阅读理解
1 I was born in Tuckahoe, Talbot Country, Maryland. I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their age as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I do not remember having ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday. They seldom come nearer to it than planting-time, harvesting, springtime, or falltime. A lack of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages, I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege. I was not allowed to make any inquiries of my master concerning it. He considered all such inquiries on the part of a slave improper and impertinent. The nearest estimate I can give makes me now between twenty- seven and twenty-eight years of age. I come to this, from hearing my master say, some time during 1835, I was about seventeen years old.
2 My mother was named Harriet Bailey. She was the daughter of Issac and Betsey Bailey, both coloured, and quite dark. My mother was of a darker complexion than either my grandmother or grandfather.
3 My father was a white man. He was admitted to be such by all I ever heard speak of my parentage. The opinion was also whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion, I know nothing; the means of knowing was withheld from me. My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant — before I knew her as my mother. It is a common custom, in the part of Maryland from which I ran away, to part children from their mothers at a very early age. Frequently, before the child has reached its twelfth month, its mother is taken from it, and hired out on some farm a considerable distance off, and the child is placed under the care of an older woman, too old for field labour. For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder the development of the child''s affection towards its mother.
单选题
The author did not know exactly when he was born because________.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】此题为细节理解题。据第1段第2句后半部分可知。据第2段可排除A。据第3段前 3句可排除C。D项曲解了第l段第3句的意思。
注意：
1、 By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their age as horses know of theirs：此句的意思是多数奴隶如同马匹一般对自己的年龄一无所知。作者将那些奴隶与马进行比较，也说明了奴隶的命运很悲惨。
2、 They seldom come nearer to than planting-time，harvesting，springtime，or falltime：他们极少能说出比栽种季节、收获季节、春季或秋季更具体的时间。it 指 birthday。
3、 impertinent：此处表示“不恰当的”、“荒诞的”。
4、 complexion：肤色
5、 of the correctness of this opinion，I know nothing：此句为倒装结构，正常结构应是：I know nothing of the correctness of this opinion．
6、 For what this separation is done， I do not know， unless it be to hinder the development of the child''s affection towards its mother：前两个分句实为倒装，正常语序是I do not know for what this separation is done．倒装的目的是为了强调。 unless这里引导一个虚拟语气句。unless 相当于if not。全句的意思是，如果不是为了阻碍孩子发展对母亲的感情，我真不知道还有什么原因要让母亲与孩子分离。
单选题
In the mid-nineteenth century, slaves often________.