（一）

When milk arrived on the doorstep

When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn't take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note -“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”-and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.

All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze. And I remember Mr.Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.

There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.

Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊). Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

1.Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer________.

A.to show his magical power

B.to pay for the delivery

C.to satisfy his curiosity

D.to please his mother

2.What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy's house?

A.He wanted to have tea there.

B.He was treated as a family member.

C.He was a respectable person.

D.He was fully trusted by the family.

3.Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?

A.Nobody wants to be a milkman now.

B.It has been driven out of the market.

C.Its service is getting poor.

D.It is forbidden by law.

4.Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A.He missed the good old days.

B.He wanted to tell interesting stories.

C.He needed it for his milk bottles.

D.He planted flowers in it.

【答案】

1.C　推理判断题。根据第一段最后可以看出，当时作者只是一个5岁的孩子，对送奶人腰带上的投币器很好奇，善良的送奶人把一枚硬币送给作者，是为了满足其好奇心，所以应选C项。

2.D　推理判断题。根据第三段第二句可知，家里人与送奶人之间关系很密切，送奶人甚至有家里的钥匙，由此推断送奶人得到了充分的信任，故选D项。

3.B　细节理解题。根据第四段可知，激烈的竞争和购买的便利使得送奶上门退出了市场，无法存在下去，故选B项。

4.A　推理判断题。由最后一段可以看出，作者有一种怀旧的心理，想念儿时的时光，感觉送奶人送来牛奶的同时，也带来了友谊，故选A项。