首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
I know now that the man who sat with me on the old wooden stairs that hot summer night over thirty-five years ago was not a tall
I know now that the man who sat with me on the old wooden stairs that hot summer night over thirty-five years ago was not a tall
admin
2013-08-05
35
问题
I know now that the man who sat with me on the old wooden stairs that hot summer night over thirty-five years ago was not a tall man. But to a five-year-old, he was a giant. We sat side by side, watching the sun go down behind the old Texaco service station across the busy street, a street that I was never allowed to cross unless accompanied by an adult, or at the very least, an older sibling.
Cherry-scented smoke from Grandpa’s pipe kept the hungry mosquitoes at bay while gray, wispy swirls danced around our heads. Now and again, he blew a smoke ring and laughed as I tried to target the hole with my finger. I, clad in a cool summer night, and Grandpa, his sleeveless T-shirt, sat watching the traffic. We counted cars and tried to guess the color of the next one to turn the corner.
Once again, I was caught in the middle of circumstances. The fourth born of six children, it was not uncommon that I was either too young or too old for something. This night I was both. While my two baby brothers slept inside the house, my three older siblings played with friends around the corner, where I was not allowed to go. I stayed with Grandpa, and that was okay with me. I was where I wanted to be. My grandfather was babysitting while my mother, father and grandmother went out.
"Thirsty?" Grandpa asked, never removing the pipe from his mouth.
"Yes," was my reply.
"How would you like to run over to the gas station there and get yourself a bottle of Coke?"
I couldn’t believe my ears. Had I heard it right? Was he talking to me? On my family’s modest income, Coke was not a part of our budget or diet. A few tantalizing sips was all I had ever had, and certainly never my own bottle.
"Okay," I replied shyly, already wondering how I would get across the street. Surely Grandpa was going to come with me.
Grandpa stretched his long leg out straight and reached his huge hand deep into the pocket. I could hear the familiar jangling of the loose change he always carried. Opening his fist, he exposed a mound of silver coins. There must have been a million dollars there. He instructed me to pick out a dime. After he deposited the rest of the change back into his pocket, he stood up.
"Okay," he said, helping me down the stairs and to the curb, "I’m going to stay here and keep an ear out for the babies. I’ll tell you when it’s safe to cross. You go over to the Coke machine, get your Coke and come back out. Wait for me to tell you when it’s safe to cross back."
My heart pounded. I clutched my dime tightly in my sweaty palm. Excitement took my breath away.
Grandpa held my hand tightly. Together we looked up the street and down, and back up again. He stepped off the curb and told me it was safe to cross. He let go of my hand and I ran. I ran faster than I had ever run before. The street seemed wide. I wondered if I would make it to the other side. Reaching the other side, I turned to find Grandpa. There he was, standing exactly where I had left him, smiling proudly. I waved.
"Go on, hurry up," he yelled.
My heart pounded wildly as I walked inside the dark garage. I had been inside the garage before with my father. My surroundings were familiar. I heard the Coca-Cola machine motor humming even before I saw it. I walked directly to the big old red-and-white dispenser. I knew where to insert my dime. I had seen it done before and had fantasized about this moment many times.
The big old monster greedily accepted my dime, and I heard the bottles shift. On tiptoes I reached up and opened the heavy door. There they were: one neat row of thick green bottles, necks staring directly at me, and ice cold from the refrigeration. I held the door open with my shoulder and grabbed one. With a quick yank, I pulled it free from its bondage. Another one immediately took its place. The bottle was cold in my sweaty hands. I will never forget the feeling of the cool glass on my skin. With two hands, I positioned the bottleneck under the heavy brass opener that was bolted to the wall. The cap dropped into an old wooden box, and I reached in to retrieve it. I was cold and bent in the middle, but I knew I needed to have this souvenir. Coke in hand, I proudly marched back out into the early evening dusk. Grandpa was waiting patiently. He smiled.
"Stop right there," he yelled. One or two cars sped by me, and once again, Grandpa stepped off the curb. "Come on, now," he said, "run." I did. Cool brown foam sprayed my hands. "Don’t ever do that alone," he warned. I held the Coke bottle tightly; fearful he would make me pour it into a cup, ruining this dream come true. He didn’t. One long swallow of the cold beverage cooled my sweating body. I don’t think I ever felt so proud.
By saying "I was caught in the middle of circumstances" in the third paragraph, the author means
选项
A、he was facing a dilemma and did not know what decision to make.
B、he was caught when he was doing something that he was not supposed to do.
C、he was either too young or too old for something as the fourth born of six children.
D、he was doing something that required him to consider different circumstances.
答案
C
解析
第3段该句后面提到,“我”是6个孩子中的第4个,处于中间,很多事情对于我来说不是因为年龄太小,就是太大而不合适,由此可知首句所说的caught in the middle of circumstances就是此意,因此选C。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/NY4O777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
HowtoDevelopanOutlineⅠ.ApreliminaryoutlineA.Definition:a/an【1】______listoftopicsandsubtopicscoveredint
WeliveinsouthernCaliforniagrowinggrapes,afirstgenerationofvintners,ourhomeadjacenttothevineyardsandthewinery
WeliveinsouthernCaliforniagrowinggrapes,afirstgenerationofvintners,ourhomeadjacenttothevineyardsandthewinery
WeliveinsouthernCaliforniagrowinggrapes,afirstgenerationofvintners,ourhomeadjacenttothevineyardsandthewinery
Oncefound"almostentirelyinthewesternUnitedStatesandinAsia,dinosaurfossilsarenowbeingdiscoveredonallsevencon
Oncefound"almostentirelyinthewesternUnitedStatesandinAsia,dinosaurfossilsarenowbeingdiscoveredonallsevencon
Thesentence"ShallIcomparetheetoasummer’sday?"isthebeginninglineofoneofShakespeare’s______.
Iknownowthatthemanwhosatwithmeontheoldwoodenstairsthathotsummernightoverthirty-fiveyearsagowasnotatall
Iknownowthatthemanwhosatwithmeontheoldwoodenstairsthathotsummernightoverthirty-fiveyearsagowasnotatall
随机试题
急性心肌梗死病人中50%~80%病人病前有先兆,其最常见表现为( )。
患儿,6岁。尿频、尿急、尿痛3天,门诊以急性泌尿道感染收入院,目前,护士考虑患儿主要的护理问题是
【2013—3】题6~10:某省会城市综合体项目,地上4栋一类高层建筑,地下室连成一体,总建筑面积280301m2,建筑面积分配见下表,设置10kV配电站一座,请回答下列电气设计过程中的问题,并列出解答过程。已知10kV供电线路每回路最大电流600A
施工阶段投资控制的经济措施有( )。
建设单位委托施工阶段的监理,工程监理企业只能根据委托监理合同和( )对施工行为实行监理。
违反特种设备安全法规定,未经许可从事特种设备生产活动应承担的法律责任有()。
2015年8月1日从银行提现50000元,请填制记账凭证。
根据我国企业破产法的规定,下列属于企业破产原因的是()。
Threeofthemhavegonetothelibrary.Whatabout______?
Thatpeopleoftenexperiencetroublesleepinginadifferentbedinunfamiliarsurroundingsisaphenomenonknownasthe"first-
最新回复
(
0
)