It's a typical Snoopy card; cheerful message, bright colors, though a little yellow and faded now. Though I've received fancier, more expensive card over the years, this is the only one I've saved. One summer, it spoke volumes to me. I received it during the first June I faced as a widow to raise two teenage daughters alone. In all the emotional confusion of this sudden single parenthood, I was overwhelmed with, of all things, the simplest housework: leaky taps, oil changes, even barbeques (烧烤). Those had always been my husband's jobs. I was embarrassed every time I hit my thumb with a hammer or couldn't get the lawnmower (割草机) started. My uncertain attempts only fueled the fear inside me: How could I be both a father and mother to my girls? Clearly, I lacked the tools and skills. On this particular morning, my girls pushed me into the living room to see something. (I prayed it wasn't another repair job.) The "something" turned out to be an envelope and several wrapped bundles on the carpet. My puzzlement must have been plain as I gazed from the colorful packages to my daughters' bright faces. "Go ahead! Open them!" They urged. As I unwrapped the packages, I discovered a small barbecue grill (烧烤架) and all the necessary objects including a green kitchen glove with a frog pattern on it. "But why?" I asked. "Happy Father's Day!" they shouted together. "Moms don't get presents on Father's Day." I protested. "You forgot to open the card. " Jane reminded. I pulled it from the envelope. There sat Snoopy, on top of his dog house, merrily wishing me a Happy Father's Day. "Because," the girls said, "you've been a father and mother to us. Why shouldn't you be remembered on Father's Day?" As I fought back tears, I realized they were right, I wanted to be a "professional" dad, who had the latest tools and knew all the tricks of the trade. The girls only wanted a parent they could count on to be there, day after day, performing repeatedly the maintenance tasks of basic care and love. The girls are grown now, and they still send me Father's Day cards, but none of those cards means as much to me as that first one. Its simple message told me being a great parent didn't require any special tools at all—just a willing worker.
单选题
By "it spoke volumes to me", (Para. 1) the mother in the story means the card________.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析:通过对文章第一段第二句“Though I've received fancier,more expensive card over the years,this is the only one I've saved.”的分析,可知这张卡片对文中的女主人公有着不寻常的意义。所以正确答案为A。
单选题
After her husband's death, the mother found it was the hardest to________.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析:从文章第三段的最后一句“How could I be both a father and mother to my girls? Clearly,I lacked the tools and skills.”可以看出女主人公认为最难的就是如何去扮演好一个男性的角色。所以正确答案为D。
单选题
What puzzled the mother when her daughter asked her to see something one morning?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析:本题的答案在文中第四段的最后一句,正确答案为C。从“My puzzlement must have been plain as I gazed from the colorful packages to my daughters’ bright faces.”这句话可以看出让这个母亲不解的就是她收到了礼物。
单选题
The girls gave their mother a barbecue set probably because________.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析:通读全文不难发现孩子们只是把烧烤架作为一个恰当的父亲节礼物送给妈妈。因此B选项“it was a proper Father’s Day gift”为正确答案。其他选项都不符合文意。
单选题
Which of the following statements is true about the first Father's Day card?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析:文中只是表达了这位母亲作为单身母亲在这种情况下的无奈,并不是急于要得到干活的工具,所以A选项不正确;从文中倒数第二段可知她只是wanted to be a‘professional’ dad,但她还不是一个职业的父亲,所以B选项错误;最让母亲难以忘怀的理由是孩子们为什么会送给母亲礼物,而不是孩子们的礼物设计得很有想象力,所以C选项也错了。正确答案为D。