When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was expensive. One of my father’s friends, Bernie, was a rich businessman, who owned a large store in St. Paul.

Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s place. We’ d sit on the edge of the dock（码头）, feet dangling（摇晃）, and got ready for a big meal.

Bernie would take his knife, cut our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, sweetest, most seed-free part—and throw away the rest.

Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that it was not Bernie’s wealth itself but his way of dealing with it that my father liked. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.

What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and enjoy life’s small pleasure, your work is probably hurting your life.

For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.

Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the success of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.

 

1. We learned from the second paragraph that the writer and his father were feeling ______.

  A. relaxed            B. worried          C. hungry           D. proud

2.How did the writer and his father eat the watermelon?

  A. They ate it in a polite way.               B. They only ate its best part.

  C. They ate every part of it.             D. They shared only one piece.

3. In the eyes of the writer’s father, Bernie ______.

  A. was just a rich businessman                B. worked hard all the time

  C. lived a rich but healthy life              D. knew how to make money

4.The underlined part “the heart of the watermelon” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

  A. the best part of the watermelon            B. the writer’s busy life

  C. the writer’s decision of making money      D. the writer’s hope of enjoying life

5.It can be learned from the passage that ______.

  A. one has to work hard to reach his goal     B. a friend in need is a friend in deed

  C. watermelon is the healthiest fruit         D. one should keep work-life balance

 

When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was expensive. One of my father’s friends, Bernie, was a rich businessman, who owned a large store in St. Paul.
Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s place. We’ d sit on the edge of the dock（码头）, feet dangling（摇晃）, and got ready for a big meal.
Bernie would take his knife, cut our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, sweetest, most seed-free part—and throw away the rest.
Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that it was not Bernie’s wealth itself but his way of dealing with it that my father liked. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.
What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and enjoy life’s small pleasure, your work is probably hurting your life.
For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.
Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the success of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.
【小题1】 We learned from the second paragraph that the writer and his father were feeling ______.

A．relaxed

B．worried

C．hungry

D．proud

【小题2】How did the writer and his father eat the watermelon?

A．They ate it in a polite way.	B．They only ate its best part.
C．They ate every part of it.	D．They shared only one piece.

【小题3】 In the eyes of the writer’s father, Bernie ______.

A．was just a rich businessman	B．worked hard all the time
C．lived a rich but healthy life	D．knew how to make money

【小题4】The underlined part “the heart of the watermelon” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

A．the best part of the watermelon	B．the writer’s busy life
C．the writer’s decision of making money	D．the writer’s hope of enjoying life

【小题5】It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A．one has to work hard to reach his goal	B．a friend in need is a friend in deed
C．watermelon is the healthiest fruit	D．one should keep work-life balance

An Englishman was showing a foreign visitor around London. "What's that strange building?" asked the visitor. "That's the Tower of London." "I see. How long did it take to build it?” “About 500 years." "In my country we can build it in five months." said the visitor. A short time after that, they come to St. Paul's Cathedral (大教堂)."Very interesting, "said the visitor, "How long did it take to build it?  Nearly forty years." said the Englishman. "In my country we can finish it in forty days." said the visitor. This went on all day. They visited most of the best known buildings in the city. Every time they saw a new one, the visitor asked what it was and how long it took to build it. Then he said that they could do the same things much faster in his country. At last the Englishman got angry with the visitor though he tried not to show it. A few days later they came to the House of Parliament(议会大厦) and the visitor asked his usual question. "What's that?” The Englishman answered, "I've no idea. It wasn't there last night."
【小题1】The Englishman showed the foreign visitor around____________.

A．the Tower of London

B．St. Paul's Cathedral

C．some famous buildings in London

D．the whole city of London

【小题2】The visitor said that in his country it would take them ____________to build St. Paul's Cathedral.

A．less than half a year

B．more than a month

C．five hundred years

D．forty years

【小题3】The Englishman was very angry by the end of the day, but he______________

A．tried not to let the visitor know it

B．tried not to show the visitor around the city

C．had no time to tell the visitor

D．didn't want to say anything

【小题4】The Englishman's last answer showed he______________.

A．was sorry that he hadn't seen the building before

B．could say nothing because he didn't know anything about it

C．was not happy and decided to give him a surprising answer

D．didn't know how to tell the visitor the name of the building

【小题5】The best title (标题) for this passage is_______________.

A．English history

B．Around London

C．What's that strange building?

D．How long did it take to build it?

When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was expensive. One of my father’s friends, Bernie, was a rich businessman, who owned a large store in St. Paul.
Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s place. We’d sit on the edge of the dock（码头）, feet dangling（摇晃）, and got ready for a big meal.
Bernie would take his knife, cut our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, sweetest, most seed-free part—and throw away the rest.
Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that it was not Bernie’s wealth itself but his way of dealing with it that my father liked. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.
What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and enjoy life’s small pleasure, your work is probably hurting your life.
For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.
Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the success of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.
【小题1】 We learned from the second paragraph that the writer and his father were feeling ______.

A．relaxed

B．worried

C．hungry

D．proud

【小题2】How did the writer and his father eat the watermelon?

A．They ate it in a polite way.	B．They only ate its best part.
C．They ate every part of it.	D．They shared only one piece.

【小题3】 In the eyes of the writer’s father, Bernie ______.

A．was just a rich businessman	B．worked hard all the time
C．lived a rich but healthy life	D．knew how to make money

【小题4】The underlined part “the heart of the watermelon” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

A．the best part of the watermelon	B．the writer’s busy life
C．the writer’s decision of making money	D．the writer’s hope of enjoying life

【小题5】It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A．one has to work hard to reach his goal	B．a friend in need is a friend in deed
C．watermelon is the healthiest fruit	D．one should keep work-life balance

An Englishman was showing a foreign visitor around London. "What's that strange building?" asked the visitor. "That's the Tower of London." "I see. How long did it take to build it?” “About 500 years." "In my country we can build it in five months." said the visitor. A short time after that, they come to St. Paul's Cathedral (大教堂)."Very interesting, "said the visitor, "How long did it take to build it?  Nearly forty years." said the Englishman. "In my country we can finish it in forty days." said the visitor. This went on all day. They visited most of the best known buildings in the city. Every time they saw a new one, the visitor asked what it was and how long it took to build it. Then he said that they could do the same things much faster in his country. At last the Englishman got angry with the visitor though he tried not to show it. A few days later they came to the House of Parliament(议会大厦) and the visitor asked his usual question. "What's that?” The Englishman answered, "I've no idea. It wasn't there last night."

1.The Englishman showed the foreign visitor around____________.

A．the Tower of London

B．St. Paul's Cathedral

C．some famous buildings in London

D．the whole city of London

2.The visitor said that in his country it would take them ____________to build St. Paul's Cathedral.

A．less than half a year

B．more than a month

C．five hundred years

D．forty years

3.The Englishman was very angry by the end of the day, but he______________

A．tried not to let the visitor know it

B．tried not to show the visitor around the city

C．had no time to tell the visitor

D．didn't want to say anything

4.The Englishman's last answer showed he______________.

A．was sorry that he hadn't seen the building before

B．could say nothing because he didn't know anything about it

C．was not happy and decided to give him a surprising answer

D．didn't know how to tell the visitor the name of the building

5.The best title (标题) for this passage is_______________.

A．English history

B．Around London

C．What's that strange building?

D．How long did it take to build it?