My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?"
"You bet," I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging(刺痛) and my hands shaking with the confusion of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn’t want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn’t go on like this.” “It’s up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind."
小题1:The house the writer’s family lived in was ________.
A．the best they could afford
B．right for their social position
C．for showing off
D．rather small小题2:His father sold his Roils-Royce because ________.
A．it made him feel uneasy
B．it was too old to work well
C．it was too expensive to possess
D．it was too cheap小题3:The writer’s father enjoyed being different as long as ________.
A．it drew attention to him
B．it didn’t bring him in arguments
C．it was understood as a joke
D．there was no danger of his showing off小题4: What was the writer’s reaction to the idea of going to Eton?
A．He was very unhappy.
B．He didn’t believe it.
C．He was delighted.
D．He had mixed feelings.小题5:What was the writer’s reaction to the idea of going to boarding-school?
A．He was very unhappy,
B．He had mixed feelings.
C．He was delighted,
D．He didn't believe it.
