I first heard this story a few years ago from a girl. Probably the story is one of those mysterious bits of folklore that reappear every few years. However, I still like to think that it really did happen, somewhere, sometime.
They were going to Fort Lauderdale-- three boys and three girls -- and when they boarded the bus, they were carrying sandwiches and wine, dreaming of golden beaches and sea tides as the gray, cold spring of New York vanished behind them.
As the bus passed through New Jersey, they began to notice Vingo. He sat in front of them, dressed in a plain ill-fitting suit, never moving, his dusty face masking his age. He kept chewing the inside of his lip a lot, frozen into plete silence.
Deep into the night, the bus pulled into Howard Johnson's, and everybody got off except Vingo. He sat rooted in his seat, and the young people began to wonder about him: perhaps he was a sea captain, a runaway from his wife, an old soldier going home. When they went back to the bus, one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself.
¨We're going to Florida, she said brightly. “I hear it's really beautiful.
It is, he said quietly, as if remembering something he had tried to forget.
“Want some wine? she said. He thanked her and retreated again into his silence. After a while, she went back to the others, and Vingo nodded in sleep.
In the morning, they awoke outside another Howard Johnson's, and this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join them. He seemed very shy, and ordered black coffee and smoked nervously as the young people chattered about sleeping on beaches. When they returned to the bus, the girl sat with Vingo again, and after a while, slowly and painfully, he began to tell his story. He had been in jail in New York for the past four years, and now he was going home.
¨Are you married?
“I don't know.
“You don’t know? she said.
“Well, when I was in jail I wrote to my wife, he said. ¨‘I told her that I was going to be away a long time, and that if she couldn't stand it, if the kids kept asking questions, she could just forget me. I'd understand. Get a new guy, I said - she's a wonderful woman – and forget about me. I told her she didn't have to write me. And she didn't. Not for three and a half years.
And you're going home now, not knowing?
Yeah, he said shyly. ‘‘Last week, when I was sure the parole was ing through, I wrote her again. There's a big oak tree just as you e into town, I told her that if she didn't have a new guy and if she'd take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and I'd get off and e home. If she didn't want me, forget it - no handkerchief, and I'd go on through.
Wow, the girl exclaimed. Wow.
She told the others, and soon all of them were in it, caught up in the approach of Brunswick, looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of his wife and three children.
Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took over window seats, waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face, as if fortifying himself against still another disappointment.
Then Brunswick was 10 miles, and then five. Then, suddenly, all of the young people were up out of their seats, screaming and shouting and crying. All except Vingo. Vingo sat there stunned, looking at the oak tree. It was covered with yellow handkerchiefs —20 of them, 30 of them, maybe hundreds. As the young people shouted, the old con slowly rose from his seat and made his way to the front of the bus to go home.
【小题1】According to the passage, which statement is TRUE?A．The young people are travelling from Florida to New York. B．Vingo was put in prison ten years ago, and now he was set free to go home. C．The young people around Vingo were quite curious about his silence. D．At last, Vingo went home together with the three boys and three girls.【小题2】From the underlined sentences in Para 3, we can infer that . A．Vingo was nervous because he didn't know whether his wife would accept him. B．Vingo was very disappointed because his wife didn't answer his letter. C．Vingo was very shy because he knew someone was watching him. D．Vingo was excited because he could go home and meet his wife and children.【小题3】The underlined word fortify in the passage has the same meaning as that in Sentence .
A. The French soldiers are working hard to fortify airbase.
B. The food has been fortified with Vitamin C.
C. People in the whole city were fortified by the moving story about their hero.
D. We had to drink some more coffee to fortify ourselves for the journey.
【小题4】Which word do you think can best describe Vingo's wife?A．humorous B．loyalC．generousD．hard-working【小题5】After reading the whole story, we can probably make a conclusion that . A．Young people are always curious about everything new around them. B．Home is always the first place a person wants to go. C．Don’t laugh at a person who has no home. D．It is impolite to ask questions about one's privacy that he or she doesn't want to tell.【小题6】What's the best title for the passage?A．A story of a poor manB．The power of loveC．Help from strangersD．Going homeC
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(答案→)C
解析：文章主要讲述了一个刚出狱的男子，在回家的路上的心理变化，当离家越来越近的时候，他反而不敢往窗外看，因为害怕面对可能失去妻子孩子的现实，当看到满树的黄手帕时，Vingo心中的石头落了地，他安心的往家走去。
【小题1】根据“cold spring of New York vanished behind them...We're going to Florida”可知，A项错误；根据“He had been in jail in New York for the past four years,”可知，B项错误；根据“the old con slowly rose from his seat and made his way to the front of the bus to go home”可知，只有Vingo自己下车回家了，品尝D；根据“and soon all of them were in it, caught up in the approach of Brunswick, looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of his wife and three children.”可知，大家对Vingo都很好奇。故选C。
【小题2】划线部分是对Vingo的外貌的描写，Vingo衣衫不整，脸上的灰尘掩盖他真实的年龄，他不停地咬着嘴唇，完全陷入寂静中。根据“if she'd take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and I'd get off and e home. If she didn't want me, forget it - no handkerchief, and I'd go on through.”可知，Vingo不确定妻子是否在等他，因此，他很焦急。故选A。
【小题3】“Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face, as if fortifying himself against still another disappointment.”Vingo停止看窗外，神色紧张，似乎在加强自我保护，不要再次面对失望。fortify在这里是“加强，强化”的意思。A“加固防御工事”；B添加；C强化；D“补充体力”。故选C。
【小题4】根据“yellow handkerchiefs —20 of them, 30 of them, maybe hundreds”可知，Vingo的妻子一直在等他回来，表现出了对爱情、对丈夫的忠诚。故选B。
【小题5】根据“He had been in jail in New York for the past four years, and now he was going home. ...made his way to the front of the bus to go home”可知，Vingo出狱后想到的第一件事就是回家，当看到橡树上挂满了黄色手帕时，他的内心一定很兴奋。家是一个人的避风港，无论走到哪里，心中永远都装着对家的思念。A太绝对，C、D与题无关。故选B。
【小题6】归纳文章标题。文章主要讲述了一个刚出狱的男子，归心似箭，在车上表现出了异常的紧张和寂静。从入狱时给家里写的信，到出狱时对家的牵挂，都能看出，Vingo很看重他的家和家人。Vingo的回家，与其他几个孩子的出行形成鲜明的对比。故选D。