芒果街上的房子

Kelly

We didnt always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor and before that we lived on Keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina，and before that I cant remember. But what I remember most is moving a lot. Each time it seemed thered be one more of us. By the time we got to Mango Street we were six—Mama，Papa，Carlos，Kiki，my sister Nenny and me.

The house on Mango Street is ours，and we don t have to pay rent to anybody，or share the yard with the people downstairs，or be careful not to make too much noise and there isnt a landlord banging on the ceiling with a broom. But even so，its not the house wed thought wed get.

We had to leave the flat on Loomis quickly. The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldnt fix them because the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom next door and carrying water over in empty milk gallons. Thats why Mama and Papa looked for a house，and thats why we moved into the house on Mango Street，far away，on the other side of town.

They always told us that one day we would move into a house，a real house that would be ours for always so we wouldnt have to move each year. And our house would have running water and pipes that worked. And inside it would have real stairs，not hallway stairs，but stairs inside like the house on TV. And wed have a basement and at least three washrooms so when we took a bath we wouldnt have to tell everybody. Our house would be white with trees around it，a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. This was the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told us before we went to bed.

But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. Its small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small youd think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling in places，and the front door is so swollen that you have to push hard to get in. There is no front yard，only four little elms the city planted by the curb. Our back is a small garage for the car we dont own yet and a small yard that looks smaller between the two buildings on either side. There are stairs in our house，but theyre ordinary hallway stairs，and the house has only one washroom. Everybody has to share a bedroom—Mama and Papa，Carlos and Kiki，me and Nenny.

Once when we were living on Loomis，a nun from my school passed by and saw me playing out front. The laundromat downstairs had been boarded up because it had been robbed two days before and the owner had painted on the wood YES WERE OPEN so as not to lose business.

“Where do you live？”She asked.

“There，” I said pointing up to the third floor.

“You live here？”

“There.” I had to look to where she pointed—the third floor，the paint peeling，wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldnt fall out. “You live there？” The way she said it made me feel like nothing. “There. I live there.” I nodded.

I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to， but this isn t it. The house on Mango Street isnt it. “For the time being，” Mama says. “Temporary，” says Papa. But I know how those things go.

1. Where was the authors earliest living place in her memory？

A. Paulina. B. Keeler.

C. Loomis. D. Mango Street.

2. From the passage we can learn that ____.

A. there is a landlord banging on the ceiling with a broom on Mango Street

B. the authors family shared the yard with other people when living on Loomis

C. the authors family have to pay rent when living on Mango Street

D. the author has four brothers and sisters

3. We can infer that the house on Mango Street ____.

A. has only one washroom

B. has a front yard

C. has a big back yard

D. has three bedrooms

4. Which ones can describe the house on Mango Street？

①It has real stairs，not hallway stairs.

②It has three washrooms.

③Its small and red with tight steps.

④The front door is hard to push.

⑤It has a great big yard.

A. ①③ B. ②⑤ C. ③④ D. ④⑤

5. From the passage we can infer that the nun was ____ when she knew where the author lived.

A. surprised B. proud

C. excited D. amazing

答案与解析

1. 答案为A。细节理解题。从第一段的第三句我们可以看出，作者能记住的最早的住址是Paulina。

2. 答案为B。细节归纳题。从第一段的第二句可知，作者住在Loomis的时候是在三楼，只能与别人分享楼下的院子。

3. 答案为D。推理判断题。选项A有很强的迷惑性，尽管其意思符合文章内容，错就错在它违背了推断题的答题规则，即不可以是文章中直接找到的答案。而从第五段的最后一句可以推断出芒果街的房子有三个卧室。

4. 答案为C。细节归纳题。由文章第五段的第二句话可知③正确，由第三句可知④正确，因此正确答案选C。

5. 答案为A。逻辑推断题。从文章倒数第二段可知，修女是吃惊的。

长难句分析

1. By the time we got to Mango Street we were six—Mama，Papa，Carlos，Kiki，my sister Nenny and me.

句意：搬到芒果街的时候，我们一共六个人：妈妈，爸爸，卡罗斯，基基，妹妹南妮和我。

分析：本句是由by the time引导的时间状语从句。在一般情况下，如果从句的谓语动词用一般过去时，主句的谓语动词用过去完成时； 如果从句的谓语动词用一般现在时， 主句的谓语动词用将来完成时。

2.The house on Mango Street is ours，and we dont have to pay rent to anybody，or share the yard with the people downstairs，or be careful not to make too much noise and there isnt a landlord banging on the ceiling with a broom.

句意：芒果街的房子是我们的，我们再也不必付房租给任何人，不必和楼下的人共用一个院子， 也不必小心翼翼地害怕发出声响，而且不会有房东拿笤帚敲打我们的天花板。

分析：这是由两个并列连词and连接的三个并列句。其中，第二个并列分句有两个or连接三个否定的谓语，表达作者有了芒果街的房子之后再也不要经历以前的不愉快了。三个并列的简单句有三种不同的表达方式， 朴实的语言简洁明快地表达出主人公的快乐心情。（责任编校？筑彭益）