Even before my father left us, my mother had to
go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen,
complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”
Mom never looked up from sewing.
“You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And
don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”
In the second grade, our teacher
lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey
bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I
shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it. She
hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she
took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the
bars.
“Now, pull up with your right arm,”
she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand
until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and
she praised me for every, rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time,
crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their
mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new
junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I
said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn’t hear
anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off
with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to
see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my
behalf. She had never let me see her tears.
1.Which of the following expressions can be used most
suitably to describe Mom’s attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?
A.
Cruel. B.
Serious. C.
Strict. D.
Cold.
2.From the passage, we know monkey bars can help a child
train _________.
A. the skill to throw and catch things
B. the speed of one’s hand movement
C. the strength and skill to hang and sway
D. the bodily skill to rotate round a bar
3.What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about
that’ look” imply?
A. Mom believe every aim could be achieved if you
stuck to it.
B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult
enough for a child to give up.
C. Mom was determined to prove she herself was better
than the teacher.
D. What the child had said brought Mom great
attraction and curiosity.
4.When the child looked down at the kids, they were
standing with their mouths open because
.
A. they felt sorry for what they had done before
B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get
hurt
C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the
bars
D. they were astonished to find the author’s progress
5.The most probable conclusion we can draw after
reading the passage is _________.
A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep
B. the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her
own
C. Mom could solve any problem except the one in the
last paragraph
D. in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the
child’s growth
