Question

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, carrier, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories fleshed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

1.Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

A．College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.

B．Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

C．Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

D．His present busy life washed away his children memories.

2. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.

A．Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

B．Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

C．Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

D．Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

3.Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

A．Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

B．Because he had no children or relatives.

C．Because he thought he had to keep his word.

D．Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

4.Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

A．He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

B．He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

C．He had missed his son and his family for days.

D．He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

5.Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A．The Good Old Times	B．What He Valued Most
C．An Old Gold Watch	D．The Lost Childhood Days

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.A

4.D

5.B

【解析】

记叙文，文章由邻居之死而引出一个不容忽视的社会主题：友情、亲情才是最重要的。

1.考查细节理解能力。从文章首段可知文章主人公Jack整日忙于生计，为实现梦想而无暇顾及家人和朋友，所以B项…busy with his business and family …表述有误，而C项正好与文意相符，故选之。

2.考查细节查寻能力，精读全文可知Mr Belser并未向Jack之母索要e-mail地址，而其他三项文中均已提及。

3.考查细节理解能力，文中倒数第四段Thanks for your time一句正好与选项中的…grateful  for Jack’s  time相吻合，故选A项。

4.考查推理判断能力，由文中可知Belser之死对Jack触动很大，同时也使他开始领悟到：只有亲人、朋友才是生活中最重要的。

5.考查学生对文章主旨大意的把握，文中倒数第三段This is the thing he valued most一句可以说是本文的文眼，是点睛之笔，深化了文章主题，发人深思，所以B项最宜作为文章的标题。