Question

A woman named Emily renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”

“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”

“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation… ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.

One day I found myself in the same situation. The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.

The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”

The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.

I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

“Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest, “Just what you do in this field?”

Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (受鼓舞) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3.

Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”

Motherhood…What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.

 

1.What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?

A. The recorder was impatient and rude.

B. The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was.

C. The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced.

D. Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society.

2.How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?

A. curious        B. indifferent                    C. puzzled            D. interested

3.Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?

A. Because the author cared little about rewards.

B. Because she thought the author did admirable work.

C. Because she admired the author’s research work in the lab.

D. Because the writer did something she had little knowledge of.

4.What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A. To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it.

B. To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect.

C. To show that the author had a greater job than Emily.

D. To show that being a mother is hard and boring work. 

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.B

【解析】

試題分析：

1.D 推理題。根據第五行“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation… ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder. 說明人們并沒有把媽媽當成一個職業，也沒有收到這社會的尊重，故D正確。

2.C 推理題。根據第七段The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair. 說明她猶豫了，很困惑，不知道我所說的職業是什么。故C正確。

3.B 推理題。根據文章倒數第六段I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”我把媽媽的工作描述得很偉大，很高級。使對方感覺我的工作很重要，使用對我也很尊敬。故B正確。

4.B 主旨大意題。在本文中作者主要是想向我們表示做家庭主婦是一個值得尊敬的職業，也是一個值得去從事的職業。故B正確。

考點：考查人生百態類短文

點評：文章通過我和一位工作人員的對話，來闡述做家庭主婦這份工作的價值和重要性，目的是想讓人們重視這一職業也尊重這一職業。以推理題的考查為主，不能以自己的觀點代替作者的觀點，最主要的方法是根據詞義關系推斷具體細節。