I met him first in 1936. I rushed into his ugly little shop to have the heels of my shoes repaired. I waited when he did it. He greeted me with a cheerful smile. “You’re new in this neighborbood, aren’t you?”
I said I was. I had moved into a house at the end of the street only a week before.
“This is a fine neighborhood,” he said. “You’ll be happy here.” He looked at the leather covering the heel sadly. It was worn through because I had failed to have the repair done a month before. I grew impatient, for I was rushing to meet a friend. “Please hurry,” I begged.
He looked at me over his spectacles. “Now, lady, we won’t be long. I want to do a good job. You see, I have a tradition to live up to.”
A tradition? In this ugly little shop that was no different from so many other shoe repair shops on the side streets of New York?
He must have felt my surprise, for he smiled as he went on. “Yes, lady, I inherited a tradition. My father and my grandfather were shoemakers in Italy, and they were the best. My father always told me, ‘Son, do the best job on every shoe that comes into the shop, and be proud of your fine work. Do that always, and you’ll have both happiness and money enough to live on.’”
As he handed me the finished shoes, he said: “These will last a long time. I’ve used good leather.”
I left in a hurry. But I had a warm and grateful feeling. On my way home I passed the little shop again. There he was, still working. He saw me, and to my surprise he waved and smiled. This was the beginning of our friendship. It was a friendship that came to mean more and more to me as time passed.
Every day I passed his shop, we waved to each other in friendly greeting. At first I went in only when I had repair work to be done. Then I found myself going in every few days just to talk with him.
He was the happiest man I’ve ever known. Often, as he stood in his shopwindow, working at a pair of shoes, he sang in a high, clear Italian voice. The Italians in our neighborhood called him la luce alla finestra—“the light in the window”.
One day I was disappointed and angry because of poor jobs some painters had done for me. I went into his shop for comfort. He let me go on talking angrily about the poor work and carelessness of present-day workmen. “They had no pride in their work,” I said. “They just wanted to collect their money for doing nothing.”
He agreed. “There’s a lot of that kind around, but maybe we should not blame them. Maybe their fathers had no pride in their work. That’s hard on a boy. It keeps him from learning something important.” He waited a minute and said “Every man or woman who hasn’t inherited a prideful tradition must start building one.”
“In this country, our freedom lets each of us make his own contribution. We must make it a good contribution. No matter what sort of work a man does, if he gives it his best each day, he’s starting a tradition for his children to live up to. And he is making lots of happiness for himself.”
I went to Europe for a few months. When I returned, there was no “light in the window”. The door was closed. There was a little sign: “Call for shoes at shop next door.” I learned the old man had suddenly got sick and died two weeks before
I went away with a heavy heart. I would miss him. But he had left me something—an important piece of wisdom I shall always remember: “If you inherited a prideful tradition, you must carry it on; if you haven’t, start building one now.”
1.The shoemaker looked sadly at the shoes because __________
A. they were of poor quality.
B. he didn’t have the right kind of leather
C. he thought they were too worn to be repaired
D. the author hadn’t taken good care of them.
2.The author was surprised when she heard that the shop had a tradition because the shop ________.
A. looked no different from other shoe repair shops
B. had a light in the window
C. was at the end of a street
D. was quite an ugly and dirty one
3.What does the underlined word “inherit” mean in paragraph 6 mean?
A. develop B. receive C. learn D. appreciate
4.The author later frequently went into the little shop __________.
A. to repair her worn shoes
B. only to chat with the shoemaker
C. to look at the new shoes there
D. only to get comfort from the shoemaker
5.Why was the shoemaker called “the light in the window” by his neighbors?
A. Because he always worked late at night.
B. Because he always put a light in the window.
C. Because he was always guiding the others.
D. Because he was always happy and cheerful.
6.What’s the best title of this passage?
A. A Proud Shoemaker B. A Prideful Tradition
C. The Light in the Window D. Treasure Your Shoes
Mom was right! If you say thank you, for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness, you’ll feel happy.
Gratitude, says Robert A. Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, is an important element of happiness. In his recent book, Thanks!, Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom’s point.
As one of the leading scholars of the positive psychology movement, he admits gratitude may be difficult to express. He advises you to begin by admitting that life is good and full of events and elements that make daily existence a wonder. Second, recognize that the source of life’s goodness is more than just you. That source may be your mom, a friend, partner, child, colleague at work or play.
Gratitude is always other-directed, notes Emmons. You can be pleased or angry with yourself and feel guilty about doing something wrong, but you can never be grateful to or for yourself.
Expressing gratitude shouldn’t be a reaction; it should be a state of mind. To feel grateful when life is a breeze and you have more than you need is easy. To feel grateful in time of crisis—anger, hatred and bitterness—is easier. Also, too many people are aware of life’s blessings only after these are lost.
It’s crisis and chaos—danger, disease, disability and death—that bring many individuals to realize just how dependent they are on others. Yet it’s the way each of us begins life and ends it. It’s too bad that so many people waste those decades in between laboring under the illusion(幻觉) they are self-sufficient, says Emmons.
The abundance of voices expressing gratitude from his studies of individuals with chronic health problems is many. But Emmons goes beyond his “groundbreaking” science to make his case for gratitude by including the inspirational writings of philosophers, novelists and saints, as well as the beliefs of various religious and their respective scripture(经文). Taken together, these observations are summed up quite nicely by famous humanist Albert Schweitzer, who said the secret of life is “giving thanks for everything”.
To enable and embrace gratitude, Emmons encourages the readers of Thanks! to keep a gratitude diary. He even provides easy-to-follow directions on how to practise and develop gratitude.
I’m not a reader or advocate of self-help books, but I am thankful for the reference I found in a newspaper article to the research Emmons was conducting on gratitude involving organ donors and recipients. The chance discovery led me to this book.
Mom implied that kindness seems to find its way back to the giver because life really is all about giving, receiving and repaying. So I’ll pay attention to her professional advice and say: Thank you, professor Emmons.
1.. What is the text mainly discussed?
A. There are many ways of being thankful.
B. Gratitude is important to happiness.
C. Mom is great for her being thankful.
D. Being thankful will keep you fit.
2.. The author mentions Robert A. Emmons’ book Thanks! in order to prove that __________.
A. Professor Emmons supports mom’s study on psychology.
B. mom is as great a psychologist as Professor Emmons.
C. Professor Emmons is a famous psychologist.
D. mom is right about her viewpoint on gratitude.
3.. It will be easier for you to feel grateful when___________.
A. you live a comfortable life
B. you receive gifts on your birthday
C. you get help during your hard times
D. you are congratulated on your success
4. What is the opinion of Professor Emmons?
A. It is enough to thank others orally
B. Whether you are thankful is always up to you
C. Remember to be thankful anytime and anywhere
D. It is easier to be thankful for yourself than for others.
5. In the writer’s opinion, Emmon’s book Thanks! On gratitude is________.
A. one-side B. reasonable C. puzzling D. helpful
Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let’s see if I can name a few proverbs “off the cuff” since I haven’t prepared for it.
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English expressions with “pants” |
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People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies. We sometimes say that people who are restless or nervous have “ants in their pants.” They might also “fly by the seat of their pants” -- they use their natural sense to do something instead of their learned knowledge. Sometimes, people may “get caught with their pants down” -- they are found doing something they should not be doing. And, in every family, one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say “she wears the pants in the family.” |
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When people want to say something about money |
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Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can “burn a hole in your pocket.” Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants. If you have less money than usual, you may have to “tighten your belt” -- you may have to live on less money and spend your money carefully. But once you have succeeded in budgeting your money, you will have that skill “under your belt.” I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. I really “take my hat off to them.” Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it “at the drop of a hat” -- immediately, without waiting. And sadly, you cannot “pull money out of a hat” -- you cannot get money by inventing or imagining it. |
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English expressions with “shoes” |
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Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are “too big for their boots” think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people. I really do. You can bet your boots on that! Yet, truly important people are hard to replace. Rarely can you “fill their shoes” -- or replace them with someone equally effective. |
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English expressions with “shirt” |
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My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is too firm and severe. They think he is a real “stuffed shirt.” But I know that my father “wears his heart on his sleeve” -- he shows his feelings openly. And, he knows how to “keep his shirt on” -- he stays calm and never gets angry or too excited. |
1.. What is this passage mainly about?
A. How to say English correctly and properly.
B. Why English expressions include words about clothes.
C. Which words can be used to describe my father.
D. What people mean when they use some proverbs.
2.. Which of the following proverbs are not related to money?
A. tighten one’s belt B. burn a hole in one’s pocket
C. get caught with their pants down D. take one’s hat off to them
3.. Tim often considers himself the most important person in the world, which is far from the truth. We may say __________.
A. he is “too big for their boots”. B. he “bet his boots on that”.
C. he “fill their shoes”. D. he “wears his heart on his sleeve”.
4. If you want to praise somebody for his calmness when facing danger, you may say__________.
A. “You really fill your shoes.”
B. “Awesome! You wear your heart on your sleeve!”
C. “Amazing! How can you keep your shirt on at that time!”
D. “Cool! You are truly a stuffed shirt”.
I believe in leaving work at five o’clock. In a nation with such a strict work ethic(道德规范) , this is considered strange. Working only 40 hours a week? I just don’t know many people who punch out (打卡下班) at five o’clock anymore.
My father tried to teach me the importance of hard work, long hours and devotion to a career. But then there are the things he taught me unintentionally, like when he arrived home from work for the last time and crawled up the stairs.
My father, a self-employed sales trainer, was that sick, that tired. His body was wracked with liver cancer, and he suffered the effects of a diabetic ulcer（糖尿病）. Despite all this, he insisted on traveling a long way to give a lecture. He probably earned a lot of money that day, but he paid the price. He returned to the hospital soon afterwards and was dead within three months, aged just 58.
It’s been 10 years since I saw my father come home that night and since then, I’ve thought a lot about work. I’ve decided something: I will never crawl up the stairs exhausted. As much as I love my job as a newspaper reporter, I will never work myself into the ground, physically or emotionally. Not taking my work home didn’t come easily to me at first. After all, I am my father’s daughter. In college, I was the girl who sat on the library steps each morning, waiting for the doors to open. I even dreamt about schoolwork.
My dad once told me he was unable to just gaze at a sunset; he had to be doing something as he looked at it—writing, reading, playing chess. You could say he was a success: He was a published author, an accomplished musician, fluent in many languages. That’s an impressive list, but the thing is I want to gaze at sunsets. I don’t want to meet a deadline during them or be writing a column at the same time, or glance at them over the top of a book.
This raises the question: If I leave work at five o’ clock to watch the sunset, what are the consequences? Do I risk not reaching the top of my profession? Maybe, because honestly, knocking off after eight hours probably won’t earn me the best promotion. But hey, leaving work at five o’ clock means I eat dinner with my family. I get to hop on my bike and cycle through the streets of my hometown when there is no traffic.
And I get to take in a lot of sunsets. That’s got to be worth something.
1.Which of the following about the author’s father is true?
A. He set a good example to his daughter.
B. He tried to force his values on his daughter.
C. He gained much pleasure from his work.
D. He achieved great success at the expense of his health.
2.What does the author mean by saying “Not taking my work home did not come easily at first” in Paragraph 4?
A. There was so much work to do.
B. All her colleagues took work home.
C. She was educated to be a workaholic.
D. She wanted a promotion in her work.
3.What’s the author’s attitude toward promotion?
A. She doesn’t care about it at all.
B. She is eager to get promoted
C. She thinks it’s for the ambitious people
D. Getting promoted at all costs is not worthwhile
4. This text is developed________.
A. by giving examples B. by making comparisons
C. by describing process D. by order of time
5. What does the writer intend to tell us?
A. To praise his father’s diligence
B. To ask us to take time off work to enjoy life
C. To complain about the strict work ethic
D. To stress the importance of hard work
On a trip to California, my family stopped for lunch. As we walked toward the entrance to the restaurant, a man, with a beard and dirty hair, jumped up from a bench outside the restaurant and opened the door for us．Regardless of his , he greeted us in a friendly way.
Once inside, my daughters whispered, "Mom, he . " After we ordered our lunch, I explained, telling the kids to look the dirt. We then watched other customers approach the restaurant but many him. Seeing this rudeness truly upset me. The day I became a mother, I had determined to set a good to my children. Yet sometimes when things didn't go right, being a good example was . When our meal arrived, I realized I had left the car-sick pills in the truck．With the windiest trip ahead, the kids needed them, so I myself from the meal and went to get them.
Just then, the "doorman" was opening the door for a couple. They rushed past him without even acknowledging his . Letting them in first, I said a loud "thank you" to him as I .
When I returned, we talked a bit. He said he was not allowed inside he purchased food. I went back and told my family his .Then I asked our waitress to add one soup and sandwich.
The kids looked as we had already eaten, but when I said the order was for the "doorman", they smiled. When it was time to our trip, I found the "doorman" enjoying his meal. Upon seeing me, he stood up and thanked me heartily. He then out his hand for a handshake and I gratefully accepted. I suddenly the tears in his eyes—tears of gratitude. What happened next drew great astonishment: I gave the " doorman" a . He pulled away, with tears down his face.
Back in truck, I fell into deep thought．While we can't choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude．I said thanks to a man who had held open a door for me, and also said thanks for that to teach my children by example.
1.A．messy B．clean C．pretty D．bright
2.A．service B．state C．appearance D．attitude
3.A．smokes B．smells C．sighs D．smiles
4.A．around B．over C．beyond D．into
5.A．ignored B．hated C．missed D．refused
6.A．target B．rule C．record D．example
7.A．stressful B．accessible C．awkward D．tough
8.A．excused B．refreshed C．prevented D．forgave
9.A．company B．presence C．challenge D．attack
10.A．quitted B．marched C．exited D．approached
11.A．before B．unless C．though D．since
12.A．story B．deed C．desire D．demand
13.A．concerned B．puzzled C．excited D．bored
14.A．make B．start C．continue D．take
15.A．waved B．washed C．raised D．reached
16.A．watched B．inspected C．witnessed D．noticed
17.A．hug B．nod C．lift D．strike
18.A．slipping B．rushing C．rolling D．breaking
19.A．firmly B．simply C．constantly D．politely
20.A．journey B. wisdom C. community D．opportunity
–Can you speed it up a little? I’ll be late for my flight.
--______.I’m taking a shout cut . We’ll make it on time.
A. Go a head B. I can’t agree more C. Take it easy D. I have no idea.
