Question

Brenda Linson never goes anywhere without an empty spectacles case. It is as vital to her as her purse. Yet，she doesn，t wear glasses. The reason she cannot do without it is that she cannot read and she cannot write. If ever she gets into any situation where she might be expected to do either of these things,she fishes around in her bag for the spectacles case,finds it's empty,and asks the person concerned to do the reading for her. Until a few months ago hardly anybody knew about her problem. Her husband didn't know and her children didn't know. The children still don't.

She had many tactics for hiding her difficulty―for example,never lingering near a phone at work,in case she had to answer it and might be required to write something down.

It has never occurred to the children that their mother cannot read. She doesn，t read them stories，

but then their father doesn，t either，so they find nothing surprising in the fact. Similarly they just accept that Dad is the one who writes the sick notes and reads the school reports. Now that the elder boy Tom is quite a proficient reader,Brenda can skillfully get him to read any notes brought home from school simply by asking, "What's that all about,then?"

Brenda, s husband never guessed the truth in ten years of marriage. For one thing，he insists on handling all domestic correspondence and bills himself,A salesman for a large company，he travels a great deal and so is not around so much to spot the truth. While he' s away Brenda copes with any situations by explaining that she cannot do anything until she' s discussed it with her husband.

Brenda was very successful in her job until recently. For the last five years she had worked as waitress at an expensive restaurant,and had eventually been promoted to head waitress. She kept the thing a secret there too,and got over the practical difficulties somehow.

(   ) 1. Brenda carries an empty spectacles case wherever she goes because       .

     A.   she is always so forgetful

    B.   she uses it as a purse

    C.   it may provide her with an excuse

    D.   she wishes to look like an educated woman

(   ) 2.Brenda's children have never found out about her problem as         .

     A.  she isn't often at home

    B.  they are too young to guess the truth

    C.  they find it normal to ask their father for everything

    D.  they think it natural that short-sighted people like their mother don't do much reading or writing

(   ) 3. What most probably made Brenda try hard to hide her difficulty?

     A.   Her desire to be successful in her job.

    B.   Her fear of losing face.

    C.   Her deceitful nature.

    D.   Both A and  B.

Answer 1

1. C細節理解題。從第一段"If ever she gets into any situation where she might be expected to do either of these things, she fishes around in her bag for the spectacles case,finds it is empty, and asks the person concerned to do the reading for her."可知她天天空眼鏡盒不離手的目的是為給自己不能讀寫的事實提供借口。

2. C邏輯推理題。從第三段"Similarly they just ac?cept that Dad is the one who writes the sick notes and reads the school reports."及第四段"...he insists on handling all domestic correspondence and bills him?self."可推斷出孩子們不知道實情是因為他們認為父親做每件事都很正常。

3. D邏輯推理題。從她隱瞞她不識字的事實，時時小心謹慎恐會露餡以及最后一段提及她事業現在非常成功可知。