13段Oh, Nanny, do let me finishing giving her supper while you put the bath things away. (噢，保姆，你把洗澡水收拾好，让我给她吃完晚饭吧)第14段“Well, M’m, she oughtn’t to be changed hands while she’s eating,” said Nanny, still whispering. “It unsettles her, it’s very likely to upset her.”(“唔，夫人，她不应该在吃饭的时候换手，”保姆说，仍然低声耳语着。“这会让她不安，很可能会让她心烦意乱。”)和第15段How absurd it was. Why have a baby if it has to be kept — not in a case like a rare, rare fiddle — but in another woman’s arms?(这是多么荒谬。如果自己的孩子必须被保存在另一个女人的怀里，为什么要有一个孩子呢？)可推知，Nanny认为自己是孩子的主要看护者，而Bertha只是偶尔的访客。故选B。

5.推理判断题。根据第14段“Well, M’m, she oughtn’t to be changed hands while she’s eating,” said Nanny, still whispering. “It unsettles her, it’s very likely to upset her.” (“唔，夫人，她不应该在吃饭的时候换手，”保姆说，仍然低声耳语着。“这会让她不安，很可能会让她心烦意乱。”)可知，保姆眼里，Bertha是个考虑不周并且没有经验的母亲。故选B。

6.推理判断题。根据最后一段“You’re wanted on the telephone,” said Nanny, coming back in victory and seizing her Little B.(保姆说，“有你的电话，”亲生母亲Bertha去接电话，而保姆带着胜利的神情回来抓住她看管的孩子Little B)可推知，该句最能描述保姆的占有欲。故选D。