A
We went to the B.T Blackstone Library, not far from Lake Michigan, once a week. During every visit I found my way into a big reading room to touch a great and ancient globe sitting in front of the largest windows. I liked to look at Africa, with the coded colors of the different countries like the Belgian Congo and Rhodesia, and try to remember which countries were fighting to be free just as we were struggling for civil rights. I had heard Daddy talking about the struggle, arguing with the television as someone discussed it on a news show.
On Saturday, as I wandered through the young adult section. I saw a title: Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. I could tell from looking at the shelf that she’d written a lot of books, but I didn’t know anything about her. I had learned from experience that titles weren’t everything. A book that sounded great on the shelf could be dull once you got it home, and every bad book I brought home meant one less book to read until we went back in a week. So I sat in a chair near the shelves to skim the first paragraphs:
“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
“It’s so dreadful to be poor” sighed Med, looking down at her old dress.
“I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all” added little Amy, with an injured sniff.
“We have got Father and Mother and each other.” said Beth contentedly from her corner.
I had decided on some other books to take home, because I didn’t look through the rest of the section that day. I read and read and read Little Women. I wouldn’t put it down until the end. Even the freedom to watch weekend television held no appeal for me in girls who could almost be like me, especially Jo, the heroine. It seemed to me a shame that she wasn’t Black: then our similarity would be complete. She loved to read, she loved to make up plays, she hated acting ladylike, she had a dreadful temper. I had found a kindred spirit(志趣相投的人).
21. What can be learned about the author’s father?
A. He was uncomfortable discussing politics with his children.
B. He had strong feelings about the Civil Rights movement.
C. He didn’t approve of most news covered on TV.
D. He generally had a pessimistic world view.
22. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that the author is most likely to agree______.
A. books seem duller when read in libraries than when read at home.
B. interesting books are often very dull in their first few paragraphs.
C. novels are usually more interesting than nonfiction works.
D. book titles can sometimes be misleading.
23. The author quotes(引用) some lines from Little Women as part of a larger attempt to____.
A. convey the impact of an unexpected discovery.
B. describe a young reader’s sense of history.
C. illustrate the author’s life.
D. explain a child’s loneliness.
24. The author lists several things about Jo primarily to______.
A. challenge an interpretation B. highlight some differences
C. stress a comparison D. develop a disapproving opinion
