阅读理解。
My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could
tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I
knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?" "You bet," I cried quickly catching the joke.
Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if
not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He
always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class; our house was
medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though
once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed (尴尬的) driving
it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding (寄宿制的) school idea was
to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone
else, if it did not conflict (冲突) with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
He seemed to have talked to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had
a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought
he might just as well phone them. I remembered my eyes stinging (刺痛) and my hands shaking with the
puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this." "It's up to him," said
my father."He can make up his own mind."
1. The writer's house was ________.
A. the best in the local area
B. right for their social position
C. for showing off
D. rather small
2. His father sold his Rolls-Royce because ________.
A. it made him feel uneasy
B. it was too old to work well
C. it was too expensive to possess
D. it was too cheap
3. The writer's father enjoyed being different as long as ________.
A. it drew attention to him
B. it didn't bring him in arguments
C. it was understood as a joke
D. there was no danger of his showing off
4. What was the writer's reaction (反应) to the idea of going to Eton?
A. He was very unhappy.
B. He didn't believe it.
C. He was delighted.
D. He had mixed feelings.
5. We can know from the passage that ________.
A. Children who can go to Eton are very famous
B. Children can go to Eton if they will
C. It is very difficult for a child to get admitted by Eton
D. Children don't have the right to decide whether they will go to Eton at all
