Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into action. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register(收款机) with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash(现金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.    

Icouldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.

Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Charge it to me,” was all he said.

What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.

1. The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits ______.

2.Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?

3. The writer acted upon the store rules because ______.

4.What does the writer learn from his experience?

You Are Going Places

       One day I came home from school, changed my clothes and got ready for work．I work at a local restaurant in town as a cashier, seater and waiter．

       I went to work feeling  31   . And to make matters worse, I was busy that evening．It' s the same thing over and over again． 32  with customers who complain about their food and where they are  33  is too big or too small．Little things like that tend to  34  a lot of us  35  but we manage to deal with it．

       Three elderly ladies walked in and sat by the windows．It happened to be the very  36  near where I keep the dirty  37  in the boxes．Trying to keep up with all the dirty tables, customers leaving and coming in and  38  running all over the house, it was crazy． 39  these elderly women were watching  40  I was working to make sure every table was clean and ready for the next customers．

       When they  41  their meals, I took their plates back to the kitchen．They talked to me for a while about school, how I was doing, what  42  I was in and what I planned to do in the future．

       43  they were leaving, they walked past me and one of them said to me in a  44  and gentle voice,"You are going places．And that was it．They left the  45  and I had tears in my eyes, because they gave me  46 to believe in myself．They  47  my spirit from being down and gave me a  48  to keep on working hard．

       People used to tell me that Icouldn t have a career in  49  until I had a degree．I'm now a co-anchor （联合主持人）ofa student-produced television  50  . And the best thing is: I'm only 17 years old and I am a senior in high school．

31．A．tired                       B．excited                    C．up                          D．down

32．A．Dealing                   B．Helping                   C．Talking                   D．Meeting

33．A．sat                         B．seated                     C．laid                         D．seating

34．A．attract                    B．avoid                      C．adjust                     D．annoy

35．A．employees               B．customers               C．boss                       D．employers

36．A．table                       B．box                        C．spot                       D．kitchen

37．A．dishes                     B．rooms                     C．clothes                   D．chairs

38．A．men                       B．women                   C．servers                   D．people

39．A．And                        B．Otherwise               C．But                         D．So

40．A．what                      B．how                       C．where                     D．why

41．A．finished．               B．completed               C．ordered                   D．got

42．A．place                      B．grade                      C．mark                      D．position

43．A．Before                    B．While                      C．As                          D．After

44．A．confident                B．loud                        C．low                        D．pleasant

45．A．kitchen                   B．house                     C．restaurant               D．table

46．A．ability                     B．courage                  C．imagination             D．time

47．A．put down                B．picked up                C．took over                D．pointed out

48．A．cause                     B．reason                    C．present                   D．permission

49．A．television                B．government             C．school                    D．restaurant

50．A．company                B．station                    C．show                      D．advertisement