2018年公共英语五级阅读理解模拟题（12）
公共英语五级阅读理解模拟题
Read the following texts and answer the questions which accompany them by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.
Not long ago, a mysterious Christmas card dropped through our mail slot. The envelope was addressed to a man named Raoul, who, I was relatively certain, did not live with us. The envelope wash' t sealed, so I. opened it. The inside of the card was blank. Ed, my husband, explained that the card was both from and to the newspaper deliveryman. His name was apparently Raoul, and Raoul wanted a holiday tip. We were meant to put a check inside the card and then drop the envelope in the mail. When your services are rendered at 4 a. m. , you can' t simply hang around, like a hotel bellboy expecting a tip. You have to be direct.
So I wrote a nice holiday greeting to this man who, in my imagination, fires The New York Times from his bike aimed at our front door, casing more noise with mere newsprint than most people manage with sophisticated black market fireworks.
With a start, I realized that perhaps the reason for the 4 a.m. wake-up noise was not ordinary rudeness but carefully executed spite: I had not tipped Raoul in Christmases past. I honestly hadn't realized I was supposed to. This was the first time he'd used the card tactic. So I got out my checkbook. Somewhere along the line, holiday tipping went from an optional thank-you for a year of services to a Mafia-style protection racket (收取保护费的黑社会组织).
Several days later, I was bringing our garbage bins back from the curb when I noticed an envelope taped to one of the lids. The outside of the envelope said MICKEY. It had to be another tip request, this time from our garbage collector. Unlike Raoul, Mickey hadn't enclosed his own Christmas card from me. In a way, I appreciated the directness. "I know you don' t care how merry my Christmas is, and that' s fine, " the gesture said. "I want $ 30, or I'll ‘ forget' to empty your garbage bin some hot summer day. "
I put a check in the envelope and taped it back to the bin. The next morning, Ed noticed that the envelope was gone, though the trash hadn't yet been picked up: "Someone stole Mickey' s tip !" Ed was quite certain. He made me call the bank and cancel the check.
But Ed had been wrong. Two weeks later, Mickey left a letter from the bank on our steps. The letter informed Mickey that the check, which he had tried to cash, had been cancelled. The following Tuesday morning, when Ed saw a truck outside, he ran out with his wallet. “Are you Mickey?”
The man looked at him with scorn. "Mickey is the garbageman. I am the recycling. " Not only had Ed insul- ted this man by hinting that he was a garbageman, but he had obviously neglected to tip him. Ed ran back inside for more funds. Then he noticed that the driver of the truck had been watching the whole transaction. He peeled off an- other twenty and looked around, waving bills in the air. "Anyone else?"
Had we consulted the website of the Emily Post Institute, this embarrassing broach of etiquette (礼节) could have been avoided. Under "trash/recycling collectors" in the institute' s Holiday Tipping Guidelines, it says, " $10 to $30 each. " You may or may not wish to know that your pet groomer, hairdresser, mailman and UPS guy all expect a holiday tip.
51. The newspaper deliveryman put a blank card inside the envelope because __
A. he forgot to write a few words on it
B. he wanted the couple to send it back
C. he used it to ask for a Christmas tip
D.he was afraid of asking for a tip in person
52. From the passage, we learn that the author __
A. didn' t like Raoul' s way of delivering the paper
B. didn' t realize why Raoul delivered the paper that way
C. didn' t know that Raoul came very early in the morning
D. didn' t feel it necessary to meet Raoul when he came
53. According to the passage, the author felt __ to give Raoul a holiday tip.
A. excited
B. delighted
C. embarrassed
D. forced
54. Which of the following is CORRECT about Mickey, the garbage collector?
A. He wrote a letter to the couple afterwards.
B. He failed to collect the money from the bank.
C. He wanted the couple to send him a Christmas card.
D. He collected both the cheek and the garbage that day.
55. Ed's encounter with the recycling team shows that __
A. Ed was desperate to correct his mistake.
B. Ed only wanted to give money to Raoul.
C. Ed was unwilling to tip the truck driver.
D.Ed no longer wanted to give them money.
答案及解析
51.C【解析】由第一段可知，这张卡片是送报人的，我们被暗示：要填好卡片投递，当你的服务在凌晨四点就被奉上时，你不能若无其事，你必须要直接点，他想要的是假期小费。因此正确答案为C。
52.A【解析】第二段中女主人写了一封漂亮的假期贺词给这个她从来没看到或遇到过的人。这个人在她的想象里就是像射击一样把《纽约时报》发射到她家门前，制造的噪声要大于人们从黑市购得的鞭炮的声响。所以她确实不喜欢拉乌尔投递报纸的这种方式。因此正确答案为A。
53.D【解析】在第三段中女主人公意识到也许在四点的粗鲁服务的原因是经过精心策划的而不是习惯，假期小费从随意的一句谢谢发展成为黑社会的保护勒索，所以作者是被迫给假期小费的。因此正确答案为D。
54.B【解析】从第五段中描述到，看到装着支票的信封没有了，但是垃圾还在，所以作者的丈夫怀疑信封是被别人偷走了，立马就通知银行作废了这张支票。所以Mickey最终还是没有从银行中取走钱。因此正确答案为B。
55.A【解析】第六段中男主人看到清理垃圾的车，误以为是Mickey来了，正要出去澄清误会，把上次的小费补上，却遭到了回收员的蔑视，所以他感到澄清误会的机会是很渺茫了，对于假期小费的事情他已经绝望了。因此正确答案为A。
