A
(2020·北京海淀模拟)
My First Day of School
Fear started taking over, I was walking into my first school in America. I had traveled a long distance from India in order to join my parents, who had been here for three years, hoping America would help my future. My father decided that I would be better off going to school here, so I enrolled (登记) in the local high school in my new town.
I was afraid how I would do. On the first day, I went to my second period class after I had missed my first. With anxiety, I reached for the door, opening it slowly. Without paying attention to my classmates, I went straight to the teacher and asked if this was the right class. With a soft voice he answered. “Yes. ” His voice comforted me a little. He gave me a sheet called Course Requirements, which I would never get in India because we didn’t have anything like that. Then he asked me to choose where I would sit. I didn’t actually want to pick a seat. In India we had fixed seats, so I never needed to worry about that. I spent the rest of the class taking notes from the image produced by the overhead projector. In Indian schools, we didn’t use the technology we had. We had to take notes as the teacher spoke.
It was noon. I was very confused about when I would have lunch. I went to my next class and the bell rang as I entered. I went through the regular process of asking the teacher if I was in the right class. She said, “It’s still fourth period. ”
“But the bell just rang, ” I said.
Changing from a gentle tone to a harsher (刺耳的) one, she said, “That is the lunch bell, young man. ”
I apologized. Without another word I headed for the cafeteria. I felt lucky because we didn’t have this in India. Every confusion seemed like a barrier I had to get through to reach my goal. At the end of the day, I was on my way to the bus which we didn’t have in India either. I spotted my bus and sat down inside happily. I was thinking, today wasn’t so bad.
【文章大意】这是一篇记叙文。作者从印度来到美国, 在美国上高中。作者记叙了第一天上学的经历和感受。
1. Why did the author attend an American high school?
A. His father preferred American schools.
B. His mother had worked in it for 3 years.
C. He had been longing to leave his homeland.
D. His family wanted him to have a bright future.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。由第一段中的“I had traveled. . . join my parents. . . , hoping America would help my future. My father decided that I would be better off going to school here”可知, 作者的父母希望美国会对作者的未来有好处, 在美国上学作者会更好。故选D。
2. What do we know about the author’s first day of school?
A. He went to the wrong class for the second period.
B. He met some enthusiastic teachers and classmates.
C. He got the Course Requirements sheet from his classmates.
D. He experienced differences from the Indian schools in many ways.
【解析】选D。推理判断题。由第二段中的“He gave me a sheet called Course Requirements, which I would never get in India. . . I didn’t actually want to pick a seat. In India we had fixed seats. . . I spent the rest of the class taking notes from the image produced by the overhead projector. In Indian schools, we didn’t use the technology we had. ”可知, 作者在美国上学的第一天, 遇到了很多和印度不一样的地方。例如: 自己选择座位, 课程安排等。故选 D。
3. How did the author feel at the end of the day?
A. Worried. B. Puzzled.
C. Relieved. D. Excited.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。由第二段中的“I was afraid how I would do. On the first day, I went to my second period class after I had missed my first. With anxiety. . . ”和最后一段中的“I spotted my bus and sat down inside happily. I was thinking, today wasn’t so bad”可知, 作者一开始非常害怕, 非常焦虑, 但是到了这一天结束的时候, 他感觉这一天不是那么糟糕。由此可以推知, 作者的焦虑最终得以缓解。故选C。
【知识拓展】
佳词积累
1. anxiety n. 焦虑;
2. comfort v. &n. 舒适, 安慰
3. fixed adj. 固定的
4. process n. 过程
5. apologize vi. 道歉
6. head n. & v. 头, 朝……方向而去
7. confusion n. 困惑
8. barrier n. 障碍
9. spot n. &v. 地点, 认出
长难句分析I had traveled a long distance from India in order to join my parents, who had been here for three years, hoping America would help my future.
分析: 本句的主干是一个主谓状结构I had traveled. . . , who引导非限制性定语从句, hoping. . . 是现在分词短语作伴随状语。
翻译: 为了和父母团聚, 我从印度长途跋涉而来, 他们已经在这里生活了三年, 希望美国能帮助我的未来。
背景链接出国留学低龄化及其利弊: 越来越多的学生高中(甚至初中)毕业直接出国, 他们充分接触国外的生活, 了解当地的人文地理及生活和工作上的差距, 取得更多的国外学习和生活的经验, 充分接触国外的先进文化教育理念, 及西方国家的素质教育, 充分拓展自己的国际视野, 了解国际商业文化及国际交流规则, 但语言、生活、教学模式、学习方法等方面的差异, 会给学生带来较大压力。
