高考阅读理解对“旧事物”的考查

罗丽雯

2021年高考英語全国乙卷的阅读理解B篇是介绍在澳洲家庭保留座机的现象及其原因。我们不禁想到2011年全国新课标Ⅰ卷阅读理解A篇，作者通过回忆从前给家里送牛奶的Basille先生的故事，表达了作者对童年的美好回忆和对他的深厚感情。两者都是对往事的回忆。请阅读原题并细心体会。

真题回顾

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。

[2021年全国乙卷阅读B篇]

When almost everyone has a mobile phone，why are more than half of Australian homes still paying for a landline（座机）

These days youd be hard pressed to find anyone in Australia over the age of 15 who doesnt own a mobile phone. In fact plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere，anytime.

Still，55 percent of Australians have a landline phone at home and only just over a quarter（29%）rely only on their smartphones，according to a survey（调查）. Of those Australians who still have a landline，a third concede that its not really necessary and theyre keeping it as a security blanket——19 percent say they never use it while a further 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies. I think my home falls into that category.

More than half of Australian homes are still choosing to stick with their home phone. Age is naturally a factor（因素）——only 58 percent of Generation Ys still use landlines now and then， compared to 84 percent of Baby Boomers whove perhaps had the same home number for 50 years. Age isnt the only factor; Id say its also to do with the makeup of your household.

Generation Xers with young families，like my wife and I， can still find it convenient to have a home phone rather than providing a mobile phone for every family member. That said，to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents，to the point where we play a game and guess who is calling before we pick up the phone（using Caller ID would take the fun out of it）.

How attached are you to your landline？ How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries？

24. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about mobile phones？

A. Their target users.

B. Their wide popularity.

C. Their major functions.

D. Their complex design.

25. What does the underlined word“concede”in paragraph 3 mean？

A. Admit. B. Argue.

C. Remember. D. Remark.

26. What can we say about Baby Boomers？

A. They like smartphone games.

B. They enjoy guessing callersidentity.

C. They keep using landline phones.

D. They are attached to their family.

27. What can be inferred about the landline from the last paragraph？gzslib202204032310

A. It remains a family necessity.

B. It will fall out of use some day.

C. It may increase daily expenses.

D. It is as important as the gas light.

[2011年新課标全国Ⅰ卷阅读A篇]

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 couldnt 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 wouldnt 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 sons 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.

56. 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

57. What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boys house？

A. He wanted to have tea there.

B. He was a respectable person.

C. He was treated as a family member.

D. He was fully trusted by the family.

58. 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.gzslib202204032310

C. Its service is getting poor.

D. It is forbidden by law.

59. 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 missed it for his milk bottles.

D. He planted flowers in it.

答案与解析

2021年全国乙卷阅读B篇

24题问第二段的主要内容，由“plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere，anytime.”可知几乎人手都有一部手机，说明手机是很受欢迎的，因此选B项。

25题问第三段中划线词的意思，因为此部分谈到研究结果，利用平行结构：a third concede ... 以及下一句19 percent say...说明划线词意思与say意思接近，故选A项。

26题问我们对Baby Boomers的了解，以“Baby Boomers”作为定位词，我们在第四段找到“84 percent of Baby Boomers whove perhaps had the same home number for 50 years. ”和第五段中找到“to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents”，由此可知，他们大部分仍然使用座机，故选C项。

27题问从最后一段能推断出什么，从“How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries（他们离走上煤气路灯和早晨送牛奶的老路还有多久）”可知，座机也迟早会退出市场，因为现在煤气路灯和早晨送牛奶已不见了，故选B项。

2011年新课标全国Ⅰ卷阅读A篇

56题问送奶人给作者25美分的原因，由第一段中的“I couldnt take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt （我目不转睛盯着他皮带上的零钱包）”可知，作者对零钱包非常好奇，故选C项。

57题问从送奶人持有作者家的钥匙可以得出什么结论，由第三段中的“There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house（送奶人與购奶家庭关系紧密，甚至拥有他们家的钥匙）”，再结合常识，可以推断，作者一家非常信任那个送奶人，故选D项。选项C有一定的迷惑性，因为给送奶人钥匙是为了方便他把牛奶放进屋子里，虽然也是信任他，但不是把他当成家里人。

58题问送奶到户服务不再存在的原因，由倒数第二段中的“Big companies ... thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides， milk is for sale everywhere ... to have a delivery service. （大公司卖的牛奶更便宜，这使得送奶人生存空间小。而且牛奶的出售点多了，送奶入户已不是那么有必要了）可知，选B项。

59题问作者将牛奶盒带回家的原因，从“Recently，an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home...”可知，作者怀念“昨日情怀”，故选A项。

比较分析

以上两篇文章都带有“怀旧”气息，特别是2011年关于送奶人的文章，但因为经济的发展，大公司抢占了市场，送奶人已经没有太大的生存空间，只能被迫退出市场，余下的只有作者对童年美好的回忆，特别是与送奶人之间的人情味仍值得怀念。

相对而言，座机仍有一定的市场占有率，虽然在手机普及的今天，座机并非刚需，但仍有三分之一的澳洲人保留着它，其中19%是为了在紧急情况发生时可以使用。但最后一段作者却也暗示，座机终有一天会像煤气路灯和早晨送牛奶一样，退出市场。但此刻，作者与家人仍能时不时在有人打进座机电话时，竞猜来电者的身份，玩着这样的游戏，享受其中的乐趣。

两篇阅读相似之处在于，都提到一个点，即当旧事物无法满足市场需求时，它将逐渐退出市场。在这点上，2011年第58题问的是送奶入户为何不复存在，而2021年27题则是推断座机的未来（将会退出市场），一题考因，一题考果，都是经济发展推动所致。

另外，虽然旧事物不符合市场的需要，但对于一些老用户而言，还有是感情的。因此我们看到2021年全国乙卷阅读B篇的26题，“婴儿潮”的用户仍在使用;而2011年57题送奶人持有作者家里的钥匙，表明作者一家对送奶人的信任，当时社会风气可见一斑。59题，作者带回一个牛奶盒，挂于家中，以怀念旧时时光。这与2021年的26题殊途同归。