B

Mom could take a little hamburger, a few potatoes and some canned tomatoes and whip up a feast that would make BobbyFlay weep. And the things she could do with a chicken . . . well, it makes mymouth water to think about it. Her homemade chili sauce was second to none. Herbottled peaches were better than candy. And I once offered to make my sisterKathy’s bed for a week if she would give me the last slice of toast made withMom’s homemade bread.

Kathy wouldn’t go for it. She preferred toeat the toast – infuriatingly slowly – in front of me, watching me suffer witheach exquisite bite. If memory serves, that was the same day I tried to killKathy with a crutch. If I had succeeded, all we would have had to do was givethe judge a taste of Mom’s homemade bread and jam, and he would have ruled iton my side.

But put a beef steak in her skillet, and sheturned into the anti-cook. She could take the finest, most perfectly marbledribeye and turn it into a hunk of protein with the flavor and texture of shoeleather. Of course, it wasn’t intentional.

Several months later my big brother Bud tookme out for lunch and ordered steaks for both of us. I wasn’t thrilled, butsince he was paying I figured I could choke down a few bites. When the waitressserved our steaks, I was surprised at how good they smelled. Mom’s steaks neversmelled like that. The first bite was a char-broiled epiphany, a revelation ofsizzling flavor. Suddenly I understood why others spoke of steak fondly. Idevoured my steak greedily, and stole a bite of Bud’s when he took a secondtrip to the salad bar.

“You know,” I said to Bud, patting my stomachcontentedly. “I used to think Mom was a great cook. But it’s hard to believeher steaks come from the same animal as these steaks.”

“Mom is a great cook,” Bud said. “But thinkabout it. She grew up during the Great Depression. That’s when she learned tocook. How often do you think they had steak?”

1.What did the author really want to say in Paragraph 1?

A Her mother was a great cook.

B She liked homemade chili sauce best.

C She’s willing to make her sister’s bed.

D Her mother had to do much housework.

解析：选A。推理判断题。第一段中信息Mom could. . . well, it makes my mouth water to think about it.可推知作者的母亲很擅长做饭，所以A项为正确答案。

2.How did the author feel when Kathy ate the toast in front of her?

A Happy.

B Surprised.

C Angry.

D Upset.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。第二段中信息She preferred to eat the toast – infuriatingly slowly…I tried to kill Kathy with a crutch.可知Kathy在作者面前享受面包的美味时，作者很生气。

3.When the author was taken out for lunch months later, she found _______.

A many people ate the steak greedily

B her big brother Bud was generous

C she had never had a more delicious steak

D others spoke highly of the steak’s flavor and color

解析：选C。细节理解题。第三段中信息“I was surprised at how good they smelled.” 和“I devoured my steak greedily, and stole a bite of Bud’s when he took a second trip to the salad bar”可知答案作者认为饭店的牛排很美味。

4.What could be true of the author’s mother?

A She is good at cooking steaks.

B She has no weakness in the kitchen.

C She could afford to buy steaks at an early age.

D She hasn’t had much experience cooking steaks.

解析：选D。细节理解题。最后段中信息She grew up during the Great Depression. That’s when she learned to cook. How often do you think they had steak?可知答案。