羅麗雯
2021年高考英語全國乙卷的閱讀理解B篇是介紹在澳洲家庭保留座機(jī)的現(xiàn)象及其原因。我們不禁想到2011年全國新課標(biāo)Ⅰ卷閱讀理解A篇,作者通過回憶從前給家里送牛奶的Basille先生的故事,表達(dá)了作者對童年的美好回憶和對他的深厚感情。兩者都是對往事的回憶。請閱讀原題并細(xì)心體會。
真題回顧
閱讀下列短文,從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項(xiàng)中選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
[2021年全國乙卷閱讀B篇]
When almost everyone has a mobile phone,why are more than half of Australian homes still paying for a landline(座機(jī))
These days youd be hard pressed to find anyone in Australia over the age of 15 who doesnt own a mobile phone. In fact plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere,anytime.
Still,55 percent of Australians have a landline phone at home and only just over a quarter(29%)rely only on their smartphones,according to a survey(調(diào)查). Of those Australians who still have a landline,a third concede that its not really necessary and theyre keeping it as a security blanket——19 percent say they never use it while a further 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies. I think my home falls into that category.
More than half of Australian homes are still choosing to stick with their home phone. Age is naturally a factor(因素)——only 58 percent of Generation Ys still use landlines now and then, compared to 84 percent of Baby Boomers whove perhaps had the same home number for 50 years. Age isnt the only factor; Id say its also to do with the makeup of your household.
Generation Xers with young families,like my wife and I, can still find it convenient to have a home phone rather than providing a mobile phone for every family member. That said,to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents,to the point where we play a game and guess who is calling before we pick up the phone(using Caller ID would take the fun out of it).
How attached are you to your landline? How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries?
24. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about mobile phones?
A. Their target users.
B. Their wide popularity.
C. Their major functions.
D. Their complex design.
25. What does the underlined word“concede”in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Admit. B. Argue.
C. Remember. D. Remark.
26. What can we say about Baby Boomers?
A. They like smartphone games.
B. They enjoy guessing callersidentity.
C. They keep using landline phones.
D. They are attached to their family.
27. What can be inferred about the landline from the last paragraph?gzslib202204032310A. It remains a family necessity.
B. It will fall out of use some day.
C. It may increase daily expenses.
D. It is as important as the gas light.
[2011年新課標(biāo)全國Ⅰ卷閱讀A篇]
When milk arrived on the doorstep
When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy,I couldnt take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course,he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order,my mother would pen a note——“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”——and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then,the buttermilk would magically appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house,for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors,so that the milk wouldnt freeze. And I remember Mr.Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table,having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk,thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides,milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently,an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch(門廊). Every so often my sons friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood,and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
56. Mr Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer _________.
A. to show his magical power
B. to pay for the delivery
C. to satisfy his curiosity
D. to please his mother
57. What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boys house?
A. He wanted to have tea there.
B. He was a respectable person.
C. He was treated as a family member.
D. He was fully trusted by the family.
58. Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?
A. Nobody wants to be a milkman now.
B. It has been driven out of the market.gzslib202204032310C. Its service is getting poor.
D. It is forbidden by law.
59. Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?
A. He missed the good old days.
B. He wanted to tell interesting stories.
C. He missed it for his milk bottles.
D. He planted flowers in it.
答案與解析
2021年全國乙卷閱讀B篇
24題問第二段的主要內(nèi)容,由“plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere,anytime.”可知幾乎人手都有一部手機(jī),說明手機(jī)是很受歡迎的,因此選B項(xiàng)。
25題問第三段中劃線詞的意思,因?yàn)榇瞬糠终劦窖芯拷Y(jié)果,利用平行結(jié)構(gòu):a third concede ... 以及下一句19 percent say...說明劃線詞意思與say意思接近,故選A項(xiàng)。
26題問我們對Baby Boomers的了解,以“Baby Boomers”作為定位詞,我們在第四段找到“84 percent of Baby Boomers whove perhaps had the same home number for 50 years. ”和第五段中找到“to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents”,由此可知,他們大部分仍然使用座機(jī),故選C項(xiàng)。
27題問從最后一段能推斷出什么,從“How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries(他們離走上煤氣路燈和早晨送牛奶的老路還有多久)”可知,座機(jī)也遲早會退出市場,因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在煤氣路燈和早晨送牛奶已不見了,故選B項(xiàng)。
2011年新課標(biāo)全國Ⅰ卷閱讀A篇
56題問送奶人給作者25美分的原因,由第一段中的“I couldnt take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt (我目不轉(zhuǎn)睛盯著他皮帶上的零錢包)”可知,作者對零錢包非常好奇,故選C項(xiàng)。
57題問從送奶人持有作者家的鑰匙可以得出什么結(jié)論,由第三段中的“There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house(送奶人與購奶家庭關(guān)系緊密,甚至擁有他們家的鑰匙)”,再結(jié)合常識,可以推斷,作者一家非常信任那個送奶人,故選D項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)C有一定的迷惑性,因?yàn)榻o送奶人鑰匙是為了方便他把牛奶放進(jìn)屋子里,雖然也是信任他,但不是把他當(dāng)成家里人。
58題問送奶到戶服務(wù)不再存在的原因,由倒數(shù)第二段中的“Big companies ... thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere ... to have a delivery service. (大公司賣的牛奶更便宜,這使得送奶人生存空間小。而且牛奶的出售點(diǎn)多了,送奶入戶已不是那么有必要了)可知,選B項(xiàng)。
59題問作者將牛奶盒帶回家的原因,從“Recently,an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home...”可知,作者懷念“昨日情懷”,故選A項(xiàng)。
比較分析
以上兩篇文章都帶有“懷舊”氣息,特別是2011年關(guān)于送奶人的文章,但因?yàn)榻?jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展,大公司搶占了市場,送奶人已經(jīng)沒有太大的生存空間,只能被迫退出市場,余下的只有作者對童年美好的回憶,特別是與送奶人之間的人情味仍值得懷念。
相對而言,座機(jī)仍有一定的市場占有率,雖然在手機(jī)普及的今天,座機(jī)并非剛需,但仍有三分之一的澳洲人保留著它,其中19%是為了在緊急情況發(fā)生時可以使用。但最后一段作者卻也暗示,座機(jī)終有一天會像煤氣路燈和早晨送牛奶一樣,退出市場。但此刻,作者與家人仍能時不時在有人打進(jìn)座機(jī)電話時,競猜來電者的身份,玩著這樣的游戲,享受其中的樂趣。
兩篇閱讀相似之處在于,都提到一個點(diǎn),即當(dāng)舊事物無法滿足市場需求時,它將逐漸退出市場。在這點(diǎn)上,2011年第58題問的是送奶入戶為何不復(fù)存在,而2021年27題則是推斷座機(jī)的未來(將會退出市場),一題考因,一題考果,都是經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展推動所致。
另外,雖然舊事物不符合市場的需要,但對于一些老用戶而言,還有是感情的。因此我們看到2021年全國乙卷閱讀B篇的26題,“嬰兒潮”的用戶仍在使用;而2011年57題送奶人持有作者家里的鑰匙,表明作者一家對送奶人的信任,當(dāng)時社會風(fēng)氣可見一斑。59題,作者帶回一個牛奶盒,掛于家中,以懷念舊時時光。這與2021年的26題殊途同歸。