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四、阅读理解
A
A few weeks ago, I called an Uber to take me to the Boston airport for a flight home for the holidays. As I slid into the back seat of the car, the warm intonations(语调) of the driver's accent washed over me in a familiar way.
I learned that he was a recent West African immigrant with a few young children, working hard to provide for his family. I could relate: I am the daughter of two Ethiopian immigrants who made their share of sacrifices to ensure my success. I told him I was on a college break and headed home to visit my parents. That's how he found out I go to Harvard. An approving eye glinted at me in the rearview window(后视镜), and quickly, we crossed the boundaries of rider and driver. I became his daughter, all grown up—the product of his sacrifice.
And then came the fateful question: "What do you study?" I answered "history and literature" and the pride in his voice faded, as I knew it might. I didn't even get to add "and African-American studies" before he cut in, his voice thick with disappointment, "All that work to get into Harvard, and you study history?"
Here I was, his daughter, squandering the biggest opportunity of her life. He went on to deliver the age-old lecture that all immigrant kids know. We are to become doctors (or lawyers, if our parents are being generous)—to make money and send money back home. The unspoken demand, made across generations which my Uber driver laid out plainly, is simple: Fulfill your role in the narrative of upward mobility so your children can do the same.
I used to feel anxious and backed into a corner by the questioning, but now as a junior in college, I'm grateful for their support more than anything. This holiday season, I've promised myself I won't huff and get annoyed at their inquiries. I won't defensively respond with "but I plan to go to law school" when I get unrequested advice. I'll just smile and nod, and enjoy the warmth of the occasion.
(
A. The sacrifice of the author's parents.
B. The author's choice of major at college.
C. The author's casual attitude towards study.
D. The author's poor academic performance at Harvard.
(
A. Wasting.
B. Replacing.
C. Valuing.
D. Expecting.
(
A. To gain higher social respect and recognition.
B. To fulfill the unachieved dreams of their parents.
C. To secure financial success and family advancement.
D. To gain easier access to top universities like Harvard.
(
A. Critical.
B. Tolerant.
C. Doubtful.
D. Supportive.
B
If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch a performance of
A
A few weeks ago, I called an Uber to take me to the Boston airport for a flight home for the holidays. As I slid into the back seat of the car, the warm intonations(语调) of the driver's accent washed over me in a familiar way.
I learned that he was a recent West African immigrant with a few young children, working hard to provide for his family. I could relate: I am the daughter of two Ethiopian immigrants who made their share of sacrifices to ensure my success. I told him I was on a college break and headed home to visit my parents. That's how he found out I go to Harvard. An approving eye glinted at me in the rearview window(后视镜), and quickly, we crossed the boundaries of rider and driver. I became his daughter, all grown up—the product of his sacrifice.
And then came the fateful question: "What do you study?" I answered "history and literature" and the pride in his voice faded, as I knew it might. I didn't even get to add "and African-American studies" before he cut in, his voice thick with disappointment, "All that work to get into Harvard, and you study history?"
Here I was, his daughter, squandering the biggest opportunity of her life. He went on to deliver the age-old lecture that all immigrant kids know. We are to become doctors (or lawyers, if our parents are being generous)—to make money and send money back home. The unspoken demand, made across generations which my Uber driver laid out plainly, is simple: Fulfill your role in the narrative of upward mobility so your children can do the same.
I used to feel anxious and backed into a corner by the questioning, but now as a junior in college, I'm grateful for their support more than anything. This holiday season, I've promised myself I won't huff and get annoyed at their inquiries. I won't defensively respond with "but I plan to go to law school" when I get unrequested advice. I'll just smile and nod, and enjoy the warmth of the occasion.
(
B
)1. What disappointed the driver?A. The sacrifice of the author's parents.
B. The author's choice of major at college.
C. The author's casual attitude towards study.
D. The author's poor academic performance at Harvard.
(
A
)2. Which word can replace the underlined word "squandering" in paragraph 4?A. Wasting.
B. Replacing.
C. Valuing.
D. Expecting.
(
C
)3. Why are immigrant kids expected to become doctors or lawyers according to the passage?A. To gain higher social respect and recognition.
B. To fulfill the unachieved dreams of their parents.
C. To secure financial success and family advancement.
D. To gain easier access to top universities like Harvard.
(
B
)4. What is the author's attitude towards the driver's questioning?A. Critical.
B. Tolerant.
C. Doubtful.
D. Supportive.
B
If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch a performance of
答案
1.B 2.A 3.C 4.B
【语篇解读】本文是一篇记叙文。文章通过讲述作者与一位西非移民Uber司机的对话经历,展现移民家庭对子女从事高薪职业的期望,以及作者面对这种期望从焦虑转为包容的心态变化。
1. B 解析:细节理解题。根据第三段的内容"接着,那个决定性的问题来了:'你学什么?'我回答'历史和文学',他声音中的自豪感也随之消退,正如我所预料的那样。我还没来得及加上'以及非裔美国人研究',他就打断了我,声音中满是失望:'费那么大劲考进哈佛,你竟然学历史?'"可知,令这位司机感到失望的是作者学习的专业。故选B。
2. A 解析:词义猜测题。根据第三段中"his voice thick with disappointment, 'All that work to get into Harvard, and you study history?'"以及画线词所在句下文"He went on to deliver the age-old lecture that all immigrant kids know. We are to become doctors (or lawyers, if our parents are being generous)-to make money and send money back home.(随后,他继续讲着所有移民家庭孩子都耳熟能详的'老生常谈':我们这些移民后代,就该去当医生(要是父母放宽要求,当个律师也行)--赚钱,然后把钱寄回家)"可知,司机认为移民后代应该学医、学法律等高薪专业,而作者努力考上哈佛大学却选择学历史是在浪费这个机会。由此可知,画线词所在句"Here I was, his daughter, squandering the biggest opportunity of her life.(在他看来,我这个'女儿',简直是在 squandering 人生中这难得的机遇)"中画线词 squandering 意为"浪费"。故选A。
3. C 解析:细节理解题。根据第四段中"He went on to deliver the age-old lecture that... so your children can do the same.(随后,他继续讲着所有移民家庭孩子都耳熟能详的'老生常谈':我们这些移民后代,就该去当医生(要是父母放宽要求,当个律师也行)--赚钱,然后把钱寄回家。这种未言明的需求,跨越了代际,正如我的Uber司机所清晰阐述的那样,很简单:履行你在向上流动叙事中的角色,让你们的孩子也能做到这一点)"可知,移民父母希望孩子成为医生或律师,目的是赚钱、寄钱回家,并且完成阶层向上流动的使命,让下一代也能如此。由此可知,移民孩子被期望成为医生或律师是为了从事高收入职业来获得经济上的成功,推动家族发展。故选C。
4. B 解析:观点态度题。根据最后一段的内容"过去,面对不断的追问,我常常感到焦虑不安,仿佛被逼到了墙角;但如今,作为一名大三学生,我心里更多的是对他们这份期许的感激。这个假期,我暗自下定决心:再听到这样的询问,我不会再烦躁地抱怨,也不会急着辩解'我以后打算读法学院'来回应这些不请自来的建议。我会笑着点点头,好好享受当下这份温情"可知,作者以前面对这类提问会感到焦虑,但现在作为大三学生,更多的是感激他们的支持,还决心不会再对这些询问感到烦躁,只会微笑点头。这体现出作者对司机的质疑持包容、体谅的态度。故选B。
【语篇解读】本文是一篇记叙文。文章通过讲述作者与一位西非移民Uber司机的对话经历,展现移民家庭对子女从事高薪职业的期望,以及作者面对这种期望从焦虑转为包容的心态变化。
1. B 解析:细节理解题。根据第三段的内容"接着,那个决定性的问题来了:'你学什么?'我回答'历史和文学',他声音中的自豪感也随之消退,正如我所预料的那样。我还没来得及加上'以及非裔美国人研究',他就打断了我,声音中满是失望:'费那么大劲考进哈佛,你竟然学历史?'"可知,令这位司机感到失望的是作者学习的专业。故选B。
2. A 解析:词义猜测题。根据第三段中"his voice thick with disappointment, 'All that work to get into Harvard, and you study history?'"以及画线词所在句下文"He went on to deliver the age-old lecture that all immigrant kids know. We are to become doctors (or lawyers, if our parents are being generous)-to make money and send money back home.(随后,他继续讲着所有移民家庭孩子都耳熟能详的'老生常谈':我们这些移民后代,就该去当医生(要是父母放宽要求,当个律师也行)--赚钱,然后把钱寄回家)"可知,司机认为移民后代应该学医、学法律等高薪专业,而作者努力考上哈佛大学却选择学历史是在浪费这个机会。由此可知,画线词所在句"Here I was, his daughter, squandering the biggest opportunity of her life.(在他看来,我这个'女儿',简直是在 squandering 人生中这难得的机遇)"中画线词 squandering 意为"浪费"。故选A。
3. C 解析:细节理解题。根据第四段中"He went on to deliver the age-old lecture that... so your children can do the same.(随后,他继续讲着所有移民家庭孩子都耳熟能详的'老生常谈':我们这些移民后代,就该去当医生(要是父母放宽要求,当个律师也行)--赚钱,然后把钱寄回家。这种未言明的需求,跨越了代际,正如我的Uber司机所清晰阐述的那样,很简单:履行你在向上流动叙事中的角色,让你们的孩子也能做到这一点)"可知,移民父母希望孩子成为医生或律师,目的是赚钱、寄钱回家,并且完成阶层向上流动的使命,让下一代也能如此。由此可知,移民孩子被期望成为医生或律师是为了从事高收入职业来获得经济上的成功,推动家族发展。故选C。
4. B 解析:观点态度题。根据最后一段的内容"过去,面对不断的追问,我常常感到焦虑不安,仿佛被逼到了墙角;但如今,作为一名大三学生,我心里更多的是对他们这份期许的感激。这个假期,我暗自下定决心:再听到这样的询问,我不会再烦躁地抱怨,也不会急着辩解'我以后打算读法学院'来回应这些不请自来的建议。我会笑着点点头,好好享受当下这份温情"可知,作者以前面对这类提问会感到焦虑,但现在作为大三学生,更多的是感激他们的支持,还决心不会再对这些询问感到烦躁,只会微笑点头。这体现出作者对司机的质疑持包容、体谅的态度。故选B。
If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch a performance of a Shakespeare's play in Elizabethan England? What about hanging out with Laozi in the
Spring and Autumn Period? Or maybe you'd voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.
The possibility of time travel is indeed attractive. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best-known example is science fiction novel The Time Machine, written by H. G. Wells and published in 1895. It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term "time machine", coined by Wells, is now universally referred to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.
But could time travel actually be possible? Some scientists say yes, in theory. They propose using cracks in time and space called "wormholes", which could be used as shortcuts to other periods. Einstein's theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme conditions. And Stephen Hawking says you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship, going at nearly the speed of light, though building such a spaceship wouldn't of course be simple.
Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the "grandfather paradox". It asks what would happen if a time traveler were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born. If the time traveler wasn't born, how would he travel back in time?
And would you really like to visit the future? In H. G. Wells's book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles(触角).
If that's what's in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.
(
A. The Time Machine is one of the best-selling science fiction novels.
B. There are films, comic books and dramas adapted from the novel The Time Machine.
C. Works of literature about time travel first appeared one hundred years ago.
D. It was H. G. Wells who invented the term "time machine".
(
A. suggest the possibility of time travel
B. have been proved wrong by some time travelers
C. have similarities because both are based on experiments
D. have pushed the invention of the first spaceship
(
A. the reunion of the traveler and his grandfather brings happiness
B. the grandfather's death makes the traveler's birth impossible
C. the traveler goes back in time to seek for his grandfather
D. the traveler is prevented from meeting his grandfather
(
A. Indifferent. B. Supportive. C. Doubtful. D. Unclear.
Spring and Autumn Period? Or maybe you'd voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.
The possibility of time travel is indeed attractive. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best-known example is science fiction novel The Time Machine, written by H. G. Wells and published in 1895. It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term "time machine", coined by Wells, is now universally referred to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.
But could time travel actually be possible? Some scientists say yes, in theory. They propose using cracks in time and space called "wormholes", which could be used as shortcuts to other periods. Einstein's theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme conditions. And Stephen Hawking says you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship, going at nearly the speed of light, though building such a spaceship wouldn't of course be simple.
Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the "grandfather paradox". It asks what would happen if a time traveler were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born. If the time traveler wasn't born, how would he travel back in time?
And would you really like to visit the future? In H. G. Wells's book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles(触角).
If that's what's in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.
(
D
)5. Which of the following statements is TRUE?A. The Time Machine is one of the best-selling science fiction novels.
B. There are films, comic books and dramas adapted from the novel The Time Machine.
C. Works of literature about time travel first appeared one hundred years ago.
D. It was H. G. Wells who invented the term "time machine".
(
A
)6. Einstein's and Hawking's theories suggest the possibility of time travel
.A. suggest the possibility of time travel
B. have been proved wrong by some time travelers
C. have similarities because both are based on experiments
D. have pushed the invention of the first spaceship
(
B
)7. In paragraph 4, "grandfather paradox" probably refers to the idea that the grandfather's death makes the traveler's birth impossible
.A. the reunion of the traveler and his grandfather brings happiness
B. the grandfather's death makes the traveler's birth impossible
C. the traveler goes back in time to seek for his grandfather
D. the traveler is prevented from meeting his grandfather
(
C
)8. According to the passage what is probably the author's attitude towards time travel?A. Indifferent. B. Supportive. C. Doubtful. D. Unclear.
答案
5.D 6.A 7.B 8.C
【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。人类一直对时间旅行很感兴趣,从理论上来说,且根据一些科幻书籍以及科学家所说,时间旅行是可行的,但从另一个角度而言,时间旅行未必是好事。作者认为,我们还是生活在当下最好。
5. D 解析:细节理解题。根据第二段中的"The term 'time machine', coined by Wells, is now universally referred to a vehicle transporting people into the far future."可知,D选项"是H. G. Wells发明了'时间机器'这个术语"正确。故选D。
6. A 解析:细节理解题。根据第三段中的"But could time travel actually be possible?"以及爱因斯坦和霍金的例子"Einstein's theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme conditions. And Stephen Hawking says you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship, going at nearly the speed of light."可知,霍金和爱因斯坦的理论表明了时间旅行的可能性。故选A。
7. B 解析:细节理解题。根据第四段"Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the 'grandfather paradox'. It asks what would happen if a time traveler were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born. If the time traveler wasn't born, how would he travel back in time?"可知,"祖父悖论"提出的观点是"祖父死亡导致时间旅行者无法出生"。故选B。
8. C 解析:推理判断题。根据最后一段"If that's what's in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all."、第四段提到"祖父悖论"使得时间旅行有可能无法实现,以及第五段以H. G. Wells的书为例,表明即使回到过去也有可能遭遇险境可推知,作者对时间旅行持怀疑态度。故选C。
【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。人类一直对时间旅行很感兴趣,从理论上来说,且根据一些科幻书籍以及科学家所说,时间旅行是可行的,但从另一个角度而言,时间旅行未必是好事。作者认为,我们还是生活在当下最好。
5. D 解析:细节理解题。根据第二段中的"The term 'time machine', coined by Wells, is now universally referred to a vehicle transporting people into the far future."可知,D选项"是H. G. Wells发明了'时间机器'这个术语"正确。故选D。
6. A 解析:细节理解题。根据第三段中的"But could time travel actually be possible?"以及爱因斯坦和霍金的例子"Einstein's theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme conditions. And Stephen Hawking says you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship, going at nearly the speed of light."可知,霍金和爱因斯坦的理论表明了时间旅行的可能性。故选A。
7. B 解析:细节理解题。根据第四段"Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the 'grandfather paradox'. It asks what would happen if a time traveler were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born. If the time traveler wasn't born, how would he travel back in time?"可知,"祖父悖论"提出的观点是"祖父死亡导致时间旅行者无法出生"。故选B。
8. C 解析:推理判断题。根据最后一段"If that's what's in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all."、第四段提到"祖父悖论"使得时间旅行有可能无法实现,以及第五段以H. G. Wells的书为例,表明即使回到过去也有可能遭遇险境可推知,作者对时间旅行持怀疑态度。故选C。
