高二英语阅读理：清洁工母亲Margaret （带解析）
Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.
She got trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. “I would have liked to go back to it , but the shifts(工作班次)are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school.”
So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m. till 6 a.m. five nights a week for just ￡ 90, before tax and insurance. “It’s better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’ should get a bit extra.”
The hours she’s chosen to work mean that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn’t think that puts any pressure on their relationship.
Her work isn’t physically very hard, but it’s not exactly pleasant, either. “I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they’d be a bit more careful.”
The fact that she’s working all night doesn’t worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. “Since I’ve got to be here, I try to enjoy myself-and I usually do, together with the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags.”
Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living. “They think you’re a cleaner because you don’t know how to read and write,” said Margaret. “I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I’d been doing, but I don’t think that way any more. I don’t dislike the work though I can’t say I’m mad about it.”
24.Margaret quit her job as a nurse because ______ .
A.she wanted to earn more money to support her family
B.she had suffered a lot of mental pressure
C.she needed the right time to look after her children
D.she felt tired of taking care of patients
25.Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because ______ .
A.they never clean their offices B.they look down upon cleaners
C.they never do their work carefully D. they always make a mess in their offices
26.When at work, Margaret feels ______ .
A.light-hearted because of her fellow workers B.happy because the building is fully lit
C.tired because of the heavy workload D.bored because time passes slowly
27.The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret’s parents would _____ .
A.help care for her children B.regret what they had said
C.show sympathy for her D.feel disappointed with her
【考点】人物/故事
【试题解析】本文主要介绍了主人公Margaret为照顾孩子而舍弃自己所热爱的工作，甘愿做一名清洁工。
1.根据第二段中but the shifts(工作班次)are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school可知其为照顾孩子而放弃了自己的工作。故选项C正确。
2.根据第五段“I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs.一句可知Margaret对于工作人员把工作场所搞得一团糟很是生气，可知答案选D。
3.根据第六段中I try to enjoy myself-and I usually do, together with the other girls.We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags可知和同事们一起工作，她感到很是愉快。故答案A正确。
4.根据下划线可知，如果告诉父母她所一直从事的工作，他们一定会很失望。故答案D正确
【答案】24.C 25.D 26.A 27.D
