Question

    I have learned something about myself since I moved from Long Island to Florida three years ago. Even though I own a home in Port St, Lucie just minutes from the ocean, an un- controllable urge wells up to return to Long Island even as others make their way south. I guess I am a snowbird stuck in reverse. Instead of enjoying Florida’s mild winters, I willingly endure the severe weather on Long Island, the place I called home for 65 years.

I’m like a migratory bird (候鸟) that has lost its sense of timing and direction, my wings flapping against season.

So what makes me fly against the tide of snowbirds? The answer has a lot to do with my reluctance to give up the things that define who I am. Once I hear that the temperature on Long Island has dipped into the range of 40 to 50 degrees, I begin to long for the sight and crackling sound of a wood fire. I also long for the bright display of colors-first in the fall trees, and then in the lights around homes and at Rockefeller Center. Floridians decorate too, but can’t create the special feel of a New England winter.

I suppose the biggest reason why I return is to celebrate the holidays with people I haven’t seen in months. What could be better than sitting with family and friends for a Thanksgiving turkey dinner, or watching neighbors children excitedly open gifts on Christmas? Even the first snowfall seems special. I especially enjoy seeing a bright red bird settling on a snow-covered branch. (My wife and I spend winters at a retirement community in Ridge, and I’m grateful that I don’t have to shovel.)

While these simple pleasures are not unique to Long Island, they are some of the reasons why I come back. Who says you can’t go home?

1.What’s the difference between Florida and Long Island?

A.Winters in Florida are milder.

B.The snowbirds in Florida are rarer.

C.Weather in Florida is severer.

D.Florida is nearer to the ocean.

2.What does the underlined word “reluctance” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A.Unwillingness.

B.Expectation.

C.Coincidence.

D.Motivation.

3.Which of the following words can best describe the author?

A.Imaginative and outspoken.

B.Hard-working and serious.

C.Homesick and easy-going

D.Anxious and painful.

4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A.To describe his dream to be a free bird.

B.To express his feeling of missing his hometown.

C.To praise the beauty and warmth of his hometown.

D.To explain the reasons for moving from his hometown.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.C

4.B

【解析】

本文是记叙文。作者解释了自己思念故乡的原因。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段“Instead of enjoying Florida’s mild winters, I willingly endure the severe weather on Long Island”可知，我宁愿忍受长岛的恶劣天气，也不愿享受佛罗里达州温和的冬天。所以佛罗里达和长岛不同之处在意佛罗里达的冬天比较温和。故选A项。

2.词义猜测题。根据下文I begin to long for the sight and crackling sound of a wood fire. I also long for the bright display of colors—first in the fall trees, and then in the lights around homes and at Rockefeller Center.可知，我开始渴望看到柴火，渴望听到柴火的噼里啪啦声。我也渴望明亮的色彩——首先在秋天的树上，然后在家周围和洛克菲勒中心的灯光下。根据上下文语境可以判断出，可知作者不愿意放弃故乡的好。故划线词的意思是“不愿意”，故选A项。

3.推理判断题。根据全文尤其是第三段“I begin to long for the sight and crackling sound of a wood fire. I also long for the bright display of colors—first in the fall trees, and then in the lights around homes and at Rockefeller Center.可知，我开始渴望看到柴火，渴望听到柴火的噼里啪啦声。我也渴望明亮的色彩——首先在秋天的树上，然后在家庭周围和洛克菲勒中心的灯光下。”可判断出，作者在表达思乡之情。根据倒数第二段“I suppose the biggest reason why I return is to celebrate the holidays with people I haven’t seen in months”可知，与久违的人们共庆佳节。可判断出，作者平易近人。故选C项。

4.推理判断题。根据第一段Instead of enjoying Florida’s mild winters, I willingly endure the severe weather on Long Island, the place I called home for 65 years.可知。作者不爱佛州的温和，甘愿忍受长岛的严寒。由此判断出，作者写这篇短文的目的是为了抒发思乡之情。故 选 B 项。