At the end of the bar, talking on the telephone, was a tall man with a white beard,handsome and imposing.
“It’s Hemingway all right,” I said.
“Why don’t you ask him to have a drink with us?” she said, knowing I wouldn’t dare. What matter if the barman at the Ritz threw me out? My life was over anyway. “I’ll ask him,” I said.
“No, no, don’t ,” she said. “I was just kidding.”
“I wasn’t,” I said, squaring my shoulders and striding to the bar. Hemingway had just ended his phone call.
“Mr. Hemingway,” I said, “the young lady at the far table and I would like you to join us for a drink, if you have time.”
He looked at me, then across the room at her. Whether it was because I was so obviously on the spot or because she was so pretty-she really did look like a cross between Gene Tierney and Audrey Hepburn, as people often remarked-he said, “I’ve got another phone call to make, and then I’ll join you.”
When I returned to the table, my girl friend asked: “What’d he say? What’d he say?”
“He said he’d join us for a drink. Maybe he was just kidding.”
A few minutes later, with both of us studiously not looking toward the end of the bar,a shadow loomed over the table and Hemingway sat down. We ordered another round of Bloody Marys.
Hemingway told us he was going down to Spain for the bullfights. He said he had fully recovered from injuries suffered when his small plane had crashed in the African jungle a few months before. He asked me what kind of car I drove, and when I told him I had a Triumph TR-2-a big engine for a small chassis (汽车底盘) -he remarked, “Get us the manifold pressure in one of those and you can really roll.”
We chatted for a few moments. Then he looked at his watch and said: “I’d like to stay longer, but I’ve got a dinner date. Nice talking to you.”
My girl friend took my hand and smiled warmly at me for the first time in weeks.“You’ve got nerve,” she said. I signaled for the check. “Monsieur Hemingway a paye,” the waiter said. Mr. Hemingway had paid for the drinks.
1. When they first saw Hemingway, the latter ().
A. was drinking Bloody Marys
B. was talking to the barman
C. was talking on the phone
D. was walking idly around the room
2. The girl suggested that the author go and ask Hemingway to have a drink with them because ().
A. she was not speaking seriously
B. she was sure Hemingway would come
C. she wanted to talk to Hemingway very much
D. she was sure the author would do as she suggested
3. After the author went to invite Hemingway, the latter ().
A. said he didn’t have time
B. promised to join them later
C. first said no and then said yes
D. went to join them immediately
4. Hemingway talked with the two people about the following except ().
A. the car the author was driving
B. the recovery of his health
C.the place he was going
D. the book he was writing
5. Which of the following is NOT true with Hemingway according to the passage? ()
A. Hemingway was polite and considerate
B. Hemingway was injured a few months before
C. Hemingway thought people needed pressure in life
D. Hemingway was too busy to find time to talk to common people
some reason said: “I wish all of the white students to stand for a moment.” I rose with the others.The teacher looked at me and, calling my name, said: “You sit down for the present, and rise with the others.” I did not quite understand her.She repeated: “You sit down now, and rise with the others.” I sat down puzzled.I saw and heard nothing.When the other were asked to rise, I did not know it.When school was dismissed, I went out unconsciously.A few of the white boys laughed at me, saying: “Oh, you’re a nigger, too.”
I hurried on as fast as I could to where my looking-glass hung on the wall in my own little room.For an instant I was afraid to look, but when I did, I looked long and earnestly.I was accustomed t o hearing remarks about my beauty, but now, for the first time, I became conscious of it and recognized it.I noticed the ivory(象牙)whiteness of my skin, the beauty of my mouth, the size and the liquid darkness of my eyes.I ran downstairs and rushed to wh ere my mother was sitting.I buried my head in her lap and cried out: “Mother, tell me, am I a nigger?” I could not see her face, but I felt her hands on my head.I looked up into her face.There were tears in her eyes and I could see that she was sufferin g for me.And then it was that.
I looked at her critically for the first time.I had thought of her in a childish way only as the most beautiful woman in the world; now I looked at her searching for defects(缺点).I could see that her skin was almost brown,and that she did differ in some way from the other ladies who came to the house; yet, even so I could see that she was more beautiful than any of them.She must have felt that I was examining her, for she hid her face in my hair and said with difficulty:“No, my darling, you are not a nigger.” She went on: “If anyone calls you a nigger, don’t notice them.”
But the more she talked, the less was I reassured, and I stopped her by asking:“Well, mother, am I white? Are you white?” She answered tremblingly(颤抖的): “No, I am not white, but your father is one of the greatest men in the country.The best blood of the South is in you.” This suddenly opened up in my heart a fresh fear, and I almost fiercely demanded: “Who is my father? Where is he?” She stroked my hair and said: “I’ll tell you about him some day.” I sobbed(抽泣): “I want to know now.” She answered: “No, not now.”
1.We can infer from the passage that “a nigger ”means().
A.a white person
B.a black person
C.anyone that is not white
D.anyone that i s not black
2.When the teacher asked him to sit down and rise with the others ,the author was confused because().
A.he never considered himself a non-white person
B.he thought the teacher didn’t recognize him
C.he thought he should be considered
D.he thought it rude for the teacher to call his name
3.It was on that day that he began to realize that().
A.he was a nigger
B.he was different from others because of his beauty
C.his color was like that of his mother
D.he differed from oth er white people even with his beauty
4.From the passage we can learn that().
A.the boy’s father left them for some reasons
B.the boy’s mother didn’t want to mention his father at all
C.the boy never met his father before
D.the boy’s mother hated his father
5.This passage generally tells us a story of ().
A.a boy who suddenly realized that he was a colored person
B.a boy who had been looked down upon because he had no father
C.the miserable life of colored people
D.the life of a one-parent family
A.looked up
B.looked down
C.looked down upon
D.looked up
A、instinctive
B、instinctively
C、instant
D、instinct
you would rather not have anyone else know about.For example if in the past someone in Dad's family
had been arrested for stealing a horse it would be 'a skeleton in his family's closet'.He really wouldn't
want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica's father said with anger.“Your family history isn't so good you
know.Wasn't your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes? ”“Yes but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as
prisoners.” “Gosh sorry I asked.I think I understand now ”Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner the house was very quiet.Jessica's parents were still angry each other.Her mother was
ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband who hid behind newspaper pretending
to read.When she finished she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica's
closet.Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt a bony arm stuck out from the dark
depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor.Jessica's mother sank into a faint (晕倒) waking
only when Jessica's put a cold wet cloth on her forehead.She looked up to see the worried faces of her
husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I? ”she asked.“You just destroyed the school's skeleton Mum”
explained Jessica.“I brought it home to help me with my health project.I meant to tell you but it seemed
that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Jessica
looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly.“They're both crazy” she thought.
1.According to Jessica's mother“a skeleton in the closet”means ______.
A.a family honor
B.a family secret
C.a family story
D.a family treasure
2.What can we learn about some Australians' ancestors from Paragraph 2?()
A.They were brought to Australia as prisoners
B.They were the earliest people living in Australia
C.They were involved in some crimes in Australia
D.They were not regarded as criminals in their days
3.Jessica's mother fell down into a faint because she was _____.
A.knocked
B.frightened
C.injured
D.surprised
4.Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home?
A.She was curious about it
B.She planned to keep it for fun
C.She needed it for her school task
D.She intended to scare her parents
5.Jessica's parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because_______.
A.they were crazy
B.they were overexcited
C.they realized their misunderstanding
D.they both thought they had won the quarrel
A.experienced
B.had experienced
C.experience
D.should experience
A.fragile
B.terrific
C.skeptical
D.manifest
A.blew up
B.jumped up
C.looked up
D.cheered up