Question

I was driving from Harrisburg to Lewisburg last night, a distance of about eighty miles. It was late. Several times I got stuck behind a slow-moving truck on a narrow road with a solid white line on my left, and I was clinching (紧握) my fists with impatience.

At one point along an open highway, I came to a crossroads with the traffic light. I was alone on the road by now, but as I approached the light, it turned red and I braked to stop. I looked left, right and behind me. Nothing. Not a car, no suggestion of headlights, but there I sat, waiting for' the light to change, the only human being for at least a mile in any direction.

I started wondering why I refused to run the light. I was not afraid of being arrested, because there were obviously no police around, and there certainly would have been no danger in going through it.

Much later that night, the question of why I'd stopped for that light came back to me. I think I stopped because it's part of an agreement we all have with each other. It's not only the law, but it's an agreement we have, and we trust each other to honor it: we don't go through red lights.

It's amazing that we ever trust each other to do the right thing, isn't it? And we do, too. Trust is our first tendency. We have to make a deliberate decision to mistrust someone or to be suspicious or skeptical. Those attitudes don't come naturally to us.

It's a very good thing too, because the whole structure of our society depends on mutual trust, not distrust. This whole thing around us would fall apart if we didn't trust each other most of the time. We do what we say we'll do; we show up when we say we'll show up; we deliver when we say we'll deliver; and we pay when we say we'll pay. We trust each other in these matters, and when we don't do what we've promised, it's far from the normal. It happens often that we don't act in good faith and in a trustworthy manner, but we still consider it unusual, and we're angry or disappointed with those badly-behaved people. Anyway I was so proud of myself for stopping for the red light that night.

1.Why did the author feel impatient while driving?

A. Because he had already driven for a long time.

B. Because it was too far away from his destination.

C. Because something urgent happened in his family.

D. Because he could not overpass a truck on a narrow road.

2.The author stopped at the traffic light because         .

A. there were passers-by crossing the road

B. some policemen were on duty just at that point

C. the trust between people influenced the author

D. there was potential danger

3.What would happen if people didn't trust each other in most cases?

A. A11 the things would run normally.

B. The social system would be thrown into disorder.

C. The social traditions would be abandoned.

D. Strict rules and laws would be made.

4.What is the theme of the passage?

A. Mutual Trust is the best policy.

B. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

C. Actions speak louder than words.

D. Among the blind the one-eyed is the king.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：虽然路上没有车辆没有危险，但作者还是战胜了自己没有闯红灯。这主要是因为受人们之间的信任及由此养成的社会公德的影响。

1.D细节推理题。根据第一段Several times I got stuck behind a slow-moving truck on a narrow road with a solid white line on my left, and I was clinching (紧握) my fists with impatience.可知作者焦躁是因为在窄路上被一辆慢速的货车挡着。故选D.

2.C推理判断题。根据第四段I think I stopped because it's part of an agreement we all have with each other. It's not only the law, but it's an agreement we have, and we trust each other to honor it: we don't go through red lights.及后面内容It's a very good thing too, because the whole structure of our society depends on mutual trust, not distrust.可知作者没闯红灯是因为受人们之间的信任及由此养成的社会公德的影响，故选C.

3.B细节推理题。根据最后一段This whole thing around us would fall apart if we didn't trust each other most of the time.可知如果人们互相不信任，整个社会就会没有规则就会混乱，故选B.

4.主旨大意题。It's a very good thing too, because the whole structure of our society depends on mutual trust, not distrust.可知本文的主题是社会上共同的信任是最好的政策，故选A.

考点：考查社会生活类短文阅读。