8．It was eleven o'clock that night when Mr．Pontellier returned from his night out．He was in an excellent humor，in high spirits，and very talkative．His entrance awoke his wife，who was in bed and fast asleep when he came in．He talked to her while he undressed，telling her anecdotes and bits of news and gossip that he had gathered during the day．She was overcome with sleep，and answered him with little half utterances．
He thought it very discouraging that his wife，who was the sole object of his existence，showed so little interest in things which concerned him and valued so little his conversation．
Mr．Pontellier had forgotten the candies and peanuts that he had promised the boys．Still，he loved them very much and went into the room where they slept to take a look at them and make sure that they were resting comfortably．The result of his investigation was far from satisfactory．He turned and shifted the youngsters about in bed．One of them began to kick and talk about a basket full of crabs．
Mr．Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after．Then he lit his cigar and went and sat near the open door to smoke it．
Mrs．Pontellier was quite sure Raoul had no fever．He had gone to bed perfectly well，she said，and nothing had made him sick．Mr．Pontellier was too well familiar with fever symptoms to be mistaken．He assured her the child was burning with fever at that moment in the next room．
He reproached his wife with her inattention，her habitual neglect of the children．If it was not a mother's place to look after children，whose on earth was it？He himself had his hands full with his business．He could not be in two places at once； making a living for his family on the street，and staying home to see that no harm done to them．He talked in a dull，repeated and insistent way．
Mrs．Pontellier sprang out of bed and went into the next room．She soon came back and sat on the edge of the bed，leaning her head down on the pillow．She said nothing，and refused to answer her husband when he questioned her．When his cigar was smoked out，he went to bed，and in half a minute was fast asleep．
Mrs．Pontellier was by that time thoroughly awake．She began to cry a little，and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her nightdress．She went out on the porch，where she sat down and began to rock herself in the chair．
It was then past midnight．The cottages were all dark．There was no sound except the hooting of an old owl and the everlasting voice of the sea，which broke like a mournful lullaby （催眠曲） upon the night．
The tears came so fast to Mrs．Pontellier's eyes that the damp sleeve of her nightdress no longer served to dry them．She went on crying there，not caring any longer to dry her face，her eyes，her arms．
She could not have told why she was crying．Such experiences as had just happened were not uncommon in her married life．They seemed never before to have weighed much against the abundance （充足） of her husband's kindness and a uniform devotion which had come to be self-understood．
An indescribable oppression，which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness，filled her whole being with vague pain．It was like a shadow，like a mist passing across her soul's summer day．It was strange and unfamiliar； it was a mood．She did not sit there inwardly scolding her husband，expressing sadness about Fate，which had directed her footsteps to the path which they had taken．She was just having a good cry all to herself．
The mosquitoes succeeded in driving away a mood which might have held her there in the darkness half a night longer．
The following morning Mr．Pontellier was up in good time to take the carriage which was to convey him to the ship．He was returning to the city to his business，and they would not see him again at the Island till the coming Saturday．He had regained his calmness，which seemed to have been somewhat weakened the night before．He was eager to be gone，as he looked forward to a lively week in the financial center．
66．Why didn't Mr．Pontellier's wife showed much interest in his conversation？B
A．She was tired of her husband's anecdotes and gossip．
B．She was sleepy when he returned home．
C．She disliked it that her husband came home once a week．
D．Her husband contributed little to the family．
67．How do you understand the sentence"Mrs．Pontellier sprang out of bed and went into the next room"？C
A．She reacted rudely against her husband's dull，insistent talking．
B．She couldn't put up with her husband's smoking any longer．
C．She feared that her child should have developed a fever．
D．Her child was talking about a basket full of crabs．
68．What does the underlined word"they"refer to？B
A．The husband and wife
B．Experiences
C．Tears
D．Her face，eyes，arms
69．Which of the following concerning the husband is right？B
A．The husband cared much about his wife's feelings．
B．He lay the burden of child care altogether on his wife．
C．He felt grateful to his wife for her attendance to the family．
D．The wife blamed her unfortunate fate on her husband．
70．Why did the writer mention"the mosquitoes"in the last paragraph but one？C
A．To indicate that it was a summer's night．
B．To symbolize an annoying night．
C．To help the plot to end an event．
D．To represent the writer's personality---hard working．
分析 本文属于说明文阅读，作者通过这篇文章主要向我们描述了非常的自私Pontellier先生的一些故事．
解答 66．B．细节理解题．根据第一段She was overcome with sleep，and answered him with little half utterances可知Mr．Pontellier的妻子对他的谈话不感兴趣是因为她很困；故选B．
67．C．推理判断题．根据文章Mr．Pontellier was too well familiar with fever symptoms to be mistaken．He assured her the child was burning with fever at that moment in the next room可知mrs．pontellier跳下床，走到隔壁的房间是因为担心孩子发烧；故选C．
68．B．词义猜测题．根据文章They seemed never before to have weighed much against the abundance （充足） of her husband's kindness and a uniform devotion which had come to be self-understood可知意为这种经历；故选B．
69．B．推理判断题．根据第四段Mr．Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after．Then he lit his cigar and went and sat near the open door to smoke it可知Pontellier先生吧照顾孩子的重担都给了他的太太；故选B．
70．C．推理判断题．根据倒数第二段The mosquitoes succeeded in driving away a mood which might have held her there in the darkness half a night longer可知提到蚊子是为了给这天晚上的事做一个结尾；故选C．
点评 考察学生的细节理解和推理判断能力，做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确的选择．在做推理判断题不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．
