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
PASSAGE ONE (1) Then, at last, the Chief Elder called number One to the stage, and the Assignments began. Each announcement wa
PASSAGE ONE (1) Then, at last, the Chief Elder called number One to the stage, and the Assignments began. Each announcement wa
admin
2023-03-12
66
问题
PASSAGE ONE
(1) Then, at last, the Chief Elder called number One to the stage, and the Assignments began. Each announcement was lengthy, accompanied by a speech directed at the new Twelve.
(2) Jonas tried to pay attention as One, smiling happily, received her Assignment as Fish Hatchery Attendant along with words of praise for her childhood spent doing many volunteer hours there, and her obvious interest in the important process of providing nourishment for the community. Number One—her name was Madeline—returned, finally, amidst applause, to her seat, wearing the new badge that designated her Fish Hatchery Attendant. Jonas was certainly glad that that Assignment was taken; he wouldn’t have wanted it. But he gave Madeline a smile of congratulation.
(3) Jonas noticed that Asher looked nervous. He kept turning his head and glancing back at Jonas until the group leader had to give him a silent chastisement, a motion to sit still and face forward. He tried to sort through the list in his mind, the possible Assignments that remained. But there were so many he gave it up; and anyway, now it was Asher’s turn.
(4) He paid strict attention as his friend went to the stage and stood self-consciously beside the Chief Elder. "All of us in the community know and enjoy Asher," the Chief Elder began. Asher grinned and scratched one leg with the other foot. The audience chuckled softly. "When the committee began to consider Asher’s Assignment," she went on, "there were some possibilities that were immediately discarded. Some that would clearly not have been right for Asher. For example," she said, smiling, " we did not consider for an instant designating Asher an Instructor of Threes. "
(5) "In fact," the Chief Elder continued, chuckling a little herself, "we even gave a little thought to some retroactive chastisement for the one who had been Asher’s Instructor of Threes so long ago. At the meeting where Asher was discussed, we retold many of the stories that we all remembered from his days of language acquisition. Especially," she said, chuckling, "the difference between snack and smack. Remember, Asher?" Asher nodded ruefully, and the audience laughed aloud. Jonas did, too.
(6) He remembered, though he had been only a Three at the time himself. The punishment used for small children was a regulated system of smacks with the discipline wand: a thin, flexible weapon that stung painfully when it was wielded. The Childcare specialists were trained very carefully in the discipline methods-, a quick smack across the hands for a bit of minor misbehavior; three sharper smacks on the bare legs for a second offense.
(7) Poor Asher, who always talked too fast and mixed up words, even as a toddler. As a Three, eager for his juice and crackers at snack time he one day said "smack" instead of "snack" as he stood waiting in line for the morning treat. Jonas remembered it clearly. He could still see little Asher, wiggling with impatience in the line. He remembered the cheerful voice calling out, "I want my smack!"
(8) The other Threes, including Jonas, had laughed nervously. "Snack 1" they corrected. "You meant snack, Asher!" But the mistake had been made. And precision of language was one of the most important tasks of small children. Asher had asked for a smack. The discipline wand, in the hand of the Childcare worker, whistled as it came down across Asher’s hands. Asher whimpered, cringed, and corrected himself instantly. "Snack," he whispered. But the next morning he had done it again. And again the following week. He couldn’t seem to stop, though for each lapse the discipline wand came again, escalating to a series of painful lashes that left marks on Asher’s legs. Eventually, for a period of time, Asher stopped talking altogether, when he was a Three.
(9) "For a while," the Chief Elder said, relating the story, "we had a silent Asher\ But he Vearned. " "Asher," she lifted her voice to make the official announcement. "We have given you the Assignment of Assistant Director of Recreation. "
(10) The Assignments continued, and Jonas watched and listened, relieved now by the wonderful Assignment his best friend had been given. But he was more and more apprehensive as his own approached. Now the new Twelves in the row ahead had all received their badges.
(11) Eighteen, Fiona, on his left, was called. Even the applause, though enthusiastic, seemed serene when Fiona was given the important Assignment of Caretaker of the Old.
(12) Jonas prepared himself to walk to the stage when the applause ended and the Chief Elder picked up the next folder and looked down to the group to call forward the next new Twelve. He was calm now that his turn had come. He took a deep breath and smoothed his hair with his hand. " Twenty," he heard her voice say clearly. "Pierre. "
(13) She skipped me, Jonas thought, stunned. Had he heard wrong? No. There was a sudden hush in the crowd, and he knew that the entire community realized that the Chief Elder had moved from Eighteen to Twenty, leaving a gap. On his right, Pierre, with a startled look, rose from his seat and moved to the stage.
(14) A mistake. She made a mistake. But Jonas knew, even as he had the thought, that she hadn’t. The Chief Elder made no mistakes. Not at the Ceremony of Twelve. He felt dizzy, and couldn’t focus his attention. He didn’t hear what Assignment Pierre received, and was only dimly aware of the applause as the boy returned, wearing his new badge. Then: Twenty-one, Twenty-two.
(15) The numbers continued in order. Jonas sat, dazed, as they moved into the Thirties and then the Forties, nearing the end. Each time, at each announcement, his heart jumped for a moment, and he thought wild thoughts. Perhaps now she would call his name. Could he have forgotten his own number? No. He had always been Nineteen. He was sitting in the seat marked Nineteen.
(16) But she had skipped him. He saw the others in his group glance at him, embarrassed, and then avert their eyes quickly. He saw a worried look on the face of his group leader. He hunched his shoulders and tried to make himself smaller in the seat. He wanted to disappear, to fade away, not to exist. He didn’t dare to turn and find his parents in the crowd. He couldn’t bear to see their faces darkened with shame. Jonas bowed his head and searched through his mind. What had he done wrong?
The passage implies all of the following EXCEPT that________.
选项
答案
C
解析
推理判断题。根据第十四段可知,首席长老从前没有犯过错误,大家也认为她不会犯错,A符合原文,故排除;乔纳思得知自己没有被分派到工作后,立刻开始思索自己是否犯了什么错,可推知犯错的人可能得不到工作,B符合原文,故排除;文章最后一段提到,乔纳思感受到周围的目光,感到无地自容,他不敢转身去寻找人群中的父母,不敢看他们脸上蒙羞的表情,由此可知,没有分派到工作是一件令整个家庭蒙羞的事,D符合原文,故排除;原文没有提及以前是否发生过分派工作时某人被跳过的类似事件,故C为答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/hScD777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
TheInternetaffordsanonymitytoitsusers,ablessingtoprivacyandfreedomofspeech.Butthatveryanonymityisalsobehind
Readthefollowingtextandmatcheachofthenumbereditemsintheleftcolumntoitscorrespondinginformationintherightco
It’snotdifficulttosettargetsforstaff.Itismuchharder,【C1】________,tounderstandtheirnegativeconsequences.Mostwor
It’snotdifficulttosettargetsforstaff.Itismuchharder,【C1】________,tounderstandtheirnegativeconsequences.Mostwor
AsValentine’sDayapproaches,manysinglepeoplebegintofeelalittlesorryforthemselves.Onaday【C1】________bycouples,
Fordecadesthemarketforexpensiveheadphoneswasmainlylimitedtohi-fifans.But【C1】________theboxystereosysteminthec
Theworldisonthetopofastaggeringriseinthenumberofoldpeople,andtheywilllivelongerthaneverbefore.【C1】_______
Marriageis,formanypeople,theirmostimportantrelationship,thesourceofmuchhappiness,and,forsome,evenaddsextraye
WhichofthefollowingistrueaboutfathersinSweden?
Wemaylookattheworldaroundus,butsomehowwemanagenottoseeituntilwhateverwe’vebecomeusedtosuddenlydisappears.
随机试题
试述用热影响区最高硬度法评定材料焊接性的局限性?
患者女,24岁。2天前淋雨后出现畏寒,高热。体温最高39.5℃,咳嗽,咳铁锈色痰,伴右侧胸痛。肺部查体未见明显异常体征。血常规:WBC17×109/L,NE85%。提问7:应用青霉素治疗后体温正常,咳嗽、咳痰明显减轻,1周后复查胸部X线,渗出影像略
A.心脏性猝死前驱期B.心脏性猝死终末事件开始C.心脏性猝死心脏骤停期D.心脏性猝死生物学死亡期E.非心脏性猝死患者女性,29岁,曾晕厥3次。此次突发心悸、呼吸困难20分钟,心电图示室性心动过速,心室率1
与亚胺培南配伍使用,防止其在肾中被破坏的药物是
利血平硝苯地平
根据(),债权资本适度的资本结构会增加股东的价值。
(2011年)A注册会计师负责审计甲公司2010年度财务报表。在审计过程中,A注册会计师遇到下列事项:(1)甲公司拥有3家子公司,分别生产不同的饮料产品。甲公司所处行业整体竞争激烈,市场处于饱和状态,同行业公司的主营业务收入年增长率低于5%,但甲公司董事
校园文化包括物质文化、精神文化和__________。
商鞅变法时期,为改变秦国父子无别、同室而居的旧习俗,颁布了()。
事务的一致性是指()。
最新回复
(
0
)