Question

I took the bus to work for many years. No one knew each other; the passengers all sat there sleepily in the morning. The bus was cheerless and silent.

One of the passengers was a small gray-haired man who took the bus to the center for senior citizens every morning. No one ever paid very much attention to him.

One July morning he said good morning to the driver and smiled. The driver nodded guardedly(戒备地). The rest of us were silent.

The next day, the old man boarded with a big smile and said in a loud voice: “A very good morning to you all!” Some of us looked up, amazed, and murmured “Good Morning” in reply.

The following weeks, our friend was dressed in a nice old suit and tie. His thin hair had been carefully combed. He said good morning to us every day and we gradually began to nod and talk to each other.

One morning he even had a bunch of wild flowers in his hand. The driver turned around smiling and asked: “Have you got yourself a girlfriend, Charlie?” We never got to know if his name really was “Charlie”, but he nodded shyly and said yes. The other passengers whistled and clapped at him. Charlie waved the flowers before he sat down on his seat.

Every morning after that Charlie always brought flowers. Some passengers also brought flowers for him. The bus became a happy place.

Then, one morning, as autumn was closing in, Charlie wasn’t waiting at his usual stop. When he wasn’t there the next day and the day after that, we started wondering if he was sick or—hopefully – on holiday somewhere.

When we came nearer to the center for senior citizens, one of the passengers asked the driver to wait. We all held our breaths when he went to the door.

The old gentle man was fine, but one of his close friends had died over the weekend. How silent we were the rest of the way to work.

The next Monday Charlie was waiting at the stop, stooping (弯腰) a bit more, a little bit more gray, and without a tie. Inside the bus was silent. Even though no one had talked about it, all of us sat there silently, our eyes filled with tears and a bunch of wild flowers in our hands.

1. From the passage, we can infer that             .

A. people always cared about each other on the bus

B. people were unhappy and sleepy on the bus because they were tired

C. smiles can shorten the distance between people

D. people are not good at communicating in the country

2. What are we sure about the old man?

A. His name was Charlie.

B. He worked at the center for senior citizens.

C. He got sick over the weekend.

D. He was in great sorrow when we saw him the next Monday.

3.Which of the following is not true?

A. The atmosphere on the bus was cheerful and lively at first.

B. People were surprised at the old man’s first greeting.

C. People were worried about the old man’s absence.

D. People on the bus at last shared happiness and sorrow together.

4.Which would be the best title for the passage？

A. How to Shorten the Distance between People

B. Smiles Make a Bus Feel Like Home

C. Charlie, A Smiling Gentle Man

D. The Key to Friendship — Communication

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析: 本文讲述的是微笑是如何让乘巴士的人有了家的感觉的。

1.C 细节理解题。本文讲述公交车有一个小个子老头，在七月的一个早晨对司机说，早上好，并对车厢的人报以微笑，第二天又这样做，接下来几周，一直这样做，大家开始开玩笑，聊天，拉近了彼此的距离，故C项正确。

2.D 推断题。根据倒数第二段提到The old gentle man was fine, but one of his close friends had died over the weekend. How silent we were the rest of the way to work他的一个朋友去世了，他情绪低落，故选D项。

3.A推断题。根据第五段提到The following weeks, our friend was dressed in a nice old suit and tie. His thin hair had been carefully combed. He said good morning to us every day and we gradually began to nod and talk to each other接下来的几周内，这个老头一直都打招呼，我们逐渐地开始点头，交谈，故选A项。

4.B 主旨标题。本文讲述一个老头与司机打招呼，对车厢内的报以微笑，一直这样做，大家开始聊天，接近了彼此的距离，微笑是如何让乘巴士的人有了家的感觉的，故选B项。