55. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?
- A. The children enjoyed doing housework.
- B. The author came from s well-off family
- C. The mother raised her children in an unusual way
- D. The children were fond of the US president’s daughters.
答案：C
答案句：My mother and father were united in their way of raising children, but it mostly fell to my mother to actually carry it out. … We had to earn our allowance by doing chores around the house. … Like the two little girls growing up at the White House, we made our own beds (no one left the house until that was done) and picked up after ourselves.
参考译文：我的母亲和父亲在教育孩子的方式上是一致的，但实际执行主要落在我母亲身上。…我们必须通过做家务来赚取零花钱。…就像在白宫长大的两个小女孩一样，我们自己铺床（没做完之前谁都不能离开家），并且自己收拾东西。
定位线索：题干“first two paragraphs”定位到第2段；文中“earn our allowance by doing chores”“made our own beds”“picked up after ourselves”对应选项C“raised her children in an unusual way”。
解析：题干问从前两段能得知什么。答案句直接描述了母亲让孩子做家务赚零花钱、自己铺床等独特的教育方式，这正是选项C“以不寻常的方式抚养孩子”的同义转述。选项A“孩子们喜欢做家务”文中未提及，属于无中生有；选项B“来自富裕家庭”文中说管理家庭预算很困难，与事实相反；选项D“喜欢总统的女儿们”文中只是类比，并非喜欢她们。
56. When the author saw the basket in the window, she .
- A. fell in love with it
- B. stared at her mother
- C. recognized it at once
- D. went up to the bike guy
答案：A
答案句：It was summer and, one day, my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed---and there it was in the window, White, shiny, plastic and decorated with flowers, the basket winked at me and I knew ----I knew---I had to have it.
参考译文：那是一个夏天，有一天，妈妈开车带我去自行车店修轮胎——它就在橱窗里，白色、闪亮、塑料材质，装饰着花朵，那个篮子向我眨眼，我知道——我知道——我必须拥有它。
定位线索：题干“saw the basket in the window”对应答案句“there it was in the window”；文中“I had to have it”对应选项A“fell in love with it”。
解析：题干问作者看到橱窗里的篮子时她怎么了。答案句说“the basket winked at me and I knew I had to have it”，直接表明她爱上了这个篮子，对应选项A。选项B“盯着母亲看”文中没有；选项C“立刻认出了它”文中没有；选项D“走向自行车店员”是后来发生的事，答非所问。
57. Why did the author say many “please” to her mother?
- A. She longed to do extra work.
- B. She was eager to have the basket.
- C. She felt tired after standing too long.
- D. She wanted to be polite to her mother.
答案：B
答案句：“Mon, please can I please, please get it? I 'll do extra chores for as long as you say, I'll do anything, but I need that basket, I love that basket. Please, Mom. Please?”
参考译文：“妈妈，拜托，我能买它吗？求求你了。你说做多久家务我就做多久，我什么都愿意做，但我需要那个篮子，我爱那个篮子。求你了，妈妈。求你了？”
定位线索：题干“many ‘please’”对应答案句中的多个“please”；文中“I need that basket, I love that basket”对应选项B“She was eager to have the basket”。
解析：题干问作者为什么说很多“请”。答案句中作者明确说“I need that basket, I love that basket”，说明她渴望得到篮子，对应选项B。选项A“渴望做额外工作”是手段而非目的；选项C“站久了累”文中没有；选项D“想对母亲礼貌”不是真正原因。
58. By using“naked” (Paragraph 12), the author seems to stress that the basket was
- A. something she could afford
- B. something important to her
- C. something impossible to get
- D. something she could do without
答案：B
答案句：Each week I eagerly counted my growing saving increased by extra work here and there (washing the car, helping my mother make dinner, delivering or collecting things on my bike that already looked naked without the basket in front).
参考译文：每周我都急切地数着通过各处额外工作（洗车、帮妈妈做晚饭、用我的自行车送货或取货）而增长的积蓄，我的自行车前面没有篮子，看起来光秃秃的。
定位线索：题干“naked”定位到第12段；文中“without the basket in front”说明自行车因没有篮子而显得不完整；文中“eagerly counted my growing saving”对应选项B“something important to her”。
解析：题干问作者用“naked”强调篮子是什么。答案句中“naked”描述自行车没有篮子时的样子，结合前文作者急切攒钱想买篮子，可知篮子对她很重要，对应选项B。选项A“她能买得起的”与语境不符；选项C“不可能得到的”文中没有；选项D“没有也能过”与作者渴望拥有篮子的心情相反。
59. To the author, it seemed to be a horrible turn of events that
- A. something spoiled her paying plan
- B. the basket cost more than she had saved
- C. a neighborhood girl had bought a new bike
- D. someone else had got a basket of the same kind
答案：D
答案句：Days later the unthinkable happened. A neighborhood girl I'd played with millions of times appeared with the exact same basket fixed to her shiny, new bike that already had all the bells and whistles. I rode hard and fast home to tell my mother about this disaster. This horrible turn of events.
参考译文：几天后，不可思议的事情发生了。一个和我玩过无数次邻居女孩出现了，她的崭新闪亮的自行车上装着完全相同的篮子，那辆车已经应有尽有。我飞快地骑回家告诉妈妈这个灾难。这可怕的事情转变。
定位线索：题干“horrible turn of events”对应答案句“This horrible turn of events”；文中“the exact same basket”对应选项D“someone else had got a basket of the same kind”。
解析：题干问作者认为可怕的事情是什么。答案句明确说邻居女孩出现了“the exact same basket”，即别人得到了同款篮子，对应选项D。选项A“破坏了她的付款计划”文中没有；选项B“篮子比她攒的钱贵”文中没有；选项C“邻居女孩买了新自行车”不是重点，重点是篮子相同。
60. What is the life lesson the author learned from her mother?
- A. Save money for a rainy day
- B. Good advice is beyond all price.
- C. Earn your bread with your sweat
- D. God helps those who help themselves
答案：C
答案句：Two things changed my life: my mother and a white plastic bike basket. I have thought long and hard about it and it’s true. I would be a different person if my mom hadn’t turned a silly bicycle accessory into a life lesson I carry with me today. … “Honey, Your basket is extra-special,” Mom said, gently wiping away my hot tears.”Your basket is special because you paid for it yourself.”
参考译文：两件事改变了我的人生：我的母亲和一个白色塑料自行车篮。我对此深思熟虑，这是真的。如果我的母亲没有把一个愚蠢的自行车配件变成我今天随身携带的人生教训，我会是一个不同的人。 … “亲爱的，你的篮子特别特别，”妈妈说着，轻轻擦去我滚烫的泪水。“你的篮子特别，因为你是自己付钱买的。”
定位线索：题干“life lesson”对应文中“a life lesson I carry with me today”和“Your basket is special because you paid for it yourself”；文中“paid for it yourself”对应选项C“Earn your bread with your sweat”（用汗水挣得面包，即自食其力）。
解析：题干问作者从母亲那里学到的人生教训。答案句直接指出母亲将自行车配件变成“a life lesson”，并在结尾明确说出“Your basket is special because you paid for it yourself”，即通过自己的劳动（攒钱）获得想要的东西，对应选项C“Earn your bread with your sweat”（自食其力）。选项A“未雨绸缪”文中未提及储蓄以备不时之需；选项B“良言胜金”与主题无关；选项D“天助自助者”虽接近，但文中强调“paid for it yourself”即自己付出劳动，而非依赖自己努力后上天帮助，C更直接对应。