Unit 1 festivals around the world reading课时作业

Ⅰ.阅读理解

　　(2017·安徽皖南八校第三次联考)

　　When I see my children avoiding the food on dirty plates in the sink or cringing at the wet sand clinging to her hands,I'm reminded of a time when I was unwilling to get my hands a little dirty.

　　My parents owned a 500-acre ranch(饲养场)in Montana when I was young.We had the usual group of ranch animals to tend:cows,sheep,horses,chickens,dogs and barn cats.There were always fences to fix and things to plow or burn.I probably didn't help as much as I should have,could have or would have if I'd been a little older.

　　One cold day,I was checking on the sheep with my mother in the lower pasture when she spied a sheep in trouble.The poor thing was trying to deliver her lamb and needed our help.My mother calmly held the sheep's head and instructed me to grab hold of two tender legs.

　　I hesitated,and must have had quite a look of panic on my young face.The little things were definitely not something I wanted to touch.But I worked up my courage and wrapped my fingers around them.My heart beat in fear and excitement as I pulled with all my strength.I can still recall the feel of the unexpectedly delicate legs and their sharp little hooves(蹄) as if it happened yesterday.I remember feeling dizzy with delight to see "my lamb" being licked clean by her mother.

　　Looking back,I'm so glad that I didn't refuse to get my hands a little dirty.If I had,a miraculous moment and endearing memory would have been lost.Sometimes you need to get your hands a little dirty to experience something amazing and pure.

1.What does the underlined phrase "cringing at" in Paragraph 1 mean?

A.Paying attention to.

B.Getting curious about.

C.Feeling embarrassed at.

D.Breaking away from.

2.What can we know from Paragraph 2?

A.The author owned a big ranch.

B.There were many ranches in Montana.

C.The author had to fix a lot of fences.

D.The author was too young to help much.

3.How did the author help the sheep to deliver her lamb?

A.By touching the little hooves.

B.By cleaning the baby.

C.By pulling the sheep baby out.

D.By holding the sheep's head.

4.What does the author want to tell children?

A.It is better for kids to help parents earlier.

B.Keeping your hands clean is a good habit.

C.It is certain to get dirty working on the ranch.

D.Getting hands dirty is to explore something unusual.