D

I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my adult-education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-year-old daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said, “Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”

This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, eat, rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to the doctors; one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip, but neither helped. He said, “My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter.” The tension of grief(悲伤) — if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪) by sorrow, you know what the meant.

“But thank God, I had one child left — a four-year-old son. He gave me the solution to the problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked, ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent fellow! I had to gave in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.”

“The following night, I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly, I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am busy now that I have no time for worry.”

No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said, “I am too busy. I have no time for worry.”

53. The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to _____.

A. having lost a loved one	B. having lost a valuable article
C. having lost a profit-making business	D. having lost a well-paid job

54. Marion felt his body as if it was caught in a vice because _____.

A. he couldn’t earn enough money to support his family

B. he was suffering from sleeplessness disease

C. he couldn’t get out of mental pressure

D. he felt tired of adult-education classes

55. Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because _____.

    A. he hadn’t been able to spare time to mend them

    B. he wanted to kill his free time by repairing them

    C. the items had actually been broken and needed attention

    D. repairing the items helped crowd worry out of his mind

56. At the end of the passage, the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to _____.

    A. prove that he followed Churchill’s example

    B. support his student’s solution to his problem

    C. show that he was successful in his career

    D. make it clear how his conclusion was reached

It was a cold night in December. Two beggars were sitting on a busy street corner in the downtown section of the city. The cold wind made them huddle (挤) together for heat and comfort. They watched helplessly as scores of people walked by, some ignoring them on purpose and others too caught up in their own cares to even notice their existence. Every so often, a kind-hearted woman or a small child would drop a few coins in the hats which lay in front of them on the icy sidewalk. Some people, feeling particularly generous, would even pull out a bill or two from their wallets and drop them into the beggars’ hats and then continued their walking.

Today was not a bad day for begging. The men were able to collect enough for a good meal at the coffee shop down the street and a few candles to light up their shelter in the alley (胡同) behind the train station. As the crowd began to die down, they started to pack up their bundles and head for their evening shelter.

Just as they were getting ready to leave the street corner, they noticed a man walking toward them. He was obviously a wealthy man — they could tell that from the finely tailored business suit he was wearing and the gold watch chain adorned (装饰) his left pocket.

The first beggar looked at the second and whispered with excitement, “He’s coming our way!

The two tried not to look directly at the man as he stepped closer to them, but they couldn’t help staring at him as he reached into his pocket and took something out.

“Thunk” was the only sound they heard as what looked like a piece of hard candy, wrapped carefully in tissue paper hit each of their waiting hats. The rich man turned and continued on his way, not making a backward glance.

“How insulting!” said the first beggar, as soon as the rich man was out of sight. “He could have easily left us a few coins or a spare bill, but he played a joke on us with a piece of rock candy.”

He looked at the wrapped offering with disgust. “Who does he think we are — children? There’s no way we can even eat this — we have no teeth.”

The beggar picked up the object with the very tips of his fingers and threw it into the gutter (排水沟). He watched as it floated a few yards in the stream of muddy water and disappeared into the gutter at the end of the street. Then, he gathered up his things and walked away.

The second beggar looked down at the morsel in his hat, then at his departing friend. His first thought was to toss the donation in the trash can under the street light. But his second thought made him change his mind.

“I haven’t had anything like this for ages,” he thought. “I can’t chew it, but I can suck on it for a while, and the sweet juice will stay in my mouth for a long time. How nice of that man to offer me something so sweet!”

He opened the paper eagerly, then paused as his hands touched the inside. “Maybe I should save it for another time,” he thought. “It won’t spoil, and I could eat it later when I’m really hungry.”

The beggar paused for a moment, then he said aloud, “He wanted me to have it anyway. I might as well enjoy it now.”

With that, he unfolded the paper, but to his surprise, there was no hard rock candy inside. Instead, into his fingers fell a shiny white pearl worth thousands of dollars.

55. The first paragraph serves as a(n) ______.

A. explanation 　　　　B. introduction 　　C. background 　　 D. comment

56. The two beggars started to leave the street corner when ____.

A. darkness fell 　　　　　　　　 B. few people passed by

C. they felt too cold 　　　　　　　D. the wind began to blow hard.

57. The two beggars thought the man was rich from _____.

A. his appearance 　　　　　　　B. his way of walking

C. the jewellery he wore 　　　　　D. the shiny shoes

58. What did the first beggar think of the rich man?

A. He looked down upon the poor. 　B. He was very kind and warm-hearted

C. He treated them as children D. He was too mean.

59. The underlined words “the morsel in his hat” probably refer to ______.

A. the donation from the rich man

B. the coins the second beggar collected

C. the rock candy the rich man gave the second beggar

D. the food the second beggar left over

60. What can we learn from the story?

A. Every dog has its day.

B. Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.

C. He who laughs last laughs best.

D. He that can have patience can have what he will.

I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my calsses. (I have not used his real name for personal reasons. As he requested.) But here is his real story as he told it before one of our adult – education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-old daughter, a child he adored. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said:“Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”

This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to doctors; one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip. He tried both, but neither helped. He said:“My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter.” The tension of grief(悲伤)——if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪)by sorrow, you know what he meant.

But thank God, I had one child left ——a four —year— old son. He gave me the solution to my problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked; ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent little fellow! I had to give in.

 Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.

The following night, I went from room to room in the house, making a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired: bookcase, stair steps, storm windows, window-shades, locks, leaky taps. Amazing as it seems, in the course of two weeks I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention.

“During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am busy now that I have no time for worry.”

No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said :“I am too busy. I have no time for worry.”

The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to          .

A.having lost a loved one                                         B.having lost a valuable article

C.having lost a profit-making business                D.having lost a well-paid job

Marion felt his body as if it was caught in a vice because             .

A.he couldn’t earn enough money to support his family

B.he was suffering from sleeplessness disease

C.he couldn’t get out of mental pressure

D.he felt tired of adult-education classes

Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because           .

A.he hadn’t been able to spare time to mend them

B.he wanted to kill his free time by repairing them

C.the items had actually been broken and needed attention

D.repairing the items helped crowd worry out of his mind

At the end of the passage, the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to         .

A.prove that he followed Churchill’s example

B.support his student’s solution to his problem

C.show that he was successful in his career

D.clarify how his conclusion was reached

I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my adult-education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-year-old daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said, “Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”

This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, eat, rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to the doctors: one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip, but neither helped. He said, “My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter.” The tension of grief(悲伤) --- if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪) by sorrow, you know what the meant.

“But thank God, I had one child left --- a four-year-old son. He gave me the solution to the problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked, ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent fellow! I had to give in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.”

“The following night, I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly, I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am so busy now that I have no time for worry.”

No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said, “I am too busy. I have no time for worry.”

The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to _________.

A. having lost a loved one	B. having lost a valuable article
C. having lost a profit-making business	D. having lost a well-paid job

Marion felt his body as if it was caught in a vice because _________.

A. he couldn’t earn enough money to support his family

B. he was suffering from sleeplessness disease

C. he couldn’t get out of mental pressure

D. he felt tired of adult-education classes

Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because _________.

A. he hadn’t been able to spare time to mend them

B. he wanted to kill his free time by repairing them

C. the items had actually been broken and needed attention

D. repairing the items helped crowd worry out of his mind

At the end of the passage, the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to ________.

A. prove that he followed Churchill’s example

B. support his student’s solution to his problem

C. show that he was successful in his career

D. make it clear how his conclusion was reached

I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my adult-education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-year-old daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said, “Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”

This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, eat, rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to the doctors: one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip, but neither helped. He said, “My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter.” The tension of grief(悲伤) --- if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪) by sorrow, you know what the meant.

“But thank God, I had one child left --- a four-year-old son. He gave me the solution to the problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked, ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent fellow! I had to give in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.”

“The following night, I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly, I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am so busy now that I have no time for worry.”

No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said, “I am too busy. I have no time for worry.”

The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to _________.

A. having lost a loved one	B. having lost a valuable article
C. having lost a profit-making business	D. having lost a well-paid job

Marion felt his body as if it was caught in a vice because _________.

A. he couldn’t earn enough money to support his family

B. he was suffering from sleeplessness disease

C. he couldn’t get out of mental pressure

D. he felt tired of adult-education classes

Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because _________.

A. he hadn’t been able to spare time to mend them

B. he wanted to kill his free time by repairing them

C. the items had actually been broken and needed attention

D. repairing the items helped crowd worry out of his mind

At the end of the passage, the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to ________.

A. prove that he followed Churchill’s example

B. support his student’s solution to his problem

C. show that he was successful in his career

D. make it clear how his conclusion was reached