Question

    I am a putterer—a person spending a lot of time doing things people usually consider unimportant in a relaxed way. However, I don’t think puttering is wasting my time. It is a satisfying way of dealing with one’s domestic environment in a way one cannot do with the world at large.

As a father, I’ve had a difficult time communicating this to my college-age son. Tom recently bought a used car. I was proud of him for negotiating a good deal. When I looked it over, I noticed a tiny spot of rust (锈). Like a superhero out to save the day, I rushed toward the imperfection with a piece of sandpaper and a small bottle of clear nail polish from my puttering resources. Tom watched as I sanded the spot and then coated it with the nail polish. He rolled his eyes. ''You'll understand someday,” I told him.

As a rule, I do not usually conduct such public performances. Puttering is, in brief, a solitary(独自进行的) act, and putterers are modest people. They observe small things that most folks simply tolerate ---- a picture hung not in a straight position, a door not shutting well, a shaky table leg ... It doesn't take much effort or time to right such deficiencies. But once again, there is something in the sensibility of the putterer that makes correcting them deeply rewarding.

All of this risks giving an impression of endless, and perhaps mindless activity. But nothing could be further from the truth. The beauty of puttering is that it is a symbol of having control over one’s time, responding to the needs of one’s home as one sees fit: If I don’t fix the shaky kitchen table today, I can do it tomorrow, or the next day, or not at all. Puttering, you might say, has set me free.

1.Which of the following best describes Tom’s attitude toward his father’s puttering?

A.Disapproval. B.Admiration.

C.Gratitude. D.Embarrassment.

2.What do we know about the author?

A.He is extremely strict with his son. B.He shows interest in collecting old things.

C.He has an observing eye for small things. D.He often overlooks others’ imperfections.

3.Which of the following word is closest in meaning to the underlined word “deficiencies” in paragraph 3?

A.Consequences. B.Obstacles.

C.Inconveniences. D.Drawbacks.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A.The Benefits of Puttering B.My Enjoyment of Puttering

C.Puttering，Wasting Time D.Puttering, My Daily Life

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇夹叙夹议的文章。短文主要叙述了作者是一个悠闲地做琐碎事的人，作者很享受自己的状态。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第二段末尾内容“Tom watched as I sanded the spot and then coated it with the nail polish. He rolled his eyes.”可知汤姆看着父亲用砂纸打磨那块地方，然后在上面涂上指甲油，他翻了个白眼。因此可以推知，Tom对于作者磨蹭行为的不屑，不赞成的，选项A. Disapproval.(反对)说明了Tom的态度。故选A项。

2.推理判断题。根据文章第三段内容“They observe small things that most folks simply tolerate ---- a picture hung not in a straight position, a door not shutting well, a shaky table leg”可知作者 需要观察那些大多数人都能容忍的小事——一幅画挂得不正，一扇门关不上，一条桌子腿在颤抖，因此判断出，他是一个善于观察小事的人，有敏锐的观察力。故选C项。

3.词义猜测题。根据划线单词之前的such可知，“such deficiencies”应是指代前文提及的“a picture hung not in a straight position, a door not shutting well, a shaky table leg(一幅画挂得不正，一扇门关不上，一条桌子腿在颤抖)”，因此，可以推知deficiencies应是“缺陷；缺点”含义，与选项D. Drawbacks(缺点)含义相同。故选D项。

4.主旨大意题。文章结构为总分总结构，末段再次呼应文章主旨：The beauty of puttering is that it is a symbol of having control over one’s time, responding to the needs of one’s home as one sees fit: If I don’t fix the shaky kitchen table today, I can do it tomorrow, or the next day, or not at all. Puttering, you might say, has set me free. (“磨蹭”的美妙之处在于，它象征着你可以控制自己的时间，以自己认为合适的方式回应家里的需要：如果我今天不修理摇摇晃晃的厨房桌子，我明天就可以做，或者第二天，或者根本就不做。你可能会说，磨蹭让我获得了自由。)可知，本文的主要内容讲述了作者对于自己的悠闲地做琐碎事的人的理解和感悟。选项B. “享受悠闲地做琐碎事”贴合主题，为最佳标题。故选B项。