A
(2020·洛阳高二测试)
What was life like in Whitby when the town was not a tourist attraction but a working fishing port?
First and foremost, it was community life. You were part of the group that knew and cared about you, as you did about your neighbors. People tended to live in one house for the whole of their life, often continuing with a married son or daughter taking on the household responsibilities and caring for their ageing parents. There was friendliness and sharing of one’s joys and troubles with other people. Loneliness was hardly possible. A widowed man might find his washing quietly done for him, or maybe some kind of baking left on his doorstep. A newly confined (分娩) mother would have few worries about the care of her other children as they would be left with a neighbor. And in due course she would repay the kindness with a similar service.
Perhaps the hardest part was the water supply. In the old days there was a pump in a near yard. Much later, piped water was led to a shared tap in each yard where one filled the daily buckets. It was often their children’s job to get the water in before going to school.
In Whitby, middle-class people lived alongside those who were very poor indeed. But despite the extreme poverty, Whitby people were very good at making the best of things and did not air their poverty publicly. Dignity was important and most people tried to keep some “Sunday best” clothes.
Romantic as the artists may have found it, Whitby undoubtedly had its problems. Access to the upper floors was often by way of wooden steps and galleries outside. Roofs leaked, floors rotted, plaster (石膏) fell off. People would joke about how well their houses were ventilated (通风的).
Perhaps the state of the upkeep (维修) of the houses left much to be desired, but that was the landlord’s responsibility, not the people who actually lived in them. But for their part they did their best, cleaning the floor every week. Not only that, they also cleaned the yard steps from top to bottom.
【语篇概述】这是一篇说明文。过去居住在Whitby社区里的人们相互关心,照顾他人。即使贫穷,他们也很注重公众形象。虽然居住环境差,但是他们每周都尽最大努力打扫地板,乐观向上。
1. What did life in Whitby’s community use to be like?
A. People moved out to live elsewhere when they got married.
B. People lived in harmony with their neighbors.
C. A widowed man would find it hard to manage his life.
D. Children were usually brought up by their grandparents.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据第二段中There was friendliness and sharing of one’s joys and troubles with other people. 可知Whitby社区过去人们与邻居分享自己的快乐和烦恼,过着非常和谐的生活。故选B。
2. What can we conclude from the text about people from Whitby?
A. They felt quite comfortable about their poverty.
B. The middle class and the poor were often in conflict.
C. They showed respect for each other though they were poor.
D. They cared about their public image even if they were poor.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第四段第二句But despite the extreme poverty, Whitby people were very good at making the best of things and did not air their poverty publicly. 尽管极度贫困,Whitby社区的人却非常善于充分利用一切,从不公开宣扬他们的贫困。可知虽然他们贫穷,但是他们也很关心公众形象。故选D。
3. What was the main problem that most of Whitby people had?
A. They lived in very poor conditions.
B. They found it hard to get water from a pump.
C. They didn’t know how to keep their houses ventilated.
D. They were not active enough to increase their income.
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据第五段倒数第二句Roofs leaked, floors rotted, plaster fell off. 可知屋顶漏水、地板腐烂、灰泥脱落,可见他们的居住条件很差。故选A。
4. Which words can be used to describe Whitby people in the old days?
A. Romantic and artistic.
B. Caring and optimistic.
C. Friendly and open-minded.
D. Cautious and intelligent.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据第二段A widowed man might find his washing quietly done for him, or maybe some kind of baking left on his doorstep. A newly confined mother would have few worries about the care of her other children as they would be left with a neighbor. 一个丧偶的男人可能会发现他的衣服被悄悄地洗好了,或者可能是放在他的门阶上的某种烘焙食品。一位刚分娩的母亲将很少担心她的其他孩子的照顾,因为他们将被留给邻居。可知社区里的人们关心他人,有同情心;且根据第五段Roofs leaked, floors rotted, plaster fell off. People would joke about how well their houses were ventilated. 尽管房屋屋顶漏水、地板腐烂、灰泥脱落,人们还能乐观地开玩笑说自己的房子通风非常好,可知人们非常乐观。综上可知,关心他人和乐观可以来形容Whitby的人们。故选B。
