After Twenty Years
The short story "After Twenty Years" is set in New York on a cold dark night. Most people have left work to go home, and this part of the city is now quiet. A policeman who is checking the area sees a man outside a shop. He goes up to the man and finds he has a scar on his face. They have a chat and the man starts to tell his story.
"Twenty years ago tonight," said the man, "I dined here at 'Big Joe' Brady's with Jimmy Wells, my best chum, and the finest chap in the world. He and I were raised here in New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldn't have dragged Jimmy out of New York; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked cut and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be."
"It sounds pretty interesting," said the policeman. "Rather a long time between meets, though, it seems to me. Haven't you heard from your friend since you left?"
"Well, yes, for a time we corresponded," said the other. But after a year or two we lost track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling around over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he's alive, for he always was the truest, staunchest old chap in the world. He'll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door tonight, and it's worth it if my old partner turns up."
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2 . “I tested it at home and just couldn’t believe the result. I sprayed it in Sienna’ s room first and the floor was immediately silenced,” said Lanzarotti. “Eight months later, it was still silent. It felt like a huge relief. When Tracy saw the difference for the first time, her face just lit up. You can treat a couple of rooms in an hour.” he added. “It’ s a no-brainer for any parents with noisy floors, and it’ll be life-changing.”
What do the underlined word “a no-brainer” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．A difficult decision. | B．An unusual effort. |
| C．A real headache. | D．An easy job. |
3 . While studying, I began exploring Mexico, crossing the country several times by bus. Now I work as a photojournalist in Mexico and along the border, documenting desperate situations that face everyday Mexicans. Though necessary and important, news stories don’t reflect the Mexico that I fell for and that is home to so many people I love. A task focused on the country’s natural beauty was a welcome reprieve for me.
What can best replace the underlined word “reprieve” in Paragraph 2?
| A．Memory. | B．Idea. | C．Victory. | D．Relief. |
4 . It’s been less than a month since Arnold, a Texas high school student, was forbidden from going to the prom and graduation unless he cut his locs. As his story spread on social media, celebrities and activists came to Arnold’s defence and encouraged him to stand up to his school’s hair discrimination. Now, in a significant turn of events, he’s proudly wearing his own hair-style at the 2020 Oscars.
Arnold and his mother were invited to attend as the guests of director Matthew A. Cherry, who won the award for Best Animated Short Film for Hair Love tonight. Fittingly, the short film tells the story of a Black father learning to style his daughter’s natural hair.
Arnold told us he couldn’t wait to walk the red carpet with the Hair Love team. “I’m so grateful. I never expected any of this,” Arnold says. “The message of that movie and my message go together so well. I think it’s really amazing how they reached out to me and how we can fight this together.”
What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Violence. | B．Discrimination. | C．Panic. | D．Starvation. |
5 . The end of the school year was in sight and spirits were high. I was back teaching after an absence of 15 years, dealing with the various kinds of "forbidden fruit" that come out of book bags. Now was the spring of the water pistol.
I decided to think up a method of dealing with forbidden fruit.
"Please bring that pistol to me," I said. "I'm going to put it in my Grandma's Box."
"What's that?" they asked.
"It's a large wooden chest full of toys for my grandchildren," I replied,
"You don't have grandchildren," someone said.
"I don't now." I replied. "But someday I will. When I do, my box will be full of wonderful things for them."
My imaginary Grandma's Box worked like magic that spring, and later. Sometimes. students would ask me to describe all the things I had in it. Then I would try to remember the different possessions I supposedly had taken away—since I seldom actually kept them. Usually the offender would appear at the end of the day, and I would return the belonging.
What do the underlined words "the offender" in paragraph 8 refer to?
| A．The student's parent. | B．The maker of the Grandma's Box. |
| C．The author's grandchild. | D．The owner of the forbidden fruit. |
6 . Professor Sabbatucci received hundreds of calls from people hoping to trick him into handing them the cash. But there was one voice he recognized and he arranged to meet the man in a park. The robber, a 35-year-old unemployed father of two, gave back the suitcase and burst into tears. He could not believe what was happening. “Why didn’t you keep the money?” he asked. The professor replied, “I couldn’t because it’s not mine.” Then he walked off, spurning the thief’s offer of a reward.
The underlined word “spurning” in the last sentence can be replaced by ________.
| A．accepting | B．claiming |
| C．rejecting | D．cancelling |
7 . In two-and-a-half years, the pair still have to replenish their incomes with some writing and editing, but the business is growing and within five years they hope to be helping fund half a dozen research projects. It is a big task. “Some days we think it would be great to turn it off,” MacCallum says, “but when we see the wonder on the face of a person who is experiencing somewhere like the Galapagos for the first time, we know we are living a wonderful life.”
The underlined word “replenish" in Paragraph 4 means _________.
| A．consume | B．supply | C．reduce | D．control |
8 . “This must be a simply vast wardrobe!” thought Lucy, going still further in. Then she noticed that there was something crunching under her feet. “Is that more mothball?” she thought, stooping down to feel it with her hand. But instead of feeling the hard, smooth wood, she felt something soft and powdery and extremely cold. “This is very queer,” she said, and went on a step or two further.
What does the underlined word “queer” mean?
| A．Terrifying. | B．Empty. | C．Strange. | D．Impressive. |
9 . By the time I arrived, the sailing club had grown. At weekends, we would work on her all day, cleaning and painting her, and collapse into sleeping bags on the floor at night. Then came the big day when a school sailing trip was announced. Its destination was Saint-Malo. But it also meant that we had to refit the ship by removing every piece of ballast (压舱物)and replacing the bilge water (底舱污水) before we were allowed to sail.
And I did learn the ropes on that school trip. I learned how to operate a ship in the high waves. I learned the meaning of teamwork and became a better team player. I also learned that the best fish is the one that you have caught and cooked yourself from a boat that you have rebuilt and sailed yourself.
What does the underlined phrase “learn the ropes” in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Learn to cook. |
| B．Master useful skills. |
| C．Ensure sailing safety. |
| D．Use ropes properly. |
10 . As I grew older and became a mother, the library took on a new place and an added meaning in my life. I had several children and books were our main source(来源) of entertainment. It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library, where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them.
What does the underlined phrase “an added meaning” in paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Pleasure from working in the library. |
| B．Joy of reading passed on in the family. |
| C．Wonderment from acting out the stories. |
| D．A closer bond developed with the readers. |
