Question

When Dekalb Walcott III was just 8 years old, his father, a Chicago fire chief, let him tag along on a call. Dekalb says a lot of kids idolized basketball player Michael Jordan when he was growing up in Chicago in the 1990s. Not him.

"I wanted to be like Dekalb Walcott Jr.," he says of his father.

So when his dad asked if he wanted to go on that call with him when he was 8, Dekalb was excited. "I'm jumping up and down, saying, "Mom, can I go? Can I go?' "

The experience changed Dekalb's life, he tells his dad on a visit to StoryCorps. "My eyes got big from the moment the alarm went off." the younger Dekalb says. " This is the life that I want to live someday. "

Now 27, the younger Dekalb is living that life. He became a firefighter at 21 and went to work alongside his dad at the Chicago Fire Department. Before his father retired, the pair even went out on a call together — father supervising（监督） son.

"You know, it's everything for me to watch you grow," his father says. But he also recalls worrying about one particular fire that his son faced.

"I received a phone call that night. And they said, 'Well, your son was at this fire.' I said, 'OK, which way is this conversation going to go?' " Dekalb Walcott Jr. recalls.

"And they said, 'But he's OK. And he put it out all by himself. Everybody here was proud of him.'

"And the word went around, 'Who was out there managing that fire? Oh, that's Walcott! That's Walcott up there!' So, you know, moments like that, it's heaven on Earth for a dad."

Dekalb Walcott Jr. retired in 2009. The younger Dekalb says he's proud of being a second-generation firefighter. "You know, it makes me look forward to fatherhood as well, because I'm definitely looking forward to passing that torch down to my son."

1. The underlined phrase tag along in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. put out fire

B. watch basketball

C. follow his father

D. ask his mother’s permission

2. Dekalb Walcott III determined to become a firefighter at the age of _________

A. 8 B. 21 C. 27 D. 35

3. What did Dekalb Walcott Jr want to do before he was told that the fire was put out?

A. Go on with the conversation

B. Put it out all by himself

C. Supervise his son

D. Go to the fire scene

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Dekalb Walcott Jr is proud to be a second-generation firefighter.

B. Dekalb Walcott III wants his son to become a firefighter too.

C. Dekalb Walcott Jr wants to pass the torch to Dekalb Walcott III.

D. Dekalb Walcott III is proud that his son has become an excellent firefighter.

5. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A. Passing The Torch: A Firefighter Dad's Legacy

B. Putting Out Fire: A Challenging Job for Father and son

C. Dekalb Walcott III: A Second-generation Firefighter

D. Dekalb Walcott Jr.: A Chicago Fire Chief

Answer 1

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

5.A

【解析】

试题分析:本文是一篇故事类短文，讲述了一家两代对消防工作的热爱。当Dekalb Walcott III8岁的时候他父亲就带他去消防现场，当时他激动不已，希望自己以后也做一名消防员。而且现在27岁的他已经成为了一名优秀的消防员。

1.词义猜测题。从前四段内容可知父亲Dekalb Walcott Jr是一名消防员，由此推断8岁的时候他父亲是带他去了火警现场，选C。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第一、二段内容可知Dekalb Walcott III 8岁的时候想成为像父亲一样的消防员，选A。

3.细节理解题。根据文章倒数三、四段的对话内容可知选D。

4.细节理解题。从文章末段内容younger Dekalb也就是Dekalb Walcott III所说的话可知他也希望自己的孩子以后也当消防员，故选B。

5.主旨大意题。文章讲述了父子两代人对消防工作的热爱，而且儿子也希望自己的孩子将来也从事消防事业，由此判断A选项内容可以概括中心。

考点：考查故事类短文阅读