17．Grandfather was from Italy and was the only one in his family who settled down in the United States．The rest of his family remained in Europe．When World War I broke out，he seemed to have become another man，downhearted．Such obvious change was not born out of his welfare，but out of fear：if his only son，my uncle，had to go to war，it would be cousin fighting against cousin．
One day in 1918，my Uncle Milton received his draft notice．My grandparents were very upset．But my mother，at the age of 10，felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war．Realizing how he was regarded by his little sister and all of her friends，my uncle brought them all service pins，which meant that they had a loved one in the service．All the little girls were delighted．
Then the moment came when my uncle and the other soldiers，without any training but all in uniforms，boarded the train．The band played and the crowd cheered．Although no one noticed，I'm sure my grandmother had a tear in her eyes for the only son．The train slowly pulled out，but not about a thousand yards when it suddenly paused．Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station．There was a dead silence before the doors opened and the men started to step out．Someone shouted，"The war is over"．For a moment，nobody moved，but then the people heard someone bark orders at the soldiers．The men lined up in two lines，walked down the steps，and with the band playing，marched down the street，as returning heroes，to be welcomed home．My mother said it was a great day，but she was just a little disappointed that it didn't last a tiny bit longer．
41．My grandfather most worried aboutD．
A．the spread of the world war
B．the safety of his living two cousins
C．a drop in his living standards
D．his relatives killing each other
42．The underlined phrase"draft notice"means"C"
A．a letter of rejection B．a train ticket for Europe
C．an order for army service D．a note of warning
43．What did the"service pins"（in Para.2）stand for in the eyes of the little girls？A
A．Honor B．Courage．
C．Victory． D．Strength．
44．Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story？D
A．Disappointing． B．Inspiring
C．Uncertain． D．Unexpected．
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战争打响后，祖父一直担心儿子会上战场，还是成真了，然而就在军队的火车刚刚出发时又回来了，因为战争已经结束了的故事．
解答 41．D．细节理解题．根据文章第一段"Such obvious change was not born out of his welfare，but out of fear：if his only son，my uncle，had to go to war，it would be cousin fighting against cousin"这样明显的变化是不是出于自己的福利，但出于恐惧：如果他唯一的儿子，我的叔叔必须发动战争，这将是表兄弟之间的战争；可知祖父担心的是他的亲戚们互相残杀；故选D．
42．C．词义推断题．根据文章第二段"But my mother，at the age of 10，felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war"但我10岁的妈妈对于哥哥要去打仗是非常骄傲的；可知draft notice意为为军队服务的指令；故选C．
43．A．推理判断题．根据文章第二段"But my mother，at the age of 10，felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war"但我10岁的妈妈对于哥哥要去打仗是非常骄傲的；可知draft notice在在小女孩的眼睛里是非常光荣的；故选A．
44．D．推理判断题．根据文章第三段"Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station．There was a dead silence before the doors opened and the men started to step out．Someone shouted，"The war is over"军队刚出发，又回来了，因为战争结束了，这个结局是非常出人意料的；故选D．
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．
