Question

    The other day, my wife and I were in Kent County when we saw smoke on the horizon. We went about our business for a little while, and then curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to go over and check out the fire. It turned out there was a brush fire that got out of control and grew from 25 acres to 100 acres.

What struck me most about that day was the word “volunteer” written on almost every piece of emergency equipment that I could see. No one was getting paid to fight the fire that day. They were there because they chose to be, not because they had to be.

How many of us would wake up early one fine Sunday morning, get dressed in hot, bulky(笨重的) clothing and risk our lives for no money and little reward? These folks do that all the time. I live in a densely populated(人口稠密的) area, and our local fire department is volunteer. Most of the time when we see these individuals, they are either on the way to or back from an emergency. We also occasionally see them collecting money on the side of the road. With either boots or helmets in hand, they ask for donations to keep them in the latest life-saving equipment. I think very few people give them the amount that’s equal to, say, a basic cable(缆绳) bill.

As a small business owner, I really can’t give these people enough money. And I don’t think our communities do enough to honor these people who risk their lives and volunteer. If you ever lose your faith in people, follow one of these trucks to a disaster and watch who jumps off and what they do. I believe you’ll be amazed by what total strangers are willing to do to protect you.

1.When the author was in Kent County the other day, he __________.

A.lost his business B.had a quarrel with his wife

C.witnessed a big fire D.acted as a volunteer firefighter

2.What does the question in Paragraph 3 mainly show?

A.Volunteer firefighters are really selfless.

B.Most of brush fires break out on Sundays.

C.Volunteers firefighters often get up earlier than others.

D.More and more people are ready to be volunteer firefighters.

3.How does the author feel about people’s donations to volunteer firefighters?

A.Disappointed. B.Confident. C.Curious. D.Excited.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A.Do what we can to prevent fires B.Don’t put yourself at risk of a fire

C.Keep a warm heart in volunteer work D.Don’t take volunteer firefighters for granted

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者和妻子在肯特郡目睹了一场大火，前去救火的消防员大多都是志愿者，他们在那里是因为他们选择这样做，而不是因为他们必须这样做。作者指出消防员真的很无私，但是对人们只给消防员很少的捐款感到失望，作者认为人们不该把志愿消防员的工作当做理所应当。

1.

细节理解题。根据第一段The other day, my wife and I were in Kent County when we saw smoke on the horizon. We went about our business for a little while, and then curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to go over and check out the fire. It turned out there was a brush fire that got out of control and grew from 25 acres to 100 acres.可知有一天，我和妻子在肯特郡，看到地平线上冒烟。我们忙了一会儿，然后好奇心占据了我的上风，我决定过去看看火。原来是一场森林大火失去了控制，从25英亩增加到100英亩。由此可知，前几天作者在肯特郡时，他目睹了一场大火。故选C。

2.

推理判断题。根据第三段How many of us would wake up early one fine Sunday morning, get dressed in hot, bulky(笨重的) clothing and risk our lives for no money and little reward? These folks do that all the time. I live in a densely populated(人口稠密的) area, and our local fire department is volunteer. Most of the time when we see these individuals, they are either on the way to or back from an emergency. We also occasionally see them collecting money on the side of the road. With either boots or helmets in hand, they ask for donations to keep them in the latest life-saving equipment. I think very few people give them the amount that’s equal to, say, a basic cable(缆绳) bill.可知我们中有多少人会在一个晴朗的星期天早上早早醒来，穿上又热又笨重的衣服，冒着生命危险，不求报酬、不求回报？这些人总是这么做。我住在人口密集的地区，我们当地的消防部门是志愿者。大多数时候，我们看到这些人，他们不是在路上就是在紧急情况下回来。我们偶尔也会看到他们在路边募捐。他们要么穿着靴子，要么戴着头盔，请求捐赠，让他们拥有最新的救生设备。我认为很少有人会给他们相当于基本有线电视费用的钱。由此可推知，第3段的问题主要说明了志愿消防员真的很无私。故选A。

3.

推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中I think very few people give them the amount that’s equal to, say, a basic cable(缆绳) bill.(我认为很少有人会给他们相当于基本有线电视费用的钱)以及最后一段中And I don’t think our communities do enough to honor these people who risk their lives and volunteer.可知我认为我们的社区对这些冒着生命危险参加志愿活动的人们没有给予足够的尊重。由此可推知，作者对人们对志愿消防员的捐款感到失望。故选A。

4.

主旨大意题。根据第二段What struck me most about that day was the word “volunteer” written on almost every piece of emergency equipment that I could see. No one was getting paid to fight the fire that day. They were there because they chose to be, not because they had to be.可知那天给我印象最深的是我能看到的几乎每一件紧急设备上都写着“志愿者”这个词。那天没有人拿钱救火。他们在那里是因为他们选择这样做，而不是因为他们必须这样做。结合文章讲述了作者和妻子在肯特郡目睹了一场大火，前去救火的消防员大多都是志愿者，他们在那里是因为他们选择这样做，而不是因为他们必须这样做。作者指出消防员真的很无私，但是对人们只给消防员很少的捐款感到失望，作者认为人们不该把志愿消防员的工作看作是理所应当的。由此可知，D选项“不要认为志愿消防员是理所当然的”最符合文章标题。故选D。