(C)

Aisling’s mother died at midsummer. She had fallen sick so suddenly that some of the villagers wondered if the fairies had come and taken her, for she was still young and beautiful. She was buried three days later beneath the hawthorn tree(山楂树) behind the house, just as twilight was darkening the sky.

Maire Solanya, the village greenwitch, came that evening to perform the old rituals over the grave. She stood at the foot of the mound of black soil. Aisling and her father stood at the head of it, resting on the simple headstone, was the burning candle. Aisling’s father had lit it shortly after Elinor died, and it would burn all night. The gravestone was a plain piece of slate carved with her name: Elinor. Grass and tree roots would grow up around it as the years passed, until it would seem as if it had always been there.

Maire Solanya said in her low, clear voice, “Life to life, from breath to breath, we remember Elinor.” She held a round loaf of bread in her hands. She tore off a small piece and ate it, chewing deliberately, before handing the loaf to Aisling’s father. He pulled off his own piece, then passed it to his daughter. It was still warm, and it smelled like her mother’s kitchen after baking. But it hadn’t come from her mother’s hands, and that realization made a lump rise in her throat. The bread was tasteless. 

 Maire Solanya took the loaf from her, its crust(面包皮) gaping open, and placed it on the gravestone next to the candle. Aisling couldn’t shake the feeling that her mother had merely gone out on an errand and would come home at any moment and wonder what the three of them were doing. It didn’t seem possible that she was buried there, at the foot of the hawthorn tree, in the ground. It was easier to believe the village rumors than to sit with the ache inside herself.
She remembered those rumors now, while she stood with her father and Maire Solanya in a tense silence. Everyone had always said that Elinor had some magic in her, and everyone knew that fairies – if they existed – were drawn to that. So Aisling’s father had ordered all the old rituals, even though he did not believe in them, just in case. She was not entirely sure what she herself believed, but she knew that her mother would want them to do these rituals for her, and that was enough.
When the sun slipped below the horizon, the greenwitch said, “Sleep in peace, Elinor,”and scattered a gold powder over the grave to bind Elinor to the earth. On the freshly turned soil, the gold glittered like fairly dust. 

73. Aisling and her family are most likely __________.

A. fairies in disguise       B. simple village folk   

C. wealthy farmers    D. experienced bakers

74. Maire Solanya performed the rituals in order to  __________.

A. express thanks to the fairies        B. protect the hawthorn tree

C. respect Elinor’s wishes     D. capture Elinor’s spirit

75. Which of the following does not describe Elinor?

   A. A believer in magic.      B. Practical.

   C. Skilled at baking. D. Youthful.

76. Which statement best describes Aisling’s belief in fairies?

    A. She is uncertain and finds the idea unsettling.

    B. She finds the idea comforting but is unsure.

    C. She is certain they exist and wishes they would bring back her mother.

    D. She believes strongly in the power of their rituals but not in their existence.

77. Why did Aisling find the bread “tasteless”?

A. It reminded her of her mother’s absence.

B. It was a terribly rude thing to eat at her mother’s funeral.

C. Solanya was really a poor baker in the village.

D. There had not been sufficient ingredients to make the bread

. 

73-77  BCBBA

本篇文章是一个小故事，讲述了Aisling的母亲Elinor在她还很年轻时就去世了，Elinor在生前相信精灵之说，所以Aisling和其父亲在其去世后，找来了女巫替母亲作法，希望母亲能安息。

第73题是细节题，Aisling和她的家人最有可能是什么人物。需要通读全文后方能做出判断，文中提到Aisling的母亲死后，Aisling和她的父亲请来女巫做法，希望安息她的灵魂。文中只提到Aisling的母亲会做烘培，没说一家人都是烘焙师；也没提到一家人的经济状况，所以答案B最为合理，普通的村民。

第74题是推断题，Maire Solanya女巫做法的目的是什么，我们定位到第五段最后部分“She was not entirely sure what she herself believed, but she knew that her mother would want them to do these rituals for her, and that was enough.”说的是Aisling的妈妈希望Aisling和她的父亲请人为她做法，所以答案选C，尊重她的愿望。

第75题是细节题，以下哪个选项不能描述Elinor，对于这种题目，我们只要把能够描述Elinor的选项选出后，剩下那个就是答案。首先看选项A：A believer in magic。我们可以从74题线索得出A是正确的，Elinor是相信魔法的。选项C：Skilled at baking。文中第三段“it smelled like her mother’s kitchen after baking”可以看出，Elinor的确有做蛋糕的技能。选项D ：Youthful。文中第一段“for she was still young and beautiful”有提到她是年轻的。所以答案选B。文中也从没提到过Elinor是一个实际的人，实际的人也不会相信魔法吧。

第76题是推断题，最能描述Aisling对于精灵的态度。这题思路其实和74题很相近，还是定位到第五段“She was not entirely sure what she herself believed, but she knew that her mother would want them to do these rituals for her, and that was enough.”答案选B。Aisling觉得为母亲作法是可行的，但是她自己并不那么相信精灵之说。

第77题是细节题，为什么Aisling觉得面包食之无味？定位到文章第三段“It was still warm, and it smelled like her mother’s kitchen after baking. But it hadn’t come from her mother’s hands, and that realization made a lump rise in her throat. The bread was tasteless.”显而易见，是由于母亲刚去世，吃着面包就想起母亲，所以食之无味，答案选A。