I have a painfully vivid memory
of my first homecoming from college, in December 1983. After three whole months
away, I was back home with my brand new opinions, attitudes and tastes. How
could they watch
such terrible television programs? I, the English Literature major with
Shakespeare and Milton and James Joyce, could hardly bear to sleep under the
roof of a house whose few bookshelves held thrillers and bound editions of the
Reader’s Digest. I’m sure my family was glad to see
the back of me when, at the end of the holiday, I packed up my books and headed
back up to university in the north of England.
But the next year must have been
even more painful to my parents: I didn’t show up at all. Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with young
people spending a little time away from their families and with their friends. It’s part of growing up, something you need to
do if you are to become properly independent. However, if you’re not going to be home for the
festival, you should at least have the decency to telephone and say you’re not coming.
In English we have an expression,
“wet behind the ears.” A person who is wet behind the
ears is so immature, that they don’t know how to dry the back of their head after a bath. Just before
the following year’s
holiday I fell ill, quite seriously so. I’m sure my own behavior contributed to my
getting sick: staying out too late, not eating properly—perhaps
you know someone like the person I was then. I lay in bed with a fever, feeling
very sorry for myself.
I’m sure you can guess who came to my rescue.
My long-suffering parents got in their car and sped up the motorway to rescue
their son from the consequences of his own irresponsibility.
I hope I’m a better son now; if not, it’s getting a little late in the
day if I want to change. I’ve
worked in China for nearly 10 years and so I don’t get to see them as often as I like, but my
parents are online all the time so we talk many times each week. And this
Spring Festival I will be flying back to England for a visit.
I’m really looking forward to it.
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. The author liked reading
thrillers and the Reading Digest.
B. The author couldn’t fall asleep in a house with few
books.
C. The author thought his parents
were happy to see him back.
D. The author didn’t seem to share the same tastes
with his parents.
2.What can we learn from the second paragraph?
A. The next year the author’s parents were very happy to see
him.
B. The author went to see his
parents during the second year in college.
C. If you aren’t going to spent an important day
with your family, inform them in advance.
D. To leave away from family is
not a proper way if you want to gain some independency.
3. If you are a person who is wet behind the
ears, you are .
A. old and experienced B.
young and inexperienced
C. young and experienced D.
mature and experienced
4.We can infer from the last two paragraphs
that .
A. the author thinks he has
become a good son
B. the author will be with his
family the next Spring Festival
C. the author will not change
himself to a better one because it is too late
D. the author keeps in touch with
his parents through the Internet regularly
5.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Pleasant memories about
Christmas
B. Horrible things happened in
the past
C. Interesting memories about Christmas
D.
Share with you some of my Ghosts of Christmas Past