It was New Year time, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. That winter, my mother and my stepfather moved our family to Southern California. My brother and I were leaving our rural Alabama behind. This would be our first New Year away from Alabama. My mother took to California like a swan to a royal lake. My athletic little brother, Paul, was excited at a climate that allowed him to go to the beach whenever he wanted.
I, however, was a fat child with a heavy southern pronunciation. My first day in the new class, I introduced myself in a low voice. All I said was my name and where I was from. The class burst into laughter. “He talks funnily.” I was so helpless that I went to a place to call Granny Smith after school, who was my biggest support. But I didn’t get through.
On Sunday evening, the phone rang. It was Granny. She often took advantage of the discounted long-distance rates on Sundays. She said she’d shipped a New Year package. Sure enough, it arrived. Surprised at the box, large enough to hold a small refrigerator, we eagerly tore it open. The smell of Granny’s house filled the room: a combination of fried meat, sausages, furniture polish and decorations. Her house was tiny and always filled with tacky holiday decorations and homemade food before New Year. But in my childhood eyes, it was precious and fantastic.
There were countless tins and containers. We opened them to discover piles of holiday treats. She even included our traditional candy bars. The box was as bottomless as a magical box. There, beneath all these, was my familiar holiday.
Every New Year that we spent in California, the postal service would call and say our package arrived. Over the years, many treasures arrived in the box. For me, it’s always been the best part of the holiday.
1. How did he author’s brother feel when they were moving to California?| A．Unconcerned. | B．Joyful. | C．Grateful. | D．Upset. |
| A．He had a strong accent. | B．He made a humorous talk. |
| C．He looked overweight. | D．He spoke in a very low voice. |
| A．Suitable. | B．Large. | C．Cheap. | D．Attractive. |
| A．Granny’s Care Package | B．An Unforgettable Holiday |
| C．Our Move to California | D．A Telephone Call from Granny |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】My parents moved to Mississippi when my brother and I were small children, and we were separated from our Oklahoma grandparents by some 600 miles. This long distance allowed us to only visit our grandparents once a year, either at Christmas or during summer vacation.
Most of my classmates lived near their grandparents, and I would often hear stories of big families regularly spending time with one another, fishing at “grandpa’s” house or going over to “grandma’s” for her famous fried chicken. We were disappointed that we did not get to spend more time with our grandparents, but our love for them remained deep and strong.
We always expected a road trip to Oklahoma. We would count the days, and when the day came, the entire family would pile into our car at four o'clock in the morning. Crossing the Mississippi River into Louisiana, the scenery changed. Crossing the Red River in Oklahoma, we were in a foreign world.
Every trip to see my grandparents can’t be without bringing delight. We jumped out of the car in their driveway to be met with bear hugs. My grandparents wanted to know everything about their grandchildren, and we would sit for hours and tell story after story. Grandma had a meal planned, and you could guess she prepared her grandsons’ favorite foods. Of course the best part of the visit was that we were able to do whatever we wanted without punishment from our grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa always had presents for us, short trips planned and lovely surprises, such as the time we got to a local restaurant and ate the world’s largest hamburger.
1. Why didn’t the family visit their grandparents often?| A．Because they seldom had a vacation. |
| B．Because they had a bad attitude to them. |
| C．Because they were all busy with their work. |
| D．Because they lived far away from each other. |
| A．often felt deep sorrow |
| B．would call his grandparents |
| C．would admire them at heart |
| D．would feel sorry for his poor life |
| A．were full of great excitement |
| B．found they were in a foreign world |
| C．shared cooking skills with each other |
| D．seemed not to be familiar with each other |
| A．Distance can’t break the bond of love. |
| B．Physical separation hurts the heart deeply. |
| C．Distance leads to the most beautiful scene. |
| D．Family life is filled with love and understanding. |
【推荐2】Tips (建议) to Bring Your Family Closer Together
I can remember being a child and everyday we would have dinner with my grandparents.
Do not force your family to spend time together.
Spend time in the kitchen together. If you have young kids，they love to make a mess and that is why I suggest the kitchen. Bake some cupcakes or cookies with them，but let them get involved by stirring (搅拌) or adding the ingredients.
Always remember that one child is not the same as another. I have two children. My older son is a perfect little angel，while my little son is constantly trying to get into trouble.
| A．They will love this. |
| B．Want parents’ attention. |
| C．I never go out with them. |
| D．This will only make them hate family time even more. |
| E．He was very upset about the quality of time his brother got. |
| F．It was a rewarding (有意义的) experience and one I will carry with me forever. |
| G．So，I have to remind myself constantly that I have to treat them differently. |
【推荐3】It was between Covid lockdowns in 2020. My daughter was struggling to care about online schooling. As a distraction, I suggested a driving lesson in my old car. She had her L-plates (临时驾驶许可证) but was unwilling at first because she has never been a fan of not being able to master something quickly.
Teaching a child to drive requires patience and a calm voice. After a week of car park driving, I told her to hit the road. During the second week of driving lessons, she mastered turning and finally remembered to take the handbrake (手刹) off before speeding up. By the third week, her fear had gone. She even wanted the radio on while driving. I told her she had to reach 10 hours without incident and then she could listen to my choice of music.
Each day, we’d drive for hours. It reminded me of all those trips when she was in the passenger seat and conversation would flow. Sitting side by side, she’d tell me many things. Now it was my turn to talk.
For the past year, we’d lived through hundreds of days of restrictions. With my daughter learning to drive came laughter. The more she drove, the more she loved to drive. In all those hours of watching my daughter learn something, and revel in it, I’d handed her the reins (控制权).
My daughter has booked her driving test. I’ll miss the hours we’ve spent, sitting side by side, learning something new about each other.
1. Why was the daughter unwilling to drive at first?| A．She felt driving was unsafe. |
| B．She disliked the slow leaning process. |
| C．She wanted to spend more time reading. |
| D．She had fallen behind with her schooling. |
| A．Until she could drive around in circles. |
| B．Until she could make turns while driving. |
| C．Until she could drive for 10 hours without any difficulties. |
| D．Until she could take the handbrake off before speeding up. |
| A．Take part in. | B．Take pleasure in. |
| C．Believe in. | D．Give in. |
| A．My Daughter’s Driving Started | B．My Daughter Passed Her Test |
| C．The Love for Our Old Car Mattered | D．Driving Lessons Brought Us Closer |
【推荐1】Four men who would become fathers were in a hospital waiting room while their wives were in labor (分娩). The nurse arrived and proudly said to the first man, “Congratulations, sir. You’re the father of twins!”
“What a coincidence (巧合)! I work for the Minnesota Twins Baseball teams!”
Later the nurse returned and congratulated the second father on the birth of his triplets (三胞胎).
“Wow! That’s unbelievable! I work for the 3M Company.”
An hour later, the nurse returned to congratulate the third man on the birth of his quadruplets (四胞胎). Surprised, he only could answer, “I don’t believe it! I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!”
After this, everyone turned to the fourth man who had just fainted (晕). The nurse ran fast to his side. As he slowly came to himself, they could hear him speak in a very low voice over and over, “I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven.”
1. Why were the fathers there?| A．They were waiting for their wives. |
| B．They were seeing doctors. |
| C．They were waiting for their babies to be born. |
| D．They were working at men nurses there. |
| A．He thought the nurse made a mistake. |
| B．He was very surprised at the nurse’s words. |
| C．He didn’t want to have these babies. |
| D．He should never have worked at 7-Eleven. |
| A．He was afraid of having so many babies. |
| B．He was seriously ill. |
| C．He was too excited. |
| D．He was very glad to have 7 babies. |
【推荐2】A British woman, Dr. Mantri, growing up in India started to notice his son, Dhruv, was struggling with simple math problem when he was in fifth-grade. After noticing this, she started employing an abacus (算盘) to help her son visually comprehend mathematics.
“I would ask him something like 35 minus 13 and he couldn’t do it.” said Dhruv’s mom Dr. Mantri. “I decided to change the way he looked at numbers,” she said. “An abacus is a tried and tested method, and the Egyptians used them for building the pyramid.” In just six days he started to show progress with the abacus and would go on to become a whizz kid with numbers, with even his classmates’ parents reaching out for help.
She never thought she would teach her son using an abacus, which she used as a child in India and it was always helpful. Within six days she started to notice a difference and see results. So dramatic was the turnaround, that school staff asked him to perform with the abacus at a meeting, where some parents even came to ask for advice on using it for their kids.
IT specialist Dr. Mantri said the humble abacus can be used for calculations into the trillions and kids enjoy learning on it because it’s like a game. “It becomes a playing tool for younger children, for it feels like a game. I think the success comes because children can touch and feel an abacus and visualize them.” She added.
By the age of 12, Dhruv was giving online cyber security class and is now pursuing a career in data science and analytics. Dhruv has now landed an apprenticeship (实习) at an international firm. During the four-year apprenticeship, he will spend one day a week studying Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Glasgow Caledonian University. “He is so confident now and I am so proud,” she said, with Dhruv adding “I don’t think my teachers would have guessed that I would be following a career in data science at that time.”
1. Why did Dhruv have difficulty in learning mathematics?| A．He was faced with language barrier. | B．He didn’t find a proper way. |
| C．He suffered from eyesight problems. | D．He lacked academic support from the family. |
| A．Careful. | B．hardworking. | C．Outstanding. | D．Struggling. |
| A．They find it attractive. | B．They can calculate faster. |
| C．They enjoy playing games. | D．They are eager for success. |
| A．Dhruv was addicted to the internet at 12. |
| B．Dhruv is teaching data science and analytics now. |
| C．Dhruv is a full-time student at Glasgow Caledonian University. |
| D．Dhruv’s career choice was beyond his teachers’ expectation. |
【推荐3】Up to the age of ten, I did not mind at all the fact that my elder sister was different. The child psychologist had termed it as “Asperger Syndrome”, a disease that affects how a person socializes with others.
It was only at the age of ten that I started to become aware of my social life and self-image that I had carefully shaped. My sister, on the other hand, was socially awkward. She would mumble (咕哝) to herself and repeat the words she had just said under her breath. She, however, was academically capable, and hence we attended the same primary school. Despite this, I never, ever acknowledged in public that she was my sister.
Being in primary six, about to graduate, my sister and her classmates had to put up a performance, whether in a group, or individually. Due to her inability to integrate, my sister was the only one left without a group. “I’ll sing,” my sister told my parents, somewhat confidently. Hearing that, I was taken aback. How could my sister sing in front of the school? She would embarrass me, one way or another. “No!” I remember protesting. My parents shot me a look.
No one knows she is your sister. It is fine, you do not need to tell anyone. I remember telling myself these exact lines as I sat in the hall, waiting for the performances to start. The curtains parted to reveal the only solo (独唱) — my sister. It took about a whole minute for her to state her name and class and by that time, whispers were heard in the audience.
“Why is she taking so long?” people around me asked. I shifted nervously in my seat. Finally, my sister started to sing. I was prepared for the worst. She opened her mouth, and I was transfixed — she sang effortlessly. Her voice rang through the hall, beautiful in its power. I listened ever so carefully to the words that she had composed all by herself.
Guilt and shame filled my heart. Although she knew that I was embarrassed by her and was unwilling to attend her concert, my sister had forgiven me; she had never taken anything that I had done to her to heart. It was then that I resolved to love her unconditionally.
1. How did the author feel about his sister’s difference before 10?| A．He hardly accepted it. | B．He didn’t care about it. |
| C．He was extremely awkward. | D．He was determined to help. |
| A．To challenge his parents. | B．To follow other students. |
| C．To keep his sister’s image. | D．To protect his self-respect. |
| A．She always got full marks in primary school. |
| B．She refused to form a group with other students. |
| C．She gave an excellent performance before graduation. |
| D．She delivered an inspiring speech in front of the school. |
| A．Take nothing to heart. | B．Love without condition. |
| C．Stick to one’s own choice. | D．Learn from anyone around. |
【推荐1】In a town there lived a little, beautiful and smart girl. Her name was Rose. Everyone was very brave, but she was scared of the doctor. One day, one of her teeth was moving. Her mom saw it. She said, "One of your teeth is moving, and you need to visit Doctor Tim."
Rose said, "No! I'm not going to the doctor."Mom said, "Don't worry. It's not wobbly(摆动的) we needn't go to the doctor at once." That made Rose feel better.
After five weeks, Rose forgot about her tooth but her mom didn't. She checked her tooth again and it was wobblier, so she said, "It's time to see the doctor."
Rose was scared but she had to do what her mom told her, so they went to see the doctor Tim. They had to wait in the waiting room.
When it was her turn, her heart was beating very fast. She went into Doctor Tim's room. He was smiling. She sat on the chair. Doctor Tim said, "Close your eyes." Rose closed her eyes, but just before Doctor Tim started, tears started coming down from her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she saw Doctor Tim holding her tooth, smiling. Rose smiled. Then Doctor Tim gave her a teddy bear. From that time Rose wasn't scared of doctors anymore.
1. At he beginning of the story, Rose was scared of________.| A．her mom | B．the doctor | C．her teeth |
| A．five months | B．many years | C．five weeks |
| A．nervous | B．sad | C．excited |
| A．Rose mother asked Rose to see the doctor because of her moving teeth. |
| B．Rose mother was angry when Rose refused to see the doctor. |
| C．Everyone in the town liked Rose because she was a smart girl. |
| A．kind | B．brave | C．careless |
【推荐2】The sound that woke Damian Languell at 8:15 am was so loud that he assumed it came from inside his house. As he got up to investigate, he heard another sound, this one coming most definitely from outside. Looking out of his bedroom window, he spied a tree engulfed(淹没) in smoke about 500 yards away. A car was wrapped around the tree’s base, its engine on fire.
Grabbing buckets of water, Languell and his girlfriend ran to the crash site. The wreck looked worse up close. The car, a 1998 Buick, was split nearly in two, and the tree was where the driver’s seat ought to have been, as if planted there. No one should have survived this crash, and yet there was 16-year-old Quintin Thompson, his terrified face pressed against the driver’s side window, in visible pain. Languell tried putting out the fire with his buckets of water with no success. When the flames got into the front seats, he realized he had to get the boy out of there.
In an act that a police report described as showing “complete disregard for his own safety”, Languell opened the Buick’s back door and crawled in. Thompson was struggling to get free, Languell says. “That’s when I noticed how bad his legs were.” Using a pocketknife he’d had the foresight to bring with him, he sawed through Thompson’s seat belt.
Now that Thompson was free, Languell pulled him out a back window of the vehicle, then dragged the teen to safety before the entire car was engulfed in flames.
Although Thompson suffered multiple fractures(骨折) to his legs, spine, and face, a social media post described him as “looking great, smiling, and joking.” Languell thinks about that day often. “My heart goes out to Thompson. When you are that close to that level of hurt, you feel it so directly. ”
1. When Damian rushed to the crash site, .| A．the police had arrived |
| B．the whole car was completely in flames |
| C．Thompson was terrified and painful |
| D．Thompson was smiling and joking |
| A．brave | B．lucky |
| C．simple-minded | D．warm-hearted |
| A．His own bravery and persistence. |
| B．The several buckets of water. |
| C．The timely arrival of the police. |
| D．The pocketknife Damian carried with him. |
| A．he called 911 immediately |
| B．he stayed inside his house |
| C．he woke up his girlfriend |
| D．he got up to see what happened |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
A
After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack, my world crashed around me. My six children were all under 10, and I was burdened with the responsibilities of earning a living, and caring for the children. I was fortunate to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week, but from Friday nights to Monday mornings, the children and I were alone.
One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big pretty German Shepherd（牧羊犬）on our doorstep. This dog seemed to intend to enter the house. The children liked“German”immediately and begged me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks.
The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner, but with no results.
On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case his owner came by, we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. No way was he going to be left behind.
Monday morning I let him out for a run. He didn’t come back and we were all disappointed. We were convinced that we would never see him again. We were wrong. The next Friday evening, German was back on our doorstep. Again he stayed until Monday morning, when our housekeeper arrived.
This pattern repeated itself every weekend for almost 10 months. We grew more and more fond of German. We took comfort in his strong, warm presence, and we felt safe with him near us. As German became part of the family, he considered it his duty to check every bedroom to be sure each child was cozy in bed.
Each week, between German’s visits, I grew a little stronger, a little braver and more able to handle; every weekend we were no longer alone and enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted him on the head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. We never saw German again.
1. The dog first came to the family when _______________.
| A．it was needed most |
| B．the writer became strong enough |
| C．the writer was away on a business trip |
| D．the writer was busy on the weekday |
| A．it was too wild to control |
| B．it was too young to walk so far |
| C．the owner might come by to pick it up |
| D．it might spoil the trip |
| A．afraid of | B．grateful to |
| C．cruel to | D．annoyed with |
| A．Loyal | B．Beautiful |
| C．Lovely | D．Wild |
