Passage One
段落一
My mother was born in a small town in northern Italy. She was three when her parents immigrated to America in 1926. They lived in Chicago when my grandfather worked making ice cream.
母親生于意大利北部的一座小城鎮。1926年,在她3歲的時候隨父母移民到了美國。他們住在芝加哥,外祖父的工作是制作冰激凌。
Mama thrived in the urban environment. At 16, she graduated first in her high school class, went onto secretarial school, and finally worked as an executive secretary for a railroad company.
母親在都市環境中成長起來。她16歲中學畢業,畢業成績是全班最高的,后來上了秘書學校,最后在一家鐵路公司擔任行政秘書。
She was beautiful too. When a local photographer used her pictures in his monthly window display, she felt pleased.
母親長得也很美。那時當地有位攝影師把她的照片放到一月一換的櫥窗里展覽,她心里很高興。
Her favorite portrait showed her sitting by Lake Michigan, her hair went blown, her gaze reaching toward the horizon.
母親最心愛的照片是她坐在密歇根湖畔照的,照片上,她的頭發被風吹起,眼睛眺望著遠方。
My parents were married in 1944. Dad was a quiet and intelligent man. He was 17 when he left Italy.
我的父母是在1944年結婚的。父親話不多,人很聰明,17歲離開意大利。
Soon after, a hit-and-run accident left him with a permanent limp. Dad worked hard selling candy to Chicago office workers on their break.
不久,發生了一起肇事逃逸的車禍,使父親只能終身跛行。他工作勤奮,在芝加哥辦公樓的工作人員休息時,他兜售糖果。
He had little formal schooling. His English was self-taught. Yet he eventually built a small successful wholesale candy business.
父親沒受過正規教育,他的英語是自學的。然而他開了一家小型的糖果批發店。
Dad was generous and handsome. Mama was devoted to him.
父親為人慷慨,相貌英俊。母親深深地愛著他。
After she married, my mother quit her job and gave herself to her family.
婚后,母親辭去工作,一心照顧家庭。
In 1950, with three small children, dad moved the family to a farm 40 miles from Chicago. He worked land and commuted to the city to run his business.
1950年,父親帶著 3個孩子把家搬到了離芝加哥40英里的一家農場。他一面在農場干活,一面往返芝加哥做他的糖果生意。
Mama said goodbye to her parents and friends, and traded her busy city neighborhood for a more isolated life. But she never complained.
母親也告別了父母、朋友及快節奏的城市生活,過起了離群索居的日子。但她從無怨言。
Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
基于你聽到的回答問題26至28。
Question 26 What does the speaker tells us about his mother's early childhood?
問題26. 關于作者母親的早期童年生活,作者說了什么?
Question 27 What do we learn about the speaker's father?
問題27. 關于作者的父親,我們有什么了解?
Question 28 What does the speaker say about his mother?
問題28. 作者說了他母親的什么事?