Benjy and I were working in the yard together one afternoon.It was during a summer between college terms,a time of uncertainty for my son.Benjy wanted to follow in my footsteps as a musician,but he was impatient for success.I ached for him and wished I could say something.
Taking a break,Benjy looked around our 15acres with its stream,its trees,and its rolling grass."This place is beautiful,"he said."How did you get it?"
"I wondered when you'd ask,"I replied.We tend to take things for granted until we're about to leave or lose them.I told Benjy the story.
Our first child,Suzanne,had just been born.Gloria and I were teaching in a town where I had grown up.We wanted land so we could build a house.
I noticed a parcel south of town where cattle grazed(吃草).It belonged to a 92﹣year﹣old retired banker named Mr.Yule.He owned a lot of land in the area,but was selling none of it.He gave the same speech to everyone who inquired."I promised the farmers they could use it for their cattle."
Nevertheless,Gloria and I visited him at the bank,where he still spent his days.We made our way past a forbidding mahogany(红木) door and into a dim office.Mr.Yule sat behind a desk,reading The Wall Street Journal.He barely moved,looking at us over the top of his bifocals.
"Not selling,"he said pleasantly,when I told him we were interested in the piece of land."Promised it to a farmer for grazing."
"I know,"I replied nervously."But we teach school here,and we thought that maybe you would sell it to someone planning to settle."
He pursed his lips and stared."What'd you say your name was?"
"Gaither.Bill Gaither."
"H'm.Any relation to Grover Gaither?"
"Yes,sir.He was my granddad."
Mr.Yule put down his paper and removed his glasses.Then he pointed to a couple of chairs,and we sat down.
"Grover Gaither was the best worker I ever had on my farm,"he said."Showed up early,stayed late,did whatever needed doing and never had to be told."
The old man leaned forward."I found him in the barn one night an hour after quitting time.He told me the tractor needed fixing and he wouldn't feel right about leaving it undone."Mr.Yule squinted,his eyes distant with the memory."What'd you say you wanted,Gaither?"
I told him again.
"Let me do some thinking on it,then come back and see me."
I was in his office again within a week.Mr.Yule told me he had thought about it.I held my breath.
"How does 3,800sound?"heasked.At3,800per acre,I would have to come up with nearly 60,000!Wasthisjustawayofputtingmeoff?"Thirty﹣eighthundred?"Irepeated,withacatchinmythroat."Yup.Fifteenacresfor3,800."The land had to be worth at least three times that!I gratefully accepted.
Nearly three decades later,my son and I strolled the green property that had once been pasture."Benjy,"I said,"you've had this wonderful place to grow up on all because of the good name of a man you never met."
At Granddad's funeral,many people had come up to me to say,"Your grandfather was a good man."He was praised for his compassion,his ability to forgive,his tenderness,his generosity﹣﹣﹣and,most of all,his integrity.He had been a simple farmer,but his character made him a leader.
A good man.A wonderful phrase﹣﹣﹣one that has almost been lost in our culture.It reminds me of a verse from Proverbs that I was raised on:"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,and loving favor rather than silver and gold."
A good name is the legacy(遗产) Granddad Gaither left me.It is what I hope to leave Benjy,along with a story he can tell his son as they walk this gentle land.
55.When the writer was asked by his son how he got the land,he .
A.felt very surprised
B.didn't know how to reply
C.wondered if it was the right time to tell him the story
D.had expected his son to ask this question for a long time
56.According to the text,Mr.Yule .
A.grazed cattle on his farm
B.rented the land to farmers for grazing
C.had previously sold none of the land he owned
D.charged a very high price for his land
57.What was Mr.Yule's reaction when the writer requested to buy his land for the first time?
A.He refused to sell it at first as usual.
B.He agreed as soon as he learned the writer's relation with Grover Gaither.
C.He asked a price that the writer couldn't afford.
D.He said it had already been sold to a farmer for grazing.
58.Why did the writer eventually get the land from Mr.Yule?
A.Because he had a good name.
B.Because he offered a reasonable price.
C.Because he was the grandson of Grover Gaither.
D.Because he planned to settle.
59.Which of the following statements is true about Granddad Gaither?
A.He was made a leader among the farmers.
B.He was seen by Mr.Yule as the best worker on his farm.
C.He earned a living by being a tractor driver.
D.He died before the writer was born.
60.Which of the following can be the best title?
A.A good man
B.A kind banker
C.The land
D.The legacy.
DCACBD
人物传记类文章的文体特征:
人物传记是记叙文体的一种,主要描写某人的生平事迹、趣闻轶事、生活背景、个性特征、成长奋斗历程等,包含记叙文的时间、地点、人物、事件等要素。其特点是以时间的先后或事件的发展为主线,空间或逻辑线索贯穿文章始终,脉络清楚,可读性较强。
人物传记类文章的阅读策略和解题技巧:
1、把握文体特征,注意写作手法如前文所述,人物传记是记叙文体的一种,因此在阅读时要把握好时间、地点、人物和事件这四大要素。
其次,还应该注意人物传记类文章的结构多按时间顺序排列,一般采用倒叙的写作手法,有时也采用插叙和补叙等手段。弄清楚人物传记类文章的特征和写作手法,能帮助考生在阅读和回答问题时做到高效省时、准确无误。
2、抓住题干关键词,采用寻读的方法查找细节描述事实细节题是人物传记类文章的主要题型,一般常见以下几种类型:
(1)对号入座题:
这种题的答案一般在原文中可以直接找到,只要读懂文章,掌握文章中的事实,如时间、地点、事件等细节问题,就能选对正确答案。
(2)词义转换题:
这种题常常是原文有关词语和句子的转换,而不能在原文中直接找到。它要求考生能理解原文中某个短语或句子的含义,从而找到与答案意思相同的词语和句子。
(3)是非题:
该题型俗称“三缺一”题型,即题目四个选项中有三个符合文章内容,剩下一个不符合。题干多为:Which of the following isTRUE?或者三个不符合文章内容,剩下一个符合,题干多为:Which of the following…isNOTtrue?或All the following are true EXCEPT
(4)排序题:
这种题要求考生根据动作发生的先后顺序和句子之间的逻辑关系,找出事件发生的正确顺序。可采用“首尾定位法”,即先找出第一个动作和最后一个动作,迅速缩小选择范围,从而快速选出正确答案。
(5)指代理解题:
一般是在人物或事物关系比较复杂的情况下使用的一种题型,所以理清人物及事物之间的逻辑关系是关键所在。可采用“逻辑关系梳理法”,使人物或事件关系清晰条理。不管题型如何,在做事实细节题时,可采用比较实用的方法一有目的的阅读。在阅读时,首先看题目要求我们理解什么细节,找出关键词,然后以此为线索,运用寻读的技巧迅速在文章里找出相应的段落、句子或短语。认真比较选项和文中细节的区别,在正确理解细节的前提下,确定最佳答案。这样一来,既提高了阅读的速度,又能确保答案的准确率。同时,建议阅读文章时把与答案相符的句子或短语用红线标示出来,标号注上是哪一题答案的相关句子,这样在检查时就不必重新阅读整篇文章了。
3、抽丝剥茧,推理判断深层含义推理判断题主要提问那些未曾在文中说明,但已特别暗示的内容,考查考生对文章的准确理解和判断。人物传记类文章常见的推理判断题型为:
(1)细节推断题:
要求考生根据语篇关系,推断具体细节,如时间、地点、人物关系、人物身份、事件等。一般可根据短文提供的信息,或者借助生活常识进行推理判断。
(2)因果推断题:
要求考生根据已知结果推测导致结果的可能原因。考生要准确掌握文章的内涵,理解文章的真正含义。
(3)人物性格、作者态度及观点判断题:
人物传记类文章中有些是考查考生对作者的主导思想、被描写人物的语气、言语中流露的情绪、性格倾向和作者或文中人物态度、观点等方面的理解题。推理判断题要求在理解原文表面文字信息的基础上做出一定推论和判断,从而得到文章的隐含意义和深层意义。解答此类题时,要注意:
(1)吃透文章的字面意思,从字里行间捕捉有用的提示和线索,这是推理的前提和基础。
(2)对文字的表面信息进俐宅掘加工,由表及里,由浅入深。从具体到抽象,从特殊到一般,通过分析、综合、判断等进行符合逻辑的推理。不能就事论事,断章取义,以偏概全。
(3)基于文章内容,以文章提供的事实和线索为依据,立足已知,推断未知。不能主观臆想,凭空想象,随意揣测,更不能以自己的观点代替作者的观点。
(4)把握句、段之间的逻辑关系,了解语篇的结构。要体会文章的基调,揣摸作者的态度,摸准逻辑发展的方向,悟出作者的弦外之音。
(5)注意文中所用词句的感情色彩,是讽刺性的,批评性的,赞成性的,还是反对性的,以便推测作者的观点和态度。
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In 1993, I had my first opportunity to visit
Toward the end of my three week trip I was invited by my young Russian host and friend Nicolai Vasilevich and his lovely wife Yulya out to dinner. At the end of a wonderful meal, Yulya asked if I would like a banana. I politely declined and thanked her, and explained I was most satisfied with the meal. But the whole while my mind was racing: “What do I do? Do I offer her a banana even though they are as close to her as they are to me? What is the polite thing to do?”
“Would you like a banana?” I asked Yulya.
“Yes,” she smiled, but made no attempt to take any of the three bananas in the fruit basket. “What now?” I thought.
“Which one would you like?” I asked awkwardly.
“That one,” she pointed at one of the bananas. Thinking about Russian politeness, I picked the banana Yulya had pointed at and peeled(去皮) it half way and handed it to her. Smiles in Yulya’s and Nicolai’s faces told me I had done the right thing. After this experience I spent much time letting the world know that in
Sometime during my third trip I was politely corrected by a Russian friend. “Oh, no, in
Certain lessons have to be learned the hard way. Some well meaning articles and presentations on cultural differences have a potential to do more harm than good and may not be as amusing. They present, like my bananas, too many generalizations or quite an inaccurate view.
65. The author went to
A. visit a famous university B. work as an interpreter
C. offer some professional help D. do some agricultural work
66. The author decided to offer Yulya a banana because ________.
A. he sat closer to bananas B. he wanted to show politeness
C. she gave him one first D. he wanted to win her heart
67. How did the author probably feel after he saw the smiles in Yulya’s and Nicolai’s faces?
A. Awkward. B. Embarrassed. C. Surprised. D. Relieved.
68. The author told this story mainly to express that _________.
A. Russian politeness is rather difficult to understand
B. man should never peel a banana for a lady in
C. what people say about other culture may not be true
D. funny things may happen anywhere at any time