閱讀理解題

　　第一篇

Knitting

　　My mother knew how to knit （紡織）, but she never taught me. She assumed, as did many women of her generation, that knitting was no longer a skill worth passing down from mother to daughter. A combination of feminism （女權主義） and consumerism （消費主義） made many women feel that such homely accomplishments were now out of date. My Grandmother still knitted, though, and every Christmas she made a pair of socks for my brother and me, of red wool （毛線）. They were the ones we wore under our ice skates （冰鞋）, when it was really important to have warm feet.

　　Knitting is a nervous habit that happens to be productive. It helped me quit smoking by giving my hands something else to do. It is wonderful for depression because no matter what else happens, you are creating something beautiful. Time spent in front of the television or just sitting is no longer time wasted.

　　I love breathing life into the patterns. It's true magic, finding a neglected, dog-eared （翻舊了的） old book with the perfect snowflake design, buying the same Germantown wool my grandmother used, in the exact blue to match my daughter's eyes, taking it on the train with me every day for two months, working enthusiastically to get it done by Christmas, staying up late after the stockings are filled to sew in the sleeves and weave in the ends.

　　Knitting has taught me patience. I know that if I just keep going, even if it takes months, there will be a reward. When I make a mistake, I know that anger will not fix it, and that I just have to go back and start over again.

　　People often ask if I would do it for money, and the answer is always a definite no. In the first place, you could not pay me enough for the hours I put into a sweater. But more important, this is an activity I keep separate from such considerations. I knit to cover my children and other people I love in warmth and color. I knit to give them something earthly that money could never buy.

　　Knitting gives my life an alternative rhythm to the daily deadline. By day I can write about Northern Ireland or the New York City Police Department and get paid for it, but on the train home, surrounded by people with laptops, I stage my little rebellion. I take out my old knitting bag and join the centuries of women who have knitted for love.

　　1 Why did many women feel that knitting was out of date?

　　A Because their mothers had not taught them.

　　B Because they were influenced by feminism and consumerism

　　C Because they were feminists.

　　D Because they were consumerists.

　　2 The author wore the red socks her grandmother had knitted for her

　　A when she went to school.

　　B when she went hiking.

　　C when she celebrated Christmas.

　　D when she went skating.

　　3 The word "quit' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

　　A give up.

　　B speed up.

　　C slow down,

　　D build up.

　　4 According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

　　A Knitting helps one get rid of bad habits.

　　B Knitting helps one get free from a bad mood.

　　C Knitting requires patience.

　　D Knitting is a profit-making business.

　　5 Which of the following is NOT the writer's purpose of knitting?

　　A To save money.

　　B To save time.

　　C To enrich her life,

　　D To show her love for the family.

　　第二篇

On the Train

　　The night train from Glasgow was so crowded that Donald, who was on his way to London to find a temporary job for the university vacation, wished that he had decided ta travel by day. He had never been so hard up.

　　He got on the train and walked along the corridor of the second-class compartments. He couldn't find a seat anywhere. He could not afford to travel first class, and he did not want to stand in the corridor. Neither did he want to sit on his suitcase. He was so tired that he decided to sit down in a first class compartment - at least for a while. He soon found one with a single occupant （乘客）, a gentleman reading documents from a briefcase. With the self-assurance of a first-class traveler, he opened the door and went in. No sooner had he sat down than the ticket inspector arrived. What bad luck! Now he would have to pay the excess （額外的） fare. As he turned out his pocket to find enough money he saw the gentleman was watching him with amusement. It was humiliating （羞辱的）. However, he was so tired that he soon fell asleep.

　　Presently, hearing a noise, he half opened his eyes. Not only did he notice that his traveling companion had gone, but he also saw that a rough-looking man was searching through the businessman's briefcase. Donald grabbed the briefcase and wrenched （猛奪） it free, kicking at the man's leg. The man fled.

　　Then the businessman returned and found Donald holding the briefcase and peering inside it. Donald realized that he was in quite an awkward situation, but the man was smiling. Nor was this the only surprising thing. Not only was the gentleman （who introduced himself as Mr. Smith） smiling, but he thanked Donald warmly. On his way back to the compartment, Mr. Smith had seen the man leaving in a great hurry. He had so quickly assessed the situation that he knew Donald was innocent.

　　Only after a long chat, in which Donald was asked many questions about himself, did Donald discover that Mr. Smith was in fact managing director of a large factory in London. Donald had never imagined that this strange incident would help him to find a job, but just as they were leaving the train, Mr. Smith offered him the post of temporary Night Security Officer for his factory.

　　6 The train Donald took was

　　A a daytime train to Glasgow.

　　B a night train to Glasgow.

　　C a daytime train to London.

　　D a night train to London.

　　7 Donald went into a first-class compartment as if he were

　　A a conductor.

　　B a cleaner.

　　C a first-class traveler.

　　D an inspector.

　　8 According to paragraphs 1 and 2, which of the following statements about Donald is NOT true?

　　A He was probably a university student.

　　B He was badly in need of money.

　　C He had bought a ticket for a second-class compartment.

　　D He traveled without any baggage.

　　9 Which of the following words is closest in meaning to "awkward' in paragraph 4?

　　A Normal.

　　B Dangerous.

　　C Embarrassing.

　　D Desperate.

　　10 Mr. Smith realized that Donald was innocent

　　A after he checked the briefcase.

　　B before he met the fleeing man.

　　C after he had a long chat with Donald.

　　D after he had swiftly evaluated the situation

　　第三篇

Valuing Childhood

　　The value of childhood is easily blurred （模糊） in today's world. Consider some recent developments: The child-murderers in the Jonesboro, Ark. schoolyard shooting case were convicted and sentenced. Two boys, 7 and 8, were charged in the murder of an 11-year-old girl in Chicago.

　　Children who commit horrible crimes appear to act of their own will. Yet, as legal proceedings in Jonesboro showed, the one boy who was able to address the court couldn't begin to explain his acts, though he tried to apologize. There may have been a motive -youthful jealousy and resentment. But a deeper question remains: Why did these boys and others in similar trouble apparently lack any inner, moral restraint?

　　That question echoes for the accused in Chicago, young as they are. They wanted the girl's bicycle, a selfish impulse common enough among kids.

　　Redemption （拯救） is a practical necessity. How can value be restored to young lives distorted by acts of violence? The boys in Jonesboro and in Chicago will be confined in institutions for a relatively short time. Despite horror at what was done, children are not - cannot be - dealt with as adults, not if a people wants to consider itself civilized. That's why politicians' cries for adult treatment of youthful criminals ultimately miss the point.

　　But the moral void （真空） that invites violence has many sources. Family instability contributes. So does economic stress. That void, however, can be filled. The work starts with parents, who have to ask themselves whether they're doing enough to give their children a firm sense of right and wrong. Are they really monitoring their activities and their developing processes of thought?

　　Schools, too, have a role in building character. So do youth organizations. So*do law enforcement agencies, which can do more to inform the young about laws, their meaning, and their observance （遵守）.

　　11 The two boys in Chicago were

　　A shot.

　　B murdered.

　　C accused.

　　D set free.

　　12 The boys in Jonesboro and Chicago apparently lacked a sense of

　　A right and wrong.

　　B humor.

　　C gratitude.

　　D safety.

　　13 According to politicians, when children commit crimes, they should be treated in the same way as

　　A murderers.

　　B criminals

　　C victims.

　　D adults.

　　14 Which of the following does the writer cite as a source of moral void?

　　A Official corruption.

　　B Social injustice.

　　C Family instability.

　　D Racial discrimination.

　　15 Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

　　A Parents should strengthen moral instruction.

　　B Schools should help create a moral sense in children.

　　C Law enforcement agencies should do more to help children understand laws.

　　D Youth organizations have no role to play in building character.

　　【參考答案】

　　1. B　　2. D　　3. A　　4. D　　5. A

　　6. D　　7. C　　8. D　　9. C　　10. D

　　11. C　 12. A　 13. D　 14. C　 15. D