A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C.Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended.In a natural reflex (反应), I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her.I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar.But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money.I just need help finding the post office.”
In an instant, I realized what I had done.I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be.I hated what I saw in myself.This incident re-awakened my belief in humility(谦恭), even though I’d lost it for a moment.
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant.I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S.at the age of 15.I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother.Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer.
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice (偏见).I remember a time, at age 17 ----- I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me.I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better.
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going.That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness.She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open.By the way, I helped that lady to the post office.And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson.
1.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that __________ .
A.the author regretted his act of prejudice
B.the blind woman needed the money badly
C.the author was as poor as the blind woman
D.the author was a native American
2.According to Paragraph 4, hearing the father’s words, the author was probably _____ .
A.rather hurt B.very excited C.deeply moved D.greatly inspired
3.According to the passage, the author probably agrees that one should ________ .
A.be nice to the elderly and the disabled
B.try to experience different kinds of life
C.treat others equally with love and respect
D.think about one’s past as often as possible
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Learn from your past
B.How my dream comes true
C.A belief that will never change
D.A priceless lesson in the street
通读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后在各题所给的A,B,C,D四个选项中,选出一个最佳答案。
I was in the queue for the supermarket checkout(付款台) earlier today.All of the checkouts were 1, and the woman behind me was not happy! Every word that came from her mouth was a(n) 2! She wasn’t happy with the number of checkouts 3; she wasn’t happy with the amount of shopping some people had in their baskets; she wasn’t happy because this supermarket didn’t have a stand where she 4scan her own shopping.
I listened to her 5looking around as I loaded my stuff onto the conveyor belt (传送带).I didn’t want 6to do with that kind of attitude, and if ever I’d felt like letting someone go 7of me, it wouldn’t be such a woman!
But then I 8back.Standing beside the woman was a five-year-old girl, 9her granddaughter.The girl’s part of the shopping 10of some comic books.
I couldn’t 11it.I pushed my shopping back to the end of the conveyor belt, 12a space.“After you,” I said to the woman and the girl, and 13them to a big 14.The woman was delighted, and even 15to complain ---- until she was walking away.
So, 16bother having helped? It was because that little girl was probably taking in her granny’s complaint like a sponge(海绵).She was learning how to 17situations like that by listening to her granny.I’d seen that I could interrupt that complaining, and put a smile and some 18into the middle of it.
We can all complain; we can all react 19, but it doesn’t have to be like that.And, even if only for a few 20, I wanted to leave that little soul with just a glimpse of another way.
1.A.busy B.big C.free D.empty
2.A.quarrel B.argument C.praise D.complaint
3.A.opened B.closed C.left D.hired
4.A.would B.need C.could D.must
5.A.beyond B.without C.with D.by
6.A.something B.nothing C.everything D.anything
7.A.ahead B.behind C.beside D.back
8.A.went B.glanced C.focused D.jumped
9.A.merely B.surely C.possibly D.luckily
10.A.contained B.included C.consisted D.made
11.A.think B.help C.believe D.forget
12.A.taking B.leaving C.bringing D.occupying
13.A.returned B.pleased C.treated D.served
14.A.smile B.meal C.joke D.room
15.A.thanked B.paid C.checked D.forgot
16.A.how B.what C.why D.who
17.A.face with B.put with C.deal with D.do with
18.A.truth B.kindness C.courage D.money
19.A.actively B.correctly C.negatively D.patiently
20.A.hours B.chances C.years D.seconds
If only I _____ a few days ago!Then I wouldn’t have been feeling so worried now.
A.looked ahead B.could look ahead
C.were to look ahead D.had looked ahead
_____ money, the man was very rich, but he was not happy at all.
A.In spite of B.In favor of C.In terms of D.In need of
Though _____ of the danger, he still went skating on the thin ice.
A.warning B.to warn C.warn D.warned
In our school students are _____ according to how much they know and how old they are.
A.classified B.combined C.condemned D.betrayed