A
[2019·湖南长郡中学检测]On Wednesday, nearly 300 kids will take part in the National Spelling Bee. Fewer will make it to the following day's semifinals, where one mistake means elimination (淘汰). I'd bet that many of them will be silently praying — not on the first word. I knew it because I was there 17 years ago.
I was a 14yearold girl then. My mother and I had flown from Kentucky to Washington, but the capital was no strange to her. My older sister had already competed at the national level.
When my sister was 14 and I was 12, we trained together. We began with the Suggested List given out at school — hundreds of words printed on a poster that could be folded up like a map. When the words along the creases (褶痕) began to disappear, we bought additional spelling lists.
Sometimes my mother tested us, reading words most English teachers wouldn't know how to pronounce, let alone my Indianborn mother. When she pointed out the misspelled words, I blamed her accent for my errors!
When it was my turn, I approached the microphone and waited for my first word.
The announcer was somewhere to my left, a man who pronounced clearly. “Barbican，” he said.
It seemed that my competitors were secretly complaining about the relative ease of my word. Would they laugh at me if I couldn't spell it? Would my mother be disappointed in me? That last syllable could go two ways: CAN or CON. Which one was right? Finally I decided on CON.
Of course, I was eliminated and guided to the Comfort Room, where parents couldn't enter. Inside, recent losers were sitting around a table abundant with junk food.
We casually mentioned the words that defeated us, like a special ceremony to welcome each new arrival. Then we changed the subject if we'd already moved on from missed words and lost opportunities.
Eventually, I went out and saw my mother.
“Well，” she said, “I_guess_you_won't_be_doing_this_again.” Yes, next year I would be 15 and not allowed to take part in the competition.
体裁：记叙文 题材：人生经历 主题：参加英文拼字大赛
【语篇解读】 本文主要叙述了“我”14岁时参加全国英文拼字大赛的经历。
【难句分析】 Sometimes my mother tested us, reading words most English teachers wouldn't know how to pronounce, let alone my Indianborn mother.
分析：该句为复合句。句中most English teachers wouldn't know how to pronounce为省略了关系词的定语从句，修饰先行词words；let alone为固定搭配，意为“更不用说”。
译文：有时，我妈妈测试我们，她读的一些单词大多数英语老师都不知道怎么发音，更不用说我的出生在印度的母亲了。
1．What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A．The difficulty of the first word.
B．The fierce competition.
C．The nervousness of the kids.
D．The strict rules.
答案与解析：C 考查代词指代。根据第一段中的“I'd bet that many of them will be silently praying — not on the first word. I knew it because I was there 17 years ago”可知，参加比赛的孩子都很紧张，所以默默祈祷，千万别在第一个单词就被淘汰；而“我”知道孩子们紧张是因为“我”在17年前有过这样的经历。据此可知，it指代孩子们的紧张，故C项正确。
2．The author failed probably because ________.
A. she was unable to relax
B. the announcer had an accent
C. her competitors disturbed her
D. she didn't practise hard enough
答案与解析：A 考查推理判断。根据第七段前三句“It seemed that my competitors were secretly complaining about the relative ease of my word. Would they laugh at me if I couldn't spell it? Would my mother be disappointed in me”可以判断，“我”无法放松，心里想得很多，所以影响发挥而被淘汰，故A项正确。
3．What did the author do in the Comfort Room?
A. She met her mother.
B. She comforted new arrivals.
C. She talked with other losers.
D. She watched the competition.
答案与解析：C 考查细节理解。根据第九段“We casually mentioned the words that defeated us... Then we changed the subject if we'd already moved on from missed words and lost opportunities”可知，在the Comfort Room里，“我”在和其他淘汰者聊天，故C项正确。
4．Why did the author's mother say the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
A．She was disappointed in the author.
B．The author would be beyond the age limit.
C．She didn't want the author to suffer again.
D．The author had no interest in the competition.
答案与解析：B 考查推理判断。根据最后一段的“Yes, next year I would be 15 and not allowed to take part in the competition”可以判断，“我”由于超过年龄限制，不能再参赛。
