19．One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister．On this occasion，the chore （煩人的事） was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend．I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children and the younger children would do a wonderful job of accompanying the older ones．Later，I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with．
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out．I called home with this happy news．But instead of hearing his cheerful，thankful voice on the other end of the line，all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing．
It was，I should point out，after 10p．m．，when the two younger children should have been in bed，and when the two older children should have been answering the phone．"I'll give him a lesson，"I said．I decided they must be outside．Why they might be outside at 10：30on a wintry night I had no idea，but it was the only explanation I could come up with．
Finally，in desperation，I called his girlfriend's house．After what seemed like countless rings，his girlfriend answered．"Yes，"she said brightly，"He's right here．"
He came on the phone．I was not my usual calm，rational self．After all，one of the rules of survival （生存） for modern parents is that you can't trust modern teenagers．"Where are the children？"I said．He said they were with him．They had done nothing wrong．My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend's house just for ice cream and cake．This was too wholesome （有益的） to be believed．Well，it turns out that I shouldn't have believed it． It was only part of the truth．
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents'home，celebrating my birthday．My oldest son gave me the children's gifts．Mounted and framed （給…裝框） were a series of lovely color photographs of my children，dressed in their best clothes，and wearing their most wonderful expressions．They are pictures to treasure a lifetime，all taken by the father of my son's girlfriend．
That was the most precious gift of all．
41．The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children becauseD．
A．she knew that his girlfriend was a good baby-sitter
B．she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night
C．the older children and the younger ones would get along well
D．she believed he was old enough to take care of the younger ones
42．Shortly after the author left home one evening，she discovered thatB．
A．she should have taken the children along with her
B．she shouldn't have completely trusted her son
C．her son had left home with his girlfriend
D．her son had brought his girlfriend home
43．The underlined sentence in paragraph 5implies that the children not only enjoyed ice-cream but alsoC．
A．had a birthday party
B．framed some photographs
C．had their pictures taken
D．showed off their best clothes
44．Which of the following possible titles best expresses the main idea of this text？A
A．A Precious Birthday Gift
B．Modern Teenagers
C．Mother and Children
D．An Evening Out．
分析 本文寫了一位媽媽讓大孩子看管了一次小孩子，擔心孩子們過得會一團糟，但是在這次經歷之后孩子們卻為媽媽準備了珍貴的生日禮物的感人故事．
解答 41答案是D．細節理解題，根據文章第一段"I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children"我相信大的孩子能夠看好小的孩子，所以答案選D．
42．答案是B．細節理解題，根據文中句子"I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with．"我發現我做的最不合適的事就是把孩子們留在家里，所以答案選B．
43．答案是C． 根據文章最后一段，作者收到的孩子們的禮物是一些照片"all taken by the father of my son's girlfriend"而且這些照片都是兒子女朋友的爸爸拍的，可見吃冰淇淋和蛋糕并不是孩子們做的所有的事情，他們還給媽媽準備了生日禮物，所以答案選C．
44．答案是A．本文寫了一個媽媽讓大孩子看小孩子的擔心經歷后，卻從中得到了孩子們精心準備的珍貴的生日禮物，所以答案選A．
點評 閱讀理解題測試考生在閱讀基礎上的邏輯推理能力，要求考生根據文章所述事件的邏輯關系，對未說明的趨勢或結局作出合理的推斷；或根據作者所闡述的觀點理論，對文章未涉及的現象、事例給以解釋．考生首先要仔細閱讀短文，完整了解信息，準確把握作者觀點．
