Page 217 - 江西普通高校专升本英语(最终版）

第三部分 阅读篇

【真题演练3】 （2003专升本）
One summer day my father sent me to buy wire and fencing for our farm. At 16, I liked nothing
better than getting behind the wheel of our family pickup (小货运车), but this time there was something
bothering me. My father had told me I’d have to ask for credit (赊账) at the store.
Sixteen is a proud age, when a young man wants respect, not pity. It was 1976, and the ugly shadow

of racism (种族主义) was still a fact of life in some parts of the country. I’d seen my friends ask for credit
and then be rudely asked whether they were “good for it”.
My family was honest. We paid our debts. But before harvest, cash was short. Would the store owner
trust us?

At Davis Brothers General Store, Buck Davis stood behind the register (记帐台), talking to a farmer.
Buck was a tall, weathered man in a red hunting shirt, and I nodded as I passed him on my way to the
hardware counter. When I brought my purchases to the register, I said carefully, “I need to put this on
credit”.

The farmer gave me a strange look. But Buck’s face didn’t change. “Sure,” he said easily. “Your
daddy is always good for it.” He turned to the other man, “This boy is one of James Williams’ sons.”
The farmer nodded in a friendly way. I was filled with pride. James Williams’ son. Those three
words had opened a door to an adult’s respect and trust.

That day I discovered that a good name was of great value. The good name my father and mother
had earned brought our whole family the respect of our neighbors. Everyone knew what to expect from a
Williams: a decent person who kept his word and respected himself too much to do wrong.

1. The writer begins this article with _______.

A. a small joke B. a personal experience
C. a pleasant fact D. a serious comment

2. The purpose of this short article is most probably to tell us ______.
A. that the ugly shadow of racism still exists in the 1970’s

B. how he felt when he was asking for credit at a store
C. that the family’s good name helped him win others’ respect and trust
D. what the relationship was like between a store owner and his customers

3. The sentence “I liked nothing better than getting behind the wheel of our family pickup…”
means _______.
A. I enjoyed picking up friends in our family car most
B. I enjoyed running after our family car most

C. I liked to sit in my father’s car to pick up purchases
D. I liked driving the small truck of our family best

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