Question

John was part of my childhood growing up in the 1970s and a link to sunny, fun-filled days spent on the beach at Bangor in Northern Ireland where we went for our summer holidays. To many, he was a mystery. Every afternoon John would wander to the end of the pier (碼頭) where he fed the seagulls and delighted in the sound of their excited cries as they flew around his head.

Often I asked my family questions regarding John. Eventually I gave up as no one could tell me anything about him. As I grew up, my visits to the beach became less frequent, and my memories of John buried in a child’s imagination.

Last year memories came flooding back as I walked along the coastline, where I noticed a lady feeding the seagulls on the pier, and I decided to introduce myself. Then I came to know that the lady was John’s daughter, and after John left this world she carried out the ritual (慣例), which had held such importance for her father.

In some strange way I felt we shared a bond, each needing to remember. In return, Lucy told me of John’s life, his days in the British Navy (海軍) during World War I and how he almost lost hope when his ship was attacked by a German U-boat in the North Sea and he found himself in a lifeboat with five others.

Close to death, he thought he heard the sound of wings. He put up his hands, only to catch a seagull that had landed on the side of the boat. The seagull saved the lives of the six men as it was used to catch fish, which kept them alive until they reached land. This period of John’s life was one he never talked about. But the ritual he first performed as a young man remained a part of him until he died.

Now I visit Lucy as often as I can, just to chat or very often walk along the beach to the pier end. We enjoy the comfortable silence, each lost in special memories.

1.Seeing John feeding the seagulls, the author might feel _____.

A. proud B. worried

C. curious D. guilty

2. Why did the author introduce herself to the lady?

A. She wanted to make more friends.

B. She was also fond of feeding seagulls.

C. She was told the lady was John’s daughter.

D. She was attracted by what the lady was doing.

3. We can infer from the text that John _____.

A. once served in both World Wars

B. was a man with a grateful heart

C. spent his childhood in Bangor

D. joined the navy in the 1970s

4.What does the author mainly tell us in the text?

A. She expressed her thanks to a seagull that saved her life.

B. She told us the story of how she made friends with a lady.

C. She shared with us her memories of a man who fed seagulls.

D. She talked about her childhood spent on the beach at Bangor.

Answer 1