A
(2021·北京模拟)
When I was about 12 years old, my older brother, James, smuggled a BB gun into the house. Our parents had told us many times that we were not allowed to bring home guns or knives, even if they were just toys. Having any form of weaponry in our home was strictly forbidden.
James brought me to his room. He opened his closet door and took out a shoebox that was buried beneath a heap of clothes. The BB gun was inside. I was immediately enamored by the shiny barrel.
“Can I shoot it, Jamesie? ” I asked, hopefully.
“No way, ” James said, taking it from me and putting it back.
One day, when no one was home, I went into James’ closet and took it out. For some inexplicable reason—I have no idea what I was thinking—I went to the front window of the second floor in our row house. I cracked the window open. I pointed the gun outside and shot. I quickly shut the window and peeked outside.
In a matter of seconds, old Mr Schlosberg came out of his grocery store. He looked back at his store window. He looked up the street. He looked down the street. Then he looked straight across to our house.
Thankfully, Jamesie made it home before Mother or Father.
As he stepped through the door, I could hear old Mr Schlosberg call his name. “James, James, ” he called. “Come here, son. ”
After several minutes, James ran back across the street and into the living room. I had retreated into the kitchen. “Alma! ” he screamed. “Get out here! You cracked Mr Schlosberg’s window with my BB gun! ”
“Oh, please, Jamesie, ” I begged. “Don’t let him tell Mother. She will whip my bottom real good! ” Jamesie sighed. He wiped my tears and went back across the street to Mr Schlosberg’s. I don’t know what James said to that man, but there was never a mention of the incident again.
Years later, I found out Jamesie had used the money he got from his newspaper route to pay for Mr Schlosberg’s cracked window. He only got one cent for every paper he delivered. He managed to pay back the debt just before he went off to fight in World War Ⅱ.
Since that day, I have never touched a gun: a BB gun, a water gun, a real gun, or any other type.
1. Why was the gun hidden in the closet?
A. The gun was too expensive.
B. The family had only one gun.
C. The law didn’t allow anyone to have a gun.
D. The parents didn’t allow a gun to appear at home.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第一段可知, 我们的父母曾多次告诉我们, 不允许我们带着枪或刀回家, 即使它们只是玩具也不行。可推知把枪藏在橱子里的原因是父母不允许家里有枪出现, 故选D项。
2. What did Alma expect from James after he shot Mr Schlosberg’s window?
A. To deal with the problem.
B. To talk with his parents.
C. To throw away the gun.
D. To tell the truth.
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据Alma乞求哥哥时说的话“Oh, please, Jamesie, ”及“Don’t let him tell Mother. She will whip my bottom real good! ”(求你了, 杰米西。别让他告诉妈妈。她会狠狠地揍我一顿的! )可知, 在打碎了老施洛斯伯格先生杂货店的窗户之后, Alma期盼着哥哥回来帮自己解决问题。故选A项。
3. Which of the following best describes James as a brother?
A. Responsible and strict.
B. Brave and determined.
C. Responsible and caring.
D. Naughty and determined.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据“He wiped my tears(他擦干我的眼泪)”可以看出哥哥关心、体贴他人; 根据“He managed to pay back the debt just before he went off to fight in World War Ⅱ. (他在参加第二次世界大战前还清了债务。)”可知哥哥设法赔偿打坏的窗户, 可以看出哥哥负责任的品质。故选C项。
4. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. A warmhearted brother B. A BB gun
C. A cracked window D. An incident
【解析】选B。主旨大意题。文章开头介绍“我们的父母曾多次告诉我们, 不允许我们带着枪或刀回家, 但是哥哥在家藏了一把BB枪。”文章中间段落叙述了Alma用BB枪干了坏事, 哥哥帮忙补偿。文章最后一段描述“从那天以后, 我再也不碰任何枪支, 包括BB枪。”文章围绕BB枪展开描述, 因此用“A BB gun(一把BB枪)”作标题最为合适, 故选B项。
