阅读理解
"How was school, Ben?" I asked my grandson after he began kindergarten (幼儿园) this year."The
work is too long...and there's not enough time to play, " he replied.
I couldn't help but remember Ben's own mother, my daughter, Jane, and her reaction (反应) to the
first day of school.Julie was also disappointed with the first day of school and so was her
little sister."I
want to go 'sool'and you not let me!" my threeyearold daughter announced angrily after her big sister got
on the big yellow school bus.
When Julie returned home that afternoon I asked her the same question that I asked Ben, "How was
school, Julie?" Julie replied, "I didn't learn to read today."
This year as the school bus went by my house, my mind went back to those school days again.I could
almost smell the chalk dust in the air.I also wonder what the children these days manage to get chosen to
do in order to get out of school for a few moments since there are no erasers to clean.It was fun to be
"chosen" for eraser cleaning duty.This was a task finished by going outside and beating erasers together
while sneezing and coughing.No_wonder_so_many_babies_now_have_allergies_(过敏症), it's_simply_
because_we_all_have_chalk_dust_in_our_lungs!
On the first day of school, the expectation was so great that I would ready long before it was time to
leave for school.We didn't miss having backpacks because we had cigar boxes.We carried our small
supplies inside a cigar box from one of the local stores.We saved the cigar boxes 
and used them from
year to year until they fell apart.
The first day of school was exciting.It was a new beginning.The doors of knowledge had been opened.The first day of school is an event in our lives that most of us remember.It's a big step for a small child
toward leaving babyhood behind and so "there isn't enough time to play".
No matter how old we get, nor how much we learn, it still seems like "The work is too long...and
there's not enough time to play."
1. Why did Jane become angry according to the passage?
A. Because she didn't learn to read on the first day of school.
B. Because there was too much work for her to do at school.
C. Because she had no time to play at sch
ool.
D. Because she wasn't allowed to go to school.
2. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 suggests that________.
A. the author
was thinking of her school days jokingly
B. the author warned students against the harm of chalk dust
C. the author suffered from an allergy because of chalk dust
D. the author doubted whether her lungs had chalk dust
3. When the author went to school, she________.
A. usually carried a backpack full of books
B. used to fill a cigar box with small things
C. wasn't happy and expected nothing
D. often had a cigar box instead of a backpack
4. In the opinion of the author, the first day of school is________.
A. a day when a child is the happiest
B. a day when a child does much work
C. the beginning of great learning
D. the end of childhood full of toys
5. Which of the following may the author agree with?
A. Children have too much homework to do now.
B. Teachers should make their classes interesting on the first day of school.
C. School days haven't changed over years.
D. People never have enough time to play once they start school.
