Question

Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “ Mum, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”

Mum never looked up from sewing. “ You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “ And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”

In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.

That night I told Mum about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, mum looked carefully at the bars.

“ Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached.

I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs; I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.

One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mum came into my room. “ Mum,” I said, weeping, “ None of the boys would dance with me.”

For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.

1.Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mum’s attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?

A. Cruel B. Serious

C. Strict D. Cold

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 imply?

A. Mum believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.

B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.

C. Mum was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.

D. What the child had said brought Mum great attraction and curiosity.

3.When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because ______.

A. they felt sorry for what they had done before.

B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt.

C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars.

D. they were astonished to find the author’s progress.

4.The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ____.

A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mum weep

B. the child’s experience reminded Mum of that of her own

C. Mum could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph

D. Mum suffered more in the process of the child’s growth actually

Answer 1