I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “ full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased(已故的)woman said to me, “ If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “ If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today.That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course—keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation—would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens that leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens , especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believe that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him , and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.
1. What is said about the two deceased elderly women?
A. They lived out a natural life.
B. They died of exhaustion after the long plane ride.
C. They weren’t used to the change in weather.
D. They died due to lack of care by family members.
2. The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because ______.
A. he wanted to comfort the two families
B. he was an official from the community
C. he had great pity for the deceased
D. he was minister of the local church
3. People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because _____.
A. they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow
B. they believe that they were responsible
C. they had neglected the natural course of events
D. they didn’t know things often turn in the opposite direction
4. According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that_____.
A. everything in the world is predetermined
B. the world can be explained in different ways
C. there is an explanation for everything in the world
D. we have to be sensible in order to understand the world
5. What’s the idea of the passage?
A. Life and death is an unsolved mystery.
B. Every story should have a happy ending.
C. Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.
D. In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away.
III. Reading Comprehension 40%
Section A 30%
Directions：Read the following four passages. Each passage is followed by several questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
Riding was the favourite activity of Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President of the United States. He usually rode good horses.
One day, he was riding outside Washington, when a jockey (赛马师) came near. He did not know the President, but his professional eye was attracted by Mr. Jefferson’s horse. He stopped and said that he wanted to buy the horse, but Mr. Jefferson politely refused his offer.
The jockey offered more money for the horse, because the closer he looked at the horse, the more he liked it. All of his offers were refused, which made him angry. He then became rude, but his rudeness left as little an impression as his money, for Jefferson had a very good temper. At last, he hit Mr. Jefferson’s horse with his whip, getting it to run suddenly. This would have thrown a less skillful rider to the ground, but Jefferson stayed on his seat, and controlled his horse well.
The jockey then gave up. He rode with Mr. Jefferson side by side and began to talk with him about politics. Jefferson joined in the conversation. When they got into the city and came close to the gate of the presidential mansion (总统府), Mr. Jefferson stopped, and politely invited the man to enter.
The jockey was surprised and asked, “Why? Do you live here?”
“Yes” was the simple reply.
“Why, stranger, what’s your name?”
“My name is Thomas Jefferson.”
Embarrassed, the man quickly left, while the President looked at him with a smile and then rode through the gate.
1. Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Jefferson and the Jockey B. Jefferson’s Interest
C. Be Polite to Everyone D. No Pain, No Gain
2. Which word can best describe the jockey?
A. Professional. B. Skillful. C. Impatient. D. Impolite.
3. The underlined word “embarrassed” can be replaced by “__________”.
A. worried B. pleased C. hurried D. ashamed
4. We can infer from the passage that __________.
A. the jockey had once bought a horse from another stranger
B. Mr. Jefferson was very good at riding a horse
C. Mr. Jefferson would invite the jockey to his own house later
D. the jockey would not talk about this experience to others
5. According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?
A. The President of the US is fond of riding.
B. The jockey managed to buy the horse from Mr. Jefferson.
C. Mr. Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was a man of good manners.
D. All the presidents of the US have expensive horses.
It was___he said___disappointed me.
|
A．what, that |
B．that, that |
C．what, what |
D．that, what |
I was deeply impressed with the man’s willingness ______.
|
A．by chance |
B．to take chance |
C．to take chances |
D．taking chances |
--Where did you put my dictionary after using it this morning?
--I put it back ______ I took it.
|
A．at which |
B．where |
C．there |
D．there where |
The discussion came to life when someone ______ an interesting topic.
|
A．came up |
B．thought out |
C．brought up |
D．brought about |
