Question

    A little boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world because poliomyelitis (小儿麻痹症) made his leg lame and his teeth uneven. He seldom played with his classmates; and when the teacher asked him to answer questions, he always lowered his head without a word.

One spring, the boy’s father asked for some saplings (树苗) from the neighbor. He told his children to plant a sapling each person. The father said, “Whose seedling grows best, I will buy him or her a favorite gift.” The boy also wanted to get his father’s gift. But seeing his brothers and sisters carrying water to water the trees happily, anyhow, he hit upon an idea: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So watering it once or twice, he never attended to it.

A few days later, when the little boy went to see his tree again, he was surprised to find it not only didn’t wilt, but also grew some fresh leaves, and compared with the trees of his brother and sister, his appeared greener and more vital. His father kept his promise, bought the little boy his favorite gift and said to him: from the tree he planted, he would become an outstanding botanist when he grew up.

Since then, the little boy slowly became optimistic. One day, the little boy lay on the bed but couldn't sleep. Looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, he suddenly recalled what the biology teacher once said, plants generally grow at night. Why not go to see the tree? When he came to the courtyard on tiptoe, he found his father was splashing something under his tree with a ladle (勺子). He returned to his room, tears running down his face.

Decades passed. The little boy didn’t become a botanist, but he was elected President of the United States. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

1.Why didn’t the boy answer the teacher’s question?

A.He couldn’t concentrate on the class.

B.All the students looked down on him.

C.He lacked confidence because of his illness.

D.He was an unfortunate boy with learning disability.

2.Why did the father ask the children to plant trees?

A.The neighbor required him to do it.

B.He expected them to be botanists.

C.He wanted to encourage the disabled boy.

D.The children asked for their favorite gifts.

3.What does the underlined word “wilt” mean?

A.Become weak. B.Become strong.

C.Become beautiful. D.Become green.

4.What’s the best title for the passage?

A.An Unfortunate Boy

B.Nutrition of Growth

C.A Loving Father

D.The Unselfish Love

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.A

4.B

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了美国总统富兰克林·罗斯福的童年故事。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中的A little boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world because poliomyelitis made his leg lame and his teeth uneven.(一个小男孩几乎认为自己是世界上最不幸的孩子，因为小儿麻痹症使他的腿跛了，牙齿参差不齐)可知，这个男孩不回答老师的问题，因为他生病了，缺乏信心。故选C。

2.推理判断题。根据文章内容可知，一直是父亲秘密地帮助这个小男孩照顾小树，在小孩获得礼物时，父亲也是鼓励他一定会成为杰出的生物学家。由此推知，父亲叫孩子们去植树，因为他想鼓励那个残疾男孩。故选C。

3.词句猜测题。根据划线词下文but also grew some fresh leaves, and compared with the trees of his brother and sister, his appeared greener and more vital.(而且长出了一些新鲜的叶子，与他的兄弟姐妹的树相比，他的显得更绿，更有活力)可推知，小树不但没有枯萎反而比起他兄弟姐妹的更充满生机。由此推知，划线词wilt意为“枯萎”。故选A。

4.主旨大意题。文章讲述的就是残疾儿子在父亲的鼓励和爱的滋养下重拾信心，成为伟人的一个故事。由此可知，Nutrition of Growth(成长的养料)适合做本文最佳标题。故选B。