2023年事业单位公共基础知识二英语题库

公共基础知识二英语部分

PassageOne

ChristopherThomas,27,wasawriterbynightandateacherbydaywhenhe

noticedhewasalwaystiredandwaslosingweightfast.Diagnosedwithdiabetes（W

尿病），Thomaswouldneedtoinjecthimselfwithinsulin（胰岛素）threetimesaday

fortherestofhislifeorrisknervedamage,blindness,andevendeath.Andif

thatweren*tbadenough,hehadnohealthinsurance.

Afteramonthoffeelingupset,Thomasdecidedhe,dbetterfindawaytofight

back.HeleftCanton,MichiganforNewYork,gotajobwaitingtables,nicknamed

himselftheDiabeticRockstar,andcreateddiabeticrockstar,com,afreeonline

communityfordiabeticsandtheirlovedones-aplacewhereover1,100peopleshare

personalstories,information,andresources.

JasonSwencki'sson,Kody,wasdiagnosedwithtypediabetesatsix.Father

andsonvisittheonlinechildren,sforums（论坛）togethermostevenings."Kodygets

soexcited,writingtokidsfromallover,"saysSwencki,oneofthesite*s

volunteers."Theyknowwhathe，sgoingthrough,sohedoesn，tfeelalone.”

Kodyisanythingbutalone:Diabetesisnowtheseventhleadingcauseofdeath

intheUnitedStates,with24milliondiagnosedcases.Andmorepeoplearebeing

diagnosedatyoungerages.

Thesedays,Thomas'smainfocusishischarity（慈善机构），FightIt,which

providesmedicinesandsuppliestopeople-225todate—whocan'tafforda

diabetic*shugeexpenses.Fhasraisedabout$23,000—inproductsand

incash.InMay,ThomaswillholdthefirstannualDiabeticRockstarFestivalin

theCaribbean.

Evenwithastaffof22volunteers,Thomasoftendevotesupto50hoursaweek

tohiscause,whilestilldoinghisfull-timejobwaitingtables."Ofthediabetes

charitiesoutthere,mostareputtingmoneyintofindingacure,“saysBentleyGubar,

oneofRockstar,soriginalmembers."ButChristopheristheonlypersonIknowsaying

peopleneedhelpnow.”

56.WhichofthefollowingistrueofChristopherThomas?

A.Heneedstogotothedoctoreveryday.

B.Hestudiestheleadingcauseofdiabetes

C.Hehasapositiveattitudetothisdisease.

D.Heencouragesdiabeticsbywritingarticles.

57.Dwascreatedfor.

A.diabeticstocommunicateB.volunteerstofindjobs

C.childrentoamusethemselvesD.rockstarstoshareresources.

58.Accordingtothetext,Kody.

A.feellonelybecauseofhisillness

B.benefitsfromdiabeticrockstar,com

C.helpscreatetheonlinekid'sforums

D.writeschildren'sstoriesonline

59.WhatcanwelearnaboutFightIt?

A.Ithelpsthediabeticsinfinancialdifficulties.

B.Itorganizespartiesforvolunteeronceayear.

C.Itofferslessexpensivemedicinetodiabetics.

D.Itownsawell-knownmedicalwebsite.

60.ThelastparagraphsuggeststhatThomas.

A.worksfull-timeinadiabetescharityB.employs22peopleforhiswebsite

C.helpsdiabeticsinhisownwayD.tiestofindacurefordiabetes

PassageTwo

Asksomeonewhattheyhavedonetohelptheenvironmentrecentlyandtheywill

almostcertainlymentionrecycling.Recyclinginthehomeisveryimportantof

course.However,beingforcedtorecycleoftenmeanswealreadyhavemorematerial

thanweneed.Wearedealingwiththeresultsofthatover-consumptioninthe

greenestwaypossible,butitwouldbefarbetterifwedidnotneedtobringso

muchmaterialhomeinthefirstplace.

Thetotalamountofpackagingincreasedby12%between1999and2023.Itnow

makesupathirdofatypicalhousehold*swasteintheUK.Inmanysupermarkets

nowadaysfooditemsarepackagedtwicewithplasticandcardboard.

Toomuchpackagingisdoingseriousdamagetotheenvironment.TheUK,for

example,isrunningoutofitforcarryingthisunnecessarywaste.Ifsuchpackaging

isburnt,itgivesoffgreenhousegaseswhichgoontocausethegreenhouseeffect.

Recyclinghelps,buttheprocessitselfusesenergy.Thesolutionisnottoproduce

suchitemsinthefirstplace.Foodwasteisaseriousproblem,too.Toomany

supermarketsencouragecustomerstobuymorethantheyneed.However,afewofthem

arecomingroundtotheideathatthiscannotcontinue,encouragingcustomersto

reusetheirplasticbags,forexample.

Butthisisnotjustaboutsupermarkets.Itisaboutallofus.Wehavelearned

toassociatepackagingwithquality.Wehavelearnedtothinkthatsomething

unpackagedisofpoorquality.Thisisespeciallytrueoffood.Butisalsoapplies

toawiderangeofconsumerproducts,whichoftenhavefarmorepackagingthan

necessary.

Therearesignsofhope.Asmoreofusrecycle,wearebeginningtorealise

justhowmuchunnecessarymaterialarecollecting.Weneedtofacethewastefulness

ofourconsumerculture,butwehaveamountaintoclimb.

61.Whatdoestheunderlinedphrase“over-consumption”referto?

A.Usingtoomuchpackaging.

B.Recyclingtoomanywastes.

C.Makingmoreproductsthannecessary.

D.Havingmorematerialthanisneeded.

62.TheauthorusesfiguresinParagraph2toshow.

A.thetendencyofcuttinghouseholdwaste

B.theincreaseofpackagingrecycling

C.therapidgrowthofsupermarkets

Overuse

63.Accordingtothetext,recycling.

A.helpscontrolthegreenhouseeffect

B.meansburningpackagingforenergy

C.isthesolutiontogasshortage

D.leadstoawasteofland

64.WhatcanbeinferredfromParagraph4?

A.Unpackagedproductsareofbadquality.

B.Supermarketscaremoreaboutpackaging.

C.Itisimpropertojudgequalitybypackaging.

D.Otherproductsarebetterpackagedthanfood.

65.Whatcanwelearnfromthelastparagraph?

A.Fightingwastefulnessisdifficult.

B.Needlessmaterialismostlyrecycled.

C.Peoplelikecollectingrecyclablewaste.

D.Theauthorisproudoftheirconsumerculture.

第一套模拟题答案解析

PassageOne

56.解析:细节理解题。通读全文可知，ChristopherThomas对于自己的疾病采用了积极的

态度，所以C项对的。A项与Thomaswouldneedtoinjecthimselfwithinsulin（胰岛

素）threetimesadayfortherestofhislife不符；B项与文中的Thomas开办网站，

与病人及其家属分享有关的信息和资源不符；D项提到的写作是Thomas的专职工作，而他

的志愿工作才是运作FightIt这个慈善机构。安徽省直事业单位备考交流群

答案:C

57.解析：细节理解题。根据afreeonlinecommunityfordiabeticsandtheirlovedones

—aplacewhereover1,100peoplesharepersonalstories,information,andresources

可知A项对的。

答案:A

58.解析:细节理解题。根据Fatherandsonvisittheonlinechildren,sforums（论坛）

togethermostevenings."Kodygetssoexcited,writingtokidsfromallover,"says

Swencki,oneofthesite*svolunteers."Theyknowwhathe'sgoingthrough,sohe

doesn,tfeelalone.”可知B项对的。

答案:B

59.解析：细节理解题。根据FightIt,whichprovidesmedicinesandsuppliestopeople

—225todate—whocan,taffordadiabetic1shugeexpenses.Fhasraised

about$23,000—inproductsandincash.可知A项对的。

答案:A

60.解析：推理判断题。根据ButChristopheristheonlypersonIknowsayingpeople

needhelpnow.可知Thomas在用自己的方式帮助糖尿病人，所以C项对的。A项与Thomas

oftendevotesupto50hoursaweektohiscause,whilestilldoinghisfull-time

jobwaitingtables不符；B项与Evenwithastaffof22volunteers：D项与“Ofthe

diabetescharitiesoutthere,mostareputtingmoneyintofindingacure,“says

BentleyGubar,oneofRockstar,soriginalmembers."ButChristopheristheonly

personIknowsayingpeopleneedhelpnow."不符。

答案:C

PassageTwo

61.D.thefactofpackaging解析：词义猜测题。根据文中的Wearedealingwiththe

resultsofthatover-consumptioninthegreenestwaypossible,butitwouldbefar

betterifwedidnotneedtobringsomuchmaterialhomeinthefirstplace.可

知划线部分意义应为“过度消费”，所以D项意义对的。

答案:D

62.解析：作者用意猜测题。根据作者在文中使用的数字可知，作者使用数字的目的是为了

让读者清楚地理解过度包装的现实问题，所以D项对的。

答案:D

63.解析：细节理解题。根据Ifsuchpackagingisburnt,itgivesoffgreenhousegases

whichgoontocausethegreenhouseeffect.Recyclinghelps,buttheprocessitself

usesenergy.可知A项对的。

答案:A

64.解析：推理判断题。第四段讲述了人们对于包装不好的物品的固有结识，即：人们普遍

认为包装不好的物品质量肯定差，所以C项应为对的答案。

答案：C

65.解析：推理判断题。文章讲述了人们对于过度包装的危害的结识及人们应有的积极态度，

所以最后一段给我们带来了希望，但是最后一句wehaveamountaintoclimb.提醒我们

事情不会一蹴而就，所以A项对的。

答案:A

第二套模拟题英语阅读

RaeArmantrout,whohasbeenapoetryprofessorattheUniversityofCalifornia

SanDiego(UCSD)fortwodecades,haswonthe2023PulitzerPrizeinthepoetry

categoryforhermostrecentbook,“Versed”.

"I'mdelightedandamazedathowmuchmediarecognitionthatthePulitzer

brings,ascomparedtoeventheNationalBookCriticsAward,whichIwasalso

surprisedanddelightedtowin,"saidArmantrout.

“Foralongtime,mywritinghasbeenjustbelowthemediaradar,andtohave

thiskindofattention,suddenly,withmy10thbook,isreallysurprising.”

Armantrout,anativeCalifornian,receivedherbachelorJsdegreeatUC

Berkeley,whereshestudiedwithnotedpoetDeniseLevertov,andhermaster,sin

creativewritingfromSanFranciscoStateUniversity.Sheisafoundingmemberof

LanguagePoets,agroupinAmericanpoetrythatanalyzesthewaylanguageisused

andraisesquestionstomakethereaderthink.

InMarch,shewontheNationalBookCriticsCircleAwardfor"Versed.”

“Thisbookhasgottenmoreattention,“Armantroutsaid,“butIdon,tfeel

asifit'sbetter.w

Thefirsthalfof“Versed”focusesonthedarkforcestakingholdofthe

UnitedStatesasitfoughtthewaragainstIraq.Thesecondhalflooksatthedark

forcescastingashadowoverherownlifeafterArmantroutwasdiagnosedwithcancer

in2023.

ArmantroutwasshockedtolearnshehadwonthePulitzerbutmanyofher

colleagueswerenot."RaeArmantroutisauniquevoiceinAmericanpoetry,“said

SethLerer,headofArtsandHumanitiesatUCSD.

“Versed”,publishedbytheWesleyanUniversityPress,didappearinalarger

printingthanherearlierworks,whichisabout2,700copies.Theneweditionis

scheduledtoappearinMay.

56.AccordingtoRaeArmantrout,.

A.her10thbookismuchbetter

B.herwinningthePulitzerisunexpected

C.themediaissurprisedatherworks

D.shelikesbeingrecognizedbyherreaders

57.WhichofthefollowingistrueofRaeArmantrout?

A.Shepublishedapoetrytextbook.

B.Sheusedtoteach.

B.ItismainlyabouttheADeniseLevertov.

C.Shestartedapoets'groupwithothers.

D.ShetaughtcreativewritingatUCBerkeley.

58.Whatcanwelearnabout"Versed”?

A.Itconsistsofthreepartsmericanarmy.

C.Itisabookpublishedtwodecadesago.

D.Itpartlyconcernsthepoet'sownlife.

59.RaeArmantrout9scolleaguesthinkthatshe.

A.shouldwritemoreB.hasasweetvoice

C.deservestheprizeD.isastrangeprofessor

60.Whatcanwelearnfromthetext?

A.About2,700copiesof"Versed"willbeprinted.

B.CancermadeArmantroutstopwriting.

C.ArmantroutgotherdegreesatUCSD.

D.”Versed”hasbeenawardedtwice.

PassageTwo

Batteriescanpoweranythingfromsmallsensorstolargesystems,ffhile

scientistsarefindingwaystomakethemsmallerbutevenmorepowerful,problems

canarisewhenthesebatteriesaremuchlargerandheavierthanthedevices

themselves.UniversityofMissouri(MU)researchersaredevelopinganuclearenergy

sourcethatissmaller,lighterandmoreefficient.

“Toprovideenoughpower,weneedcertainmethodswithhighenergydensity(密

度)“，saidJaeKwon,assistantprofessorofelectricalandcomputerengineering

atMU."Theradioisotope（放射性同位素）batterycanprovidepowerdensitythatis

muchhigherthanchemicalbatteries.”

Kwonandhisresearchteamhavebeenworkingonbuildingasmallnuclearbattery,

presentlythesizeandthicknessofapenny,intendedtopowervariousmicro/

nanoe1ectromechanrealsystems（M/NEMS）.Althoughnuclearbatteriescancause

concerns,Kwonsaidtheyaresafe.

“Peopleheartheword'nuclear'andthinkofsomethingverydangerous,“

hesaid,However,nuclearpowersourceshavealreadybeensafelypoweringavariety

ofdevices,suchaspace-makers,spacesatellitesandunderwatersystems.”

Hisnewideaisnotonlyinthebattery*ssize,butalsoinitssemiconductor（半

导体）.Kwon'sbatteryusesaliquidsemiconductorratherthanasolidsemiconductor.

“Thekeypartofusingaradioactivebatteryisthatwhenyouharvesttheenergy,

partoftheradiationenergycandamagethelatticestructure（晶体结构）ofthesolid

semiconductor,”Kwonsaid,“Byusingaliquidsemiconductor,webelievewecan

minimizethatproblem.”

TogetherwithJ.DavidRobertson,chemistryprofessorandassociatedirector

oftheMUResearchReactor,Kwonisworkingtobuildandtestthebattery.Inthe

future,theyhopetoincreasethebattery?spower,shrinkitssizeandtrywith

variousothermaterials.Kwonsaidthatbatterycouldbethinnerthanthethickness

ofhumanhair.

61.WhichofthefollowingistrueofJaeKwon?

A.HeteacheschemistryatMU.

B.Hedevelopedachemicalbattery.

C.Heisworkingonanuclearenergysource.

D.Hemadeabreakthroughincomputerengineering.

62.JaeKwongaveexamplesinParagraph4.

A.toshowchemicalbatteriesarewidelyapplied.

B.tointroducenuclearbatteriescanbesafelyused.

C.todescribeanuc1ear-poweredsystem.

D.tointroducevariousenergysources.

63.Liquidsemiconductorisusedto.

A.getridoftheradioactivewaste

B.testthepowerofnuclearbatteries.

C.decreasethesizeofnuclearbatteries

D.reducethedamagetolatticestructure.

64.AccordingtoJaeKwon,hisnuclearbattery.

A.usesasolidsemiconductor

B.willsoonreplacethepresentones.

C.couldbeextremelythin

D.haspassedthefinaltest.

65.Thetextismostprobablya.

A.sciencenewsreportB.bookreview

C.newspaperadD.sciencefictionstory

第二套模拟题答案解析

PassageOne

56.解析：细节理解题。根据文章第二段的叙述可知，Armantrout对于自己获得普利策奖是

很惊讶的，所以B项对的。

答案:B

57.解析：细节理解题。根据文章第三段中的SheisafoundingmemberofLanguagePoets,

agroupinAmericanpoetry可知C项对的。

答案:C

58.解析：细节理解题。根据文章中的Thesecondhalflooksatthedarkforcescasting

ashadowoverherownlifeafterArmantroutwasdiagnosedwithcancerin2023.

可知D项对的。

答案:D

59.解析：细节理解题。根据文章中的倒数第二段可知C项对的。

答案:C

60.解析：归纳判断题。根据文章中的wonthe2023PulitzerPrizeinthepoetrycategory

forhermostrecentbook,“Versed”.以及InMarch,shewontheNationalBookCritics

CircleAwardfor"Versed.”可知D项对的。

答案:D

PassageTwo

61.解析：细节理解题。根据第三段的叙述可知Kwon在研究一种原子能电池，所以C项对

的。

答案:C

62.解析：细节理解题。根据文章第四段可知Kwon举例的目的是为了说明原子能电池是安

全的，所以B项对的。

答案:B

63.解析：细节理解题。根据Byusingaliquidsemiconductor,webelievewecanminimize

thatproblem可知D项对的。

答案:D

64.解析：细节理解题。根据Kwonsaidthatbatterycouldbethinnerthanthethickness

ofhumanhair可知C项对的。

答案:C

65.解析：推理判断题。本文讲述了Kwon的原子能电池的有关情况，文章体裁应属于科普

文章，所以A项对的。

答案:A

第三套模拟题英语阅读

WELC0M

WelcometoWindsorCastle,theoldestandlargestoccupiedcastleintheworld.

Windsorisoneoftheofficialresidences（住所）oftheQueen,whosometimesstays

here.

Audiotours

FreeaudiotoursareavailableonleavingtheAdmissionCentreatthestartofyour

visit.Thereisadescriptiveaudiotourforblindandpoor-sightedvisitors.

Guidedtours

VisitorscanexplorethehistoryoftheCastlethroughatourofthePrecinctswith

anexpertguide.Toursdepartatregularintervalsthroughoutthedayfromthe

CourtyardandfinishattheentrancetotheStateApartments.

Visitorswithchildren

Forthosevisitingwithchildren,aspecialfamilytourandvariousactivitiesare

offeredduringschoolholidaysandatweekends.Pleasenotethat,forsafelyreasons,

pushchairsarenotpermittedintheStateApartments.

Shopping

ShopsofferawiderangeofsouvenirsdesignedfortheRoyalCollection,including

books,postcards,china,jewellery,andchildren,stoys.PleaseaskattheMiddle

Wardshopaboutourhomedeliveryservice.

Refreshments

BottledwatercanbepurchasedfromtheCourtyardandMiddleWardshops.FormApril

toSeptembericecreamisalsoavailable.VisitorswishingtoleavetheCastlefor

refreshmentsinthetownmayobtainre-entrypermitsfromthecastleshops.Eating

anddrinkingarenotpermittedintheStateApartmentsorStGeorge'sChapel.

Photographyandmobilephones

Non-commercialphotographyandfilmingarewelcomedintheCastle.Photography,

videorecordingandfilmingarenotpermittedinsidetheStateApartmentsorSt

George*sChapelinconsiderationofothervisitors.

Security

56.Avisitorcanapplyforafreeaudiotour.

A.intheCourtyardB.intheStateApartments

C.attheAdmissionCenterD.atStGeorge'sChapel

57.Whatisspeciallyofferedtovisitorswithkids?

A.Asecurityguard.B.Apushchair.C.Afreetoy.D.Ababycarrier.

58.Whocangetre-entrypermits?

A.VisitorswishingtoeatoutsidetheCastle.

B.Visitorsbuyinggiftsinthecastleshops.

C.VisitorsbuyingwaterfromtheCourtyard.

D.VisitorseatingoutsideStGeorgesChapel.

59.Whyarevisitorsrequiredtoturnofftheirmobilephones?

A.Toensurethesafetyofothers.

B.ToensurethesecurityoftheCastle.

C.Topreventthemfromdisturbingothers.

D.Topreventtheuseofthebuilt-incameras.

60.Inthelastpart,a"workingroyalpalacewreferstoone___.

A.stillbeingconstructed

B.stillusedbytheroyalfamily

C.wheretheQueenusuallyworks

D.whereworksofartareonshow

PassageTwo

Whyplaygames?Becausetheyarefun,andalotmorebesides.Followingthe

rules***planningyournextmove...actingasateammember，-theseareall"game"

ideasthatyouwillcomeacrossthroughoutyourlife.

Thinkaboutsomeofthegamesyouplayedasayoungchild,suchasrope-jumping

andhide-and-seek.Suchgamesareentertainingandfun.Butperhapsmoreimportantly,

theytranslatelifeintoexcitingdramasthatteachchildrensomeofthebasicrules

theywillbeexpectedtofollowtherestoftheirlives,suchastakingturnsand

cooperating（合作）.

Manychildren'sgameshaveapracticalsideChildrenaroundtheworldplay

gamesthatpreparethemforworktheywilldoasgrown-ups.Forinstance,someSaudi

Arabianchildrenplayagamecalledbones.Whichsharpensthehand-eyecoordination

（协调）neededinhunting.

Manysportsencouragenationalorlocalpride.Themostfamousgamesofall,

theOlympicGames,bringathletesfromaroundtheworldtogethertotakepartin

friendlycompetition.Peoplewhowatchtheeventwaveflags,knowingthatagold

medalisawinforanentirecountry,notjusttheathletewhoearnedit.For

countriesexperiencingnaturaldisastersorwar,anOlympicwincanmeansomuch.

Sportsarealsoaneventthatunitespeople.Socceristhemostpopularsport

intheworld.Peopleonallcontinentsplayit-someforfunandsomeforaliving.

NicoletteIribarne,aCaliforniansoccerplayer,hasdiscoveredawaytospread

hopethroughsoccer.Hecreatedafoundationtoprovidepoorchildrenwithnotonly

soccerballsbutalsoapromisingfuture.

Nexttimeyouplayyourfavoritegameorsport,thinkaboutwhyyouenjoyit,

whatskillsareneeded,andwhethertheseskillswillhelpyouinotheraspects

ofyourlife.

61.Throughplayinghide-and-seek,childrenareexpectedtolearnto,

A.beateamleaderB.obeythebasicrules

C.actasagrown-upD.predictpossibledanger

62.TheunderlinedpartinParagraph2mostprobablymeansthatgamescan.

A.describelifeinanexcitingway

B.turnreal-lifeexperiencesintoaplay

C.makelearninglifeskillsmoreinteresting

D.changepeople'sviewsofsportingevents

63.Accordingtothepassage,whyiswinningOlympicmedalssoencouraging?

A.Itinspirespeople'sdeeploveforthecountry.

B.Itprovestheexceptionalskillsofthewinners.

C.Ithelpsthecountryoutofnaturaldisasters.

D.Itearnsthewinnersfameandfortune.

64.Iribarne,sgoalofformingthefoundationisto.

A.bringfuntopoorkids

B.providesoccerballsforchildren

C.givepoorkidsachanceforabetterlife

D.appealtosoccerplayerstohelppoorkids

65.Whatcanbeinferredfromthepassage?

A.Gamedbenefitpeoplealltheirlives.

B.Sportscangetallathletestogether.

C.Peopleareadvisedtoplaygamesforfun.

D.Sportsincreaseacountryscompetitiveness.

第三套模拟题答案解析

PassageOne

56.C.细节理解题。在Audiotours标题下直接找到theAdmissionCentero

57.D.细节理解题。在visitorswithbabies标题下有babycarriersareavailableto

borrow.

58.A.细节理解题。在Refreshments标题下有Visitorswishingtoleavethecastlefor

refreshmentsinthetownmayobtainthere-entrypermitsfromthecastleshops.

59.C.细节理解题。在Photographyandmobilephones标题下有Mobilephonesmustbe

switchedoff…inconsiderationofothervisitors.

60.B.词义猜测题。根据第一部分中的句子Windsorisoneoftheofficialresidences

oftheQueen,whosometimesstaysthere.可以猜测B项对的，C项是不对的的，由于该

项只是Queenusuallyworkso

PassageTwo

61.B.细节理解题。根据第一段中Followingtherules…planningyournext

move...actingasateammember-**theseareall"game"ideasthatyouwillcome

acrossthroughoutyourlife,可知B项对的。

62.C.词义猜测题。这部分前面的谓语动词是translate有“翻译，解释，转移，调动”

的意思，该部分后面有一个定语从句，前后结合就可以理解这部分的意思了。

63.A.细节理解题。根据第四段中的Peoplewhowatchtheeventwaveflags,knowing

thatagoldmedalisawinforanentirecountry,notjusttheathletewhoearned

it.可知A项对的。

64.C.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中Hecreatedafoundationtoprovidepoorchildren

withnotonlysoccerballsbutalsoapromisingfuture.可推出C项是对的的。

65.A.推理判断题。整段分析做游戏的好处，不仅儿童、成人也可以玩游戏。由此可以推

断有些对人终身有益。

第四套模拟题英语阅读

Inthekitchenofmymother,shousestherehasalwaysbeenawoodenstand

（木架）withasmallnotepad（记事本）andaholeforapencil.

I'mlookingforpaperonwhichtonotedownthenameofabookIamrecommending

tomymother.Overfortyyearssincemyearliestmemoriesofthekitchenpadand

pencil,fivehouseslater,thecurrentpaperandpencillookthesameastheyalways

did.Surelyitcan'tbethesamepencil?Thepadismoremodern,butthewooden

standisdefinitelytheoriginalone.

'Tmjustamazedyoustillhavethesamestandforholdingthepadandpencil

afteralltheseyear."Isaytoher,walkingbackintotheliving-roomwithasheet

ofpaperandthepencil."Youstilluseapencil.Can,tyouaffordapen?”

Mymotherrepliesalittlesharply."Itworksperfectlywell.I9vealways

keptthestandinthekitchen.IneverknewwhenImightwanttonotedownanidea,

andIwasalwaysinthekitcheninthesedays.”

ImmediatelyIcanpictureher,hairwild,bluehousecoatcoveredinflour,a

woodenspooninonehand,thepencilintheother,hermouthmovingsilently.My

mothersmilesandsays,“OnedayIwascookingandwatchingbabyPauline,andI

hadabrilliantthought,butthestandwasempty.Oneofthechildrenmusthave

takenthepaper.SoIjustpickedupthebreadboardandwroteitalldownonthe

back.Itturnedouttobearealbreakthroughforsolvingthemathematicalproble