Question

The end of my sophomore year was approaching£®Mom called me at the dorm one evening during the last week of May£®My summer break would be spent with grandma and grandpa, helping out around their farm£®The arrangement made good sense to all the family£®I wasn¡¯t fully convinced of that myself but guessed it was just one summer£®Next year would be my little brother¡¯s turn£®

I arrived late that afternoon£®Grandma had fixed more food than the three of us could possibly eat£®She loved me entirely too much£®The next morning, Grandpa fixed breakfast for the two of us£® He told me Grandma had tired herself out yesterday and was going to rest in bed a little longer£®I made a mental note to myself to not ask her to do things for me while I was there£®I was there to help, not be a burden£®

       Weeks passed£®I gradually settled into a routine of daily work with Grandpa£®In the evenings I usually read or talked with Grandma£®She never grew tired of hearing about college or anything I was involved in£®She told me stories about her childhood, family and the early years after she and Grandpa had married£®

       The last Saturday in June, Grandpa suggested going fishing£®We hadn¡¯t expected what we saw when we got to the pond that morning: One of the swans was dead£®Grandpa had given the pair of swans to Grandma on their 50th anniversary£®¡°Why don¡¯t we see about buying another one,¡± I suggested, hoping the situation could somehow be righted£®Grandpa thought for a few moments before answering£®

       He finally said, ¡°no£®£®£®it¡¯s not that easy, Bruce£®You see, swans mate for life£®¡± He raised his finger to point, holding the fishing pole in his other hand£®¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do for the one that¡¯s left£®He has to work it out for himself£®¡±

A few days later, we drove by the pond while doing our morning check on the cows£®We found the other swan lying near the same spot we had found the first one£®It, too, was dead£®

       The month of July started with me and Grandpa putting up a new stretch of fence£®Then July 12 came£®That was the day Grandma passed away£®Grandma had died suddenly that morning of a stroke£®By the afternoon, my parents were there£®The old house was soon crowded with relatives and Grandpa¡¯s friends£®

       The funeral was held the next day£®Grandpa had insisted on having it as soon as possible£®On the second day after the funeral, Grandpa announced at the breakfast table, ¡°This is a working farm£® We have a lot of things to do£®The rest of you should get back to your own lives£®¡± Most of the family had already left, but this was Grandpa¡¯s way of telling the rest it was time for them to go home£®My parents were the last to leave after lunch£®

       Grandpa was not a man who could outwardly express his grief around others, and we all worried about him£®The rest of the summer flowed by£®We stayed busy working£®I thought there was something different about Grandpa but couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it£®

       September was nearing, and part of me did not want to leave£®I thought of skipping the fall semester and staying around a few more months£®When I mentioned it, grandpa quickly told me that my place was back at college£®

The day finally came for me to pack my car and leave. I shock his hand and chanced a hug. As Idrove down the driveway, I saw him in the rearview mirror£®He waved to me and then walked to the pasture gate to start the morning livestock check£®

       Mom called me at school on a stormy October day to tell me Grandpa had died£®A neighbor had stopped by that morning for coffee and found him in the kitchen£®He died of a stroke, the same as Grandma£®At that moment, I understood what he¡¯d clumsily tried to explain to me about the swan on that morning we fished together by the pond£®

55£®We can learn from Paragraph 1 that            £®

       A£®Bruce regarded working on the farm as a rare chance

       B£®Bruce longed to enjoy himself freely on the farm

       C£®the brothers took turns to attend their grandparents

       D£®Bruce was not happy with his parents¡¯ arrangement

56£®What did the writer think at the sight of the first dead swan?

       A£®Another swan should be bought in place of the dead one£®

       B£®The other was bound to die since swans mate for life£®

       C£®Grandma would be in deep sorrow over its death£®

       D£®The living can do nothing for the dead£®

57£®Grandpa quickly dismissed the family after the funeral because            £®

       A£®he wanted to carry on with his farm work

       B£®he tended to deal with grief in life by himself

       C£®he didn¡¯t want his normal life disturbed

       D£®he took for granted the matter of life and death

58£®By ¡°I couldn¡¯t put my fingers on it¡±, the writer means that            £®

       A£®I could do nothing to help him out of grief

       B£®I was so busy that I couldn¡¯t give a hand to Grandpa

       C£®I couldn¡¯t tell exactly what was different about my Grandpa

       D£®I stayed busy working and couldn¡¯t keep Grandpa¡¯s company

59£®Which of the following best describes Grandpa¡¯s character?

       A£®Outgoing, clumsy and considerate£®             B£®Loyal, considerate and independent£®

       C£®Talkative, clumsy and independent£®            D£®Romantic, outgoing and loyal£®

60£®Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

       A£®Mate For Life         B£®Unforgettable Summer Break

       C£®Death of Swans      D£®Everlasting Love Story

      

Answer 1

DABCBA