Question

【題目】"It is a dreadful thing to be poor a fortnight before Christmas," said Clorinda, with the mournful sigh of seventeen years.

Aunt Emmy smiled. Aunt Emmy was sixty, and spent the hours she didn't spend in a bed, on a sofa or in a wheel chair; but Aunt Emmy was never heard to sigh.

"The gifts which money can purchase are not the only ones we can give," said Aunt Emmy gently, "nor the best, either."

"Oh, I know it's nicer to give something of your own work," agreed Clorinda, "but materials for fancy work cost too. That kind of gift is just as much out of the question for me as any other."

"That was not what I meant," said Aunt Emmy.

"What did you mean, then?" asked Clorinda, looking puzzled.

Aunt Emmy smiled.

"Suppose you think out my meaning for yourself," she said. "That would be better than if I explained it. Besides, I don't think I could explain it. Take the beautiful line of a beautiful poem to help you in your thinking out: "The gift without the giver is bare."

"I'd put it the other way and say, "The giver without the gift is bare,'" said Clorinda, with a grimace（鬼臉）. "That is my predicament（困境） exactly. Well, I hope by next Christmas I'll not be quite bankrupt. I'm going into Mr. Callender's store down at Murraybridge in February. He has offered me the place, you know."

"Won't your aunt miss you terribly?" said Aunt Emmy gravely.

Clorinda flushed. There was a note in Aunt Emmy's voice that disturbed her.

"I think she would rather have your companionship than a part of your salary, Clorinda," said Aunt Emmy. "But of course you must decide for yourself, dear. "

"Well, I must say bye-bye and run home. " Clorinda lived just across the road from Aunt Emmy in a tiny white house behind some huge willows. But Aunt Mary lived there too--the only relative Clorinda had, for Aunt Emmy wasn't really her aunt at all. Clorinda had always lived with Aunt Mary ever since she could remember.

Clorinda puzzled over Aunt Emmy's meaning for four days and part of three nights. Then all at once it came to her. Or if it wasn't Aunt Emmy's meaning it was a very good meaning in itself, and it grew clearer and expanded in meaning during the days that followed, although at first Clorinda shrank a little from some of the conclusions to which it led her.

On Christmas Day, Clorinda went over to Aunt Emmy's. It was a faded brown Christmas after all, for the snow had not come. But Clorinda did not mind; there was such joy in her heart that she thought it the most delightful Christmas Day that ever dawned.

She put the queer cornery armful she carried down on the kitchen floor before she went into the sitting room. Aunt Emmy was lying on the sofa before the fire, and Clorinda sat down beside her.

"I've come to tell you all about it," she said.

Aunt Emmy patted the hand that was in her own.

"From your face, dear girl, it will be pleasant hearing and telling," she said.

Clorinda nodded.

"Aunt Emmy, I thought for days over your meaning ... thought until I was dizzy. And then one evening it just came to me, without any thinking at all, and I knew that I could give some gifts after all. I thought of something new every day for a week. At first I didn't think I could give some of them, and then I thought how selfish I was. I would have been willing to pay any amount of money for gifts if I had had it, but I wasn't willing to pay what I had. I got over that, though, Aunt Emmy. Now I'm going to tell you what I did give. "

"First, there was old Aunt Kitty. You know she was my nurse when I was a baby, and she's very fond of me. But, well, you know, Aunt Emmy, I'm ashamed to confess(承認(rèn)，懺悔) it, but really I've never found Aunt Kitty very entertaining, to put it mildly. She is always glad when I go to see her, but I've never gone except when I couldn't help it. She is very deaf, and rather dull and stupid, you know. Well, I gave her a whole day. I took my knitting yesterday, and sat with her the whole time and just talked and talked. I told her all the Greenvale news and gossip and everything else I thought she'd like to hear. She was so pleased and proud; she told me when I came away that she hadn't had such a nice time for years. "

Then there was ... Florence. You know, Aunt Emmy, we were always intimate(親密的) friends until last year. Then Florence once told Rose Watson something I had told her in confidence. I found it out and I was so hurt. I couldn't forgive Florence, and I told her plainly I could never be a real friend to her again. Florence felt badly, because she really did love me, and she asked me to forgive her, but it seemed as if I couldn't. Well, Aunt Emmy, that was my Christmas gift to her ... my forgiveness. I went down last night and just put my arms around her and told her that I loved her as much as ever and wanted to be real close friends again. "

"I gave Aunt Mary her gift this morning. I told her I wasn't going to Murraybridge, that I just meant to stay home with her. She was so glad--and I'm glad, too, now that I've decided so."

"Your gifts have been real gifts, Clorinda," said Aunt Emmy. "Something of you--the best of you--went into each of them."

Clorinda went out and brought her cornery armful in.

"I didn't forget you, Aunt Emmy," she said, as she unpinned the paper.

There was a rosebush--Clorinda's own pet rosebush--all snowed over with fragrant blossoms.

Aunt Emmy loved flowers. She put her finger under one of the roses and kissed it.

"It's as sweet as yourself, dear child," she said tenderly. "And it will be a joy to me all through the lonely winter days. You've found out the best meaning of Christmas giving, haven't you, dear?"

"Yes, thanks to you, Aunt Emmy," said Clorinda softly.

【1】Clorinda felt anxious before Christmas because_____________________.

A. She had to leave Aunt Mary

B. She didn’t know what kind of Christmas gifts she should buy

C. She had not enough money to buy Christmas gifts

D. She had no time to make a proper decision

【2】Which of the following sentences can best explain the line “The gift without the giver is bare.”？

A. A gift is valued by the mind of the giver.

B. Forgiveness is a gift for the giver and the receiver.

C. You cannot buy love or respect with expensive gifts.

D. Think twice before you give gifts to somebody

【3】What is the gift that Clorinda gave to old Aunt Kitty?

A. Passion B. Sympathy C. Kindness D. Company

【4】What does the underlined phrase “in confidene” mean?

A. respectfully B. confidently

C. secretly D. willingly

【5】Which two words can best describe Aunt Emmy?

A. cute and joyful B. kind-hearted and emotional

C. optimistic and wise D. gentle and timid

【6】Which of the following is the best title?

A. A Special Christmas B. Clorinda’s Gifts

C. Aunt Emmy D. Clorinda’s choice

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】A

【3】D

【4】C

【5】C

【6】B

【解析】

試題分析：本文講述在圣誕節(jié)兩星期前Clorinda沒有錢買圣誕禮物向艾米阿姨傾訴，艾米阿姨讓她思考一下The gift without the giver is bare這句話的含義，Clorinda最后明白禮物的真正價(jià)值在于給與者的心意的道理，從而送出了最好的禮物的故事。

【1】C細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段第一句"It is a dreadful thing to be poor a fortnight before Christmas,以及第三段第一句The gifts which money can purchase are not the only ones we can give圣誕節(jié)前兩星期沒錢了真可怕，錢能買到的禮物并不是我們唯一能給與的，可知Clorinda焦急是因?yàn)樗龥]錢買圣誕禮物，故選C

【2】A分析推理題。根據(jù)后文Clorinda理解了艾米阿姨的意思后，給了凱蒂阿姨陪伴的禮物，給了Florence原諒的禮物，瑪麗阿姨的禮物是告訴她不去Murraybridge了在家陪她….可知這句話的真正含義是指禮物不是用金錢衡量的，而是給予者的心意，故選A

【3】D細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)凱蒂阿姨那一段中間Well, I gave her a whole day.我給了她一整天，可知Clorinda給了凱蒂阿姨陪伴的禮物，故選D

【4】C詞義辨析題。A尊敬地；B自信地；C秘密地；D愿意地，根據(jù)句子Then Florence once told Rose Watson something I had told her in confidence. I found it out and I was so hurt.后句說我發(fā)現(xiàn)了感到很受傷，可知Florence是告訴了Rose我偷偷告訴她的事情，我才會(huì)感到受傷，故選C

【5】C分析推理題。根據(jù)第三段最后一句but Aunt Emmy was never heard to sigh.她從不嘆息，可知她很樂觀，以及Take the beautiful line of a beautiful poem to help you in your thinking out: "The gift without the giver is bare."這首美麗的詩歌來幫你思考，艾米阿姨沒有直接告訴她這句話的含義，而是要她自己思考，從而引導(dǎo)她明白什么是真正的禮物，可知她很明智，故選C

【6】B分析推理題。本文主要是圍繞Clorinda沒有錢買圣誕禮物，艾米阿姨引導(dǎo)她明白什么是真正的禮物，Clorinda明白后送給她的家人和朋友真正的禮物的故事。可知最佳標(biāo)題應(yīng)是Clorinda的禮物，故選B