2023-2024学年湖南省长沙市第一中学高三上学期月考（五）英语试题
Driving has always been my escape. And then I have kids. Kids change the whole freedom of the road experience. They arrive in your backseat one day, like some crying VIPs that you need to carry around, and nothing is ever quite the same again.
These days, with three kids between the ages of 1 and 6 lined up in the backseat, I find that driving my car has become more about predicting what might erupt at any moment. So, for those of you about to become parents, here are some types of kids you’ll have in your car.
1. The Complainers
“Are we there yet?”
“Why is it taking so long?”
“I’m so bored that I hate your fat face, Dad!”
When kids are tired or feel a little annoyed, they complain. And nothing can make a car ride worse than a steady stream of complaint coming from the backseat.
2. The Boxers
Once you have two kids back there who’ve reached the age of 3 or 4, you can be absolutely certain that, if they are within even a long arm stretch of one another, they will hit each other in the face more frequently than most parents ever want to admit.
3. The Hungry Vikings
My kids attack the snack and let it fall anywhere they may. I don’t know why I continue to let my kids eat in the car. Maybe it’s because we’re on the go a lot? Maybe it’s because I’m a complete idiot? Regardless of the real reason, the fact of the matter is that kids under, say 15 seem to eat food in a moving vehicle much the same way that I imagine hungry Vikings used to tear a barely-cooked turkey leg whenever they set foot on shore after a long period at sea.
4. The Conversationalists
Kids are really great traveling companions a lot of the time-especially when they’re fast asleep. But when they’re just sitting back there talking to you, listening to you, and smiling at you in the rearview mirror (后视镜), those are the best times in the world.
1. What has changed the author’s driving experience?
A．Getting married.
B．Dealing with VIPs.
C．Carrying kids in the car.
D．Having naughty kids in the family.
2. Why does the author call little kids boxers?
stretch up high
A．They usually practice boxing in the car.
B．They usually fight each other like boxers.
C．They always pretend to be boxers.
D．They always watch boxing matches in the car.
3. When the author describes kids in the car as Vikings, he really means ________.
A．they are always hungry
B．they have little food to eat in the car
C．they throw food everywhere
D．they behave wildly like stealing things
Thirty-four years after graduating from high school, I found myself sitting with some of my former classmates for an all-school reunion.
Our conversation centered around funny things and what our classmates were up to now. Eventually, the conversation came to a classmate, Janelle. Jill said, “Has anyone been in touch with Janelle?” Diana said, “I tried to contact her for our last reunion. She never responded.” Jill said, “I’ve always felt bad about how she was treated.” There was a general murmur of agreement around the table.
It had started in elementary school when Danny, a popular kid who was always looking to be the center of attention, caught a glimpse of Janelle picking her nose. Unaware that she was being watched, she slipped her finger into her mouth. Immediately, Danny pointed at Janelle and exclaimed, “She ate her boogers (鼻屎)! THAT is SO disgusting.” The boys had a “grossed out”(恶心的) look on their faces and the taunt (嘲弄) was repeated by every boy. By the end of the next day, everyone in our class had known Janelle’s new nickname — “booger eater” and called it at least once. Reluctant to join in, somehow we did it anyway.
“Janelle never did anything. She just looked sad. Unfortunately, no one else did anything either. I wish any one of us had stood up for her,” said Jill. Everyone around the table agreed.
Each of us shared a time when we were reminded of Janelle over the years. Jill shared how her own daughter was bullied in school. Diana shared how her son came home from school and told her about his classmate being bullied, and they talked about how he could stand up for the child being bullied. I shared how we taught acceptance and kindness in my school. Several of us had tears in our eyes as we talked. We all regretted the part we played in the bullying.
When it was time to leave, Diana said, “I want to believe that, even though we cannot make amends (补偿) directly to Janelle, we can at least forgive ourselves. Let’s make an agreement going forward to do small acts of kindness in Janelle’s honor. We hugged each other tightly with damp eyes and agreed. I said, “I’m glad something good came out of that negative experience that happened so long ago.” Although forgiveness didn’t occur the way
we wanted it to —with Janelle— forgiving ourselves feels good. We can’t change the past, but we can forgive and move forward.