【2011·辽宁锦州市质检二】A

I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job, credit, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing.

One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart. I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $56. I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount. I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley. I hadn’t been alone for 25 years. I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me.

I found the owner and rented the place for $50 a month. The locals knew nothing about me. But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat. They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing. They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness. Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream, truck parts to see if I needed some. The women on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met. They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe. I learned to keep enough for an extra plate for company.

What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were non-existent in this place．Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors．

After four years in that valley, I moved back into town. I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes. With the help of a real estate broker(房地产经纪人) I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people. It’s four of us now, but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here. We’d all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together.

The American dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about how we can all get by together.

56. Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer ________.

A. had a well-paid job                   B. worked hard for his American dream

C. worked hard and liked to share            D. felt hopeless about his American dream

57. What does the underlined sentence “I learned to．．．” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

A. The writer learned to run a company.

B. The writer learned to share with others.

C. The writer learned to keep enough plates.

D. The writer learned to save money for his company.

58. Why did the writer rent a big house?

A. To make some money.                         B. To show off his wealth.

C. To share with those people in need.        D. To make friends with his neighbors.

59. The writer mainly tells us about ________．

A. his unhappy experiences               B. the friendly people in the valley

C. the change of his living conditions            D. his new idea of the American dream

On Sunday while I was having my own Father’s Day celebration, I thought about my dad a lot. By the time I called to tell him that I loved him, he had already gone to bed. So I wrote the following to show what my dad means to me.

About 28 years ago, my dad was a used car salesman. Every Thursday night, he would head off to Shreveport, LA for the auction（拍卖会）. Most of the time, I drove a car over there for him so he could sell it there.

One day, I was riding with my dad to Shreveport for the auction when he found a hitchhiker（搭车者）with a backpack. As soon as dad saw him, he pulled the car over and offered him a ride. Dad asked him his name and continued to talk to him about all sorts of things. I can’t recall why but he told dad a lot of terrible things that had occurred to him. I sat in the back seat and watched the scene with amazement. I could see that the hitchhiker changed his attitude as he could tell someone who was really listening to him.

We drove another forty-five minutes before we had to exit the interstate（州际公路）. We pulled over and dad told him to keep his head up and things would start looking up for him soon. He reached into his pocket and handed the hitchhiker a twenty-dollar bill and then a the-dollar bill.

We drove on and my dad did not say a single thing. I was still completely amazed by what I just witnessed. I was always told everyone to never pick up a hitchhiker and yet my dad did it every single time he saw one. I’m sure that it made that poor man’s day, probably a month to follow.

While reflecting upon that story, I learned a lot about my dad and life. I learned that if you come from a place of service or compassion, you can change people’s lives. Just one single kind act can change someone’s life. It never occurred to my dad about not stopping to help him.

This is the type of person my dad is. Thank you for setting such high standards for me to follow.

Dad, I love you. Happy Father’s Day!

1．The author and his dad met a hitchhiker（搭车者）_______.

A. when they were just warned not to pick up a stranger

B. on their way to Shreveport to sell a car　

C. on their way to the west for a trip　

D. when their car was running out of gas

2．What do we learn about the hitchhiker from the passage?

A. Something unpleasant occurred to him.　

B. He was going to the auction.

C. At first he didn’t believe in the author. 　

D. It was he who bought the author’s car.

3．How did the author feel about his dad’s behavior at that time?

A. Angry　　　 B. Appreciated　　　 C. Surprised　　 　　　 D. Ashamed

4．What did the author learn from his father?

A. Just a single kind act can make a difference.

B. Try learning to be a good listener.

C. Set high standards for yourself in life.

D. Offering a ride to a stranger is dangerous.