A
(2018武汉高三调研)
When I graduated from the University of Iowa last year,I did something my friends did not understand.I left Iowa,where I had friends and stability,to live on a small houseboat near San Francisco.At school,I had found a job driving a school bus so people asked,“Why on earth are you leaving?”
Well,at graduation I was presented with two things—a degree in psychology and a question.It was the same one that many in my generation got:“What do I do now?” It was as difficult as it was common.That’ s because many people at my age were raised with the same words,repeated over and over by parents,teachers and TV,that“you can be whatever you want to be”.As a young boy,every time when I was puzzled about my future,they would say that they would be happy if I was happy.However,what I needed was concrete advice but not a vague idea,for example,“be a doctor,or be a bus driver”.
My experience was by no means universal.Many Americans are taught by their parents that the only purpose in life is to attain money and power.As a goal,this seems much easier and clearer than finding “happiness” or “gentleness”.The result of this upbringing is that many of my classmates did not specialize in any particular skill,rather assuming that something would magically happen to overcome their problems.They often get a real shock when they enter the “real world” and find that their options are very limited.Many of my friends have taken jobs as waiters or cooks after graduating,or have moved back in with their parents.
My life on the boat is hard at times,especially during storms.But this is my small attempt to be happy on my own.I’m not buying into my nation’s idea of limitless possibilities because I feel that stops the growth of many of today’s youth.
1.Why were the friends confused about the writer’s leaving?
A.He was tired of driving. B.He suddenly quit school.
C.He would lose his friends. D.He would lead a changing life.
2.What does the writer think of the guidance he got from American society?
A.It’s specific. B.It’s wrong.
C.It’s general. D.It’s correct.
3.What directly caused a lot of Americans to have jobs lower than their expectations?
A.Their achievable goals. B.The practical guidance.
C.Being shocked by the real world. D.Lacking professional competence.
语篇解读:本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者用自身经历指出当今美国的一个社会问题:青少年需要父母更为具体的引导和教育,让他们知道自己将来具体想要做什么。
答案及剖析:
1.D 细节理解题。根据文章第一段中的“I did something my friends did not understand.I left Iowa,where I had friends and stability,to live on a small houseboat near San Francisco”可知,作者离开了Iowa,那里有他的朋友,有稳定的工作,但他去了旧金山附近的一个船屋,开始一种不一样的生活,他的朋友们对他的这种做法很不理解。
2.C 推理判断题。根据文章第二段尤其是其中的“what I needed was concrete advice but not a vague idea”可知,作者想要的是具体的建议,故可推知他认为他得到的引导是宽泛的,故答案是C。
3.D 细节理解题。根据文章第三段最后一句“Many of my friends have taken jobs as waiters or cooks after graduating,or have moved back in with their parents”(我的很多朋友在毕业后都当了服务生或厨师,或者搬回去跟父母住在一起),上文分析了导致这种情况的原因“The result of this upbringing is that many of my classmates did not specialize in any particular skill”,也就是说,父母的这种教育方式导致很多孩子没有去认真学习专业技能。由于缺少专业技能,很多美国人的工作低于期望值。故答案是D。
