Question

The history of Mother’s Day is pretty interesting. An early form of the idea may have originated in the 17th century England as “Mothering Sunday”, on which the servants, who generally lived with their employers, were encouraged to return home and honor their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.

Mother’s Day, first suggested in 1872, is linked to the anti-war efforts of Julia Ward Howe. She hoped a day set aside to honour mothers would be a way to promote peace. In 1907 a woman by the name of Anna Jarvis took Howe’s idea a step further and began a campaign for a nationally recognized Mother’s Day.

After considerable effort, Anna Jarvis finally saw her dream realized. On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the official proclamation(宣布) that Mother’s Day would be an annual holiday on the second Sunday in May. And so it is to this day.

For those of us whose lives have been shaped and nurtured by loving moms, the day is a wonderful opportunity to say thank you. Unfortunately not everyone’s experience of family life evokes （喚起）gratitude. In the complicated maze of human existence, not all mother/child relationships are positive. Evoking the image of Mom for some can be an invitation down a painful memory lane.

There is also the reality that not all mothering figures are actually mothers. Hundreds of thousands of children have been raised by foster moms （養母）who never had children of their own, but who gave maternal （母親般的）love to children that needed them. Aunts and older sisters have filled this role as well.

All I am saying is that it is complicated. We might wish that every family had an ideal balance of motherly and fatherly love, but that is simply not the case. There are many different ways that mothering happens. We may as well celebrate the ups and downs of our common life. For those whose childhood evokes praise and thanksgiving, let us give thanks. But for those whose childhood was marked by fear and loss, then let us offer healing.

In our world, there’s no reason why all experiences of family life, good and bad, can’t be included.

Title: ._____________

 

Answer 1

1.Mother’s Day

2.History/Origin/Development

3.Mothering Sunday

4.Purposes/Aims/Goals

5.The president’s /official proclamation

6.Shaping and nurturing

7.Bad/ Unkind/Unloving mothers

8.Maternal love

9.Giving thanks

10.Conclusion

【解析】

試題分析：

1.Mother’s Day 主旨大意題。根據文章內容可知本文主要介紹的介紹母親節的來源。所以本文的標題就是Mother’s Day。

2.History/Origin/Development 歸納總結題。這兩部分介紹的是母親節的歷史以及發展過程。

3.Mothering Sunday 原詞再現。根據第一段第二句An early form of the idea may have originated in the 17th century England as “Mothering Sunday”,可知母親節最初的形式就是“Mothering Sunday”。

4.Purposes/Aims/Goals 總結歸納題。根據第二段第二句She hoped a day set aside to honour mothers would be a way to promote peace.可知她希望把設立母親節作為促進和平的一種方法。所以下面介紹的都是設立母親節的目的。

5.The president’s /official proclamation 推理題。根據文章第三段On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the official proclamation(宣布) that Mother’s Day would be an annual holiday on the second Sunday in May.可知總統宣布成立母親節這一節日。

6.Shaping and nurturing 詞形轉換。根據文章第四段第一句For those of us whose lives have been shaped and nurtured by loving moms可知很多人的生活都是由母親塑造和養育的。表格里和下面的leaving一樣，都要使用動名詞形式。

7.Bad/ Unkind/Unloving mothers 根據not all mother/child relationships are positive可知并不是很多母子關系都是很好的。也有很多不好的母親。

8.Maternal love 原詞再現。根據文章第五段倒數第二句who gave maternal （母親般的）love to children that needed them可知這些養母也給孩子母親般的愛。

9.Giving thanks 歸納推理。根據倒數第二段倒數第二句For those whose childhood evokes praise and thanksgiving, let us give thanks.可知設立母親節也是為了向母親表示感謝。

10.Conclusion 歸納總結題。雖然有各種母子關系，但是母親節的設立是為了所有的家庭的孩子向母親表示感激之情。

考點：任務型閱讀