阅读理解
Being thirteen has certain problems that only another thirteen-year-old would understand. The biggest,
I think, is learning to get along well with adults. I have found that when dealing with grown-ups, it is wise
to remember two things.
1. Always use your head
2. Never use your head
For instance, one day just before supper, my mother sent me to the store for a loaf of whole-wheat
bread. They didn't have any. When I told my mother, she said, "Well, what kind did you get?" I told her
I didn't get any. She looked as if I had just announced that I was leaving home for good. "For goodness'
sake!" She said, "If they hadn't had whole-wheat, you should have got something else! Why don't you
use your head?"
Not long after that, she sent me to the store for red oilcloth. They didn't have any, so I bought seven
yards of purple. I thought it was pretty. Mother didn't. She said, "Who ever heard of purple oilcloth in a
red kitchen?" I told her I was only trying to use my head. She said. "Well, don't ! And in the future, if you
can't get what I send you for, don't get anything."
See what I mean?
There are other things that seem a little strange, too. If my father goes out for the evening, he tells me
to "look after" my mother and sister. But if the family goes out, and I want to stay home, my father won't
let me. He doesn't feel comfortable if I am home alone. That means I am old enough to "look after" my
mother and sister but not old enough to "look after" myself.
Another problem is what to do when you trip over the cat and land with your head in the refrigerator, causing a large lump to appear just over the right eyebrow. In that case, your father could feel free to say with a few choice words. Your sister could shed enough tears to dampen the whole room. Your mother
could, and probably would, do both. But you? You are thirteen and can't do anything! You are too young
to curse, and "big boys" don't cry. So you just stand there looking more stupid than usual. But in spite of
all this I still think thirteen is a wonderful age!
1. The main idea of the passage is that____.
A. young children are boring
B. being thirteen involves too may responsibilities
C. a thirteen-year-old boy is the sun of the family
D. thirteen-year-olds have special problems
2. The author says the biggest problem is_____.
A. learning how to use one's head
B. assuming responsibilities
C. showing you can be trusted
D. learning how to get along with grown-ups
3. The author thinks that his father should allow him to ____.
A. go shipping by himself
B. stay at home alone
C. look after the family
D. use his head
4. The author complains that there is no acceptable way for a thirteen-year-old boy to____.
A. prevent his sister from crying
B. act when he is in the kitchen
C. avoid tripping over the cat
D. behave when he hurts himself
5. The author believes being a boy of thirteen is _____.
A. frustrating
B. painful
C. delightful
D. tiring
