Question

    Modesty(谦逊) is a valuable quality in many cultures around the world. In China, this is no different. However, the phrase “毛遂自荐” seems to disagree with this.

During the Warring States Period, the Qin army marched(进军) on Handan. Seeing that Handan was in danger, Prince Pingyuan sought help from the state of Chu. He wanted to pick 20 talented people to go with him. However, he could only find 19 people who were good enough. Then, a man named Mao Sui volunteered.

Prince Pingyuan looked at Mao Sui with doubt, “How long have you been here with me?”

“Three years,” Mao Sui answered.

“I hear that a person with talent is like an awl(锥子) in a cloth bag. Its sharp point will soon pierce(戳) through the bag. You’ve been here for a long time, but I haven’t seen any of your achievements. Maybe you don’t have any talent.” said Prince Pingyuan.

“What I’m asking you now is to put me into that bag. If you do that, I will pierce through it. But not only the point — the whole awl,” Mao Sui said confidently.

Impressed, Prince Pingyuan allowed Mao to join his team, and Mao proved very helpful. Now the phrase “Mao Sui recommending himself” is used to describe someone who volunteers to do a task.

However, there is a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance(傲慢). It’s important to believe in yourself, but a strong ego can harm your career and professional relationships. So we recommend letting your work speak for itself.

1.Where was Mao Sui from?

A.Qin. B.Chu. C.Handan. D.Pingyuan.

2.What does the phrase “毛遂自荐” mean?

A.Show modesty. B.Feel unconfident.

C.Be professional. D.Volunteering for a task.

3.The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 6 means ________.

A.putting an awl into a bag

B.putting Mao Sui into a bag

C.letting Mao Sui join the team

D.refusing Mao Sui

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Modesty isn’t a valuable quality.

B.Mao Sui was a confident person.

C.Prince Pingyuan didn’t like Mao Sui.

D.The writer thinks we should learn from Mao Sui.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.C

4.B

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，讲述了“毛遂自荐”这个成语故事。

1.

题意：毛遂来自哪里？

推理判断题。根据原文Seeing that Handan was in danger, Prince Pingyuan sought help from the state of Chu和How long have you been here with me?可推断，毛遂是平原君的门客，平原君来自邯郸，故毛遂也是来自邯郸。C选项Handan“邯郸”符合题意，故选C。

2.

题意：“毛遂自荐”是什么意思？

词句猜测题。根据原文Now the phrase “Mao Sui recommending himself” is used to describe someone who volunteers to do a task可知，“毛遂自荐”指的是自愿去完成一项任务的人。D选项Volunteering for a task“自愿接受任务”符合题意，故选D。

3.

题意：第6段画线单词“that”指的是_______。

词句猜测题。根据原文He wanted to pick 20 talented people to go with him和I hear that a person with talent is like an awl(锥子) in a cloth bag. Its sharp point will soon pierce(戳) through the bag. You’ve been here for a long time, but I haven’t seen any of your achievements. Maybe you don’t have any talent可知，此处“that”指的是让毛遂加入说客的队伍。C选项letting Mao Sui join the team“让毛遂加入队伍”符合题意，故选C。

4.

题意：从本文中，我们可以学到什么？

细节理解题。根据原文“What I’m asking you now is to put me into that bag. If you do that, I will pierce through it. But not only the point — the whole awl,” Mao Sui said confidently可知，毛遂是一个很自信的人。B选项Mao Sui was a confident person“毛遂是一个自信的人”符合题意，故选B。