Question

A young man wandered through the desert for forty days until he reached a beautiful castle at the top of a mountain. There lived the sage(圣人) that he was looking for.

With considerable patience, the sage listened attentively to the reason for the boy’s visit, but told him that at that moment he did not have time to explain to him the secret of happiness.

He suggested that the young man take a walk around his palace and come back in two hours’ time. “However, I want to ask you a favor,” he added, banding the boy a teaspoon, in which he poured two drops of oil. “While you walk, carry this spoon and don’t let the oil spill.”

The young man began to climb up and down the palace staircases, always keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. At the end of two hours he returned to the presence of the wise man.

“So,” asked the sage, “did you see the Persian tapestries(挂毯)hanging in my dining room? Did you see the fantastic garden that the Master of Gardeners spent ten years in creating?”

Embarrassed, the young man admitted that he had seen nothing.

“So, go back and see the wonders of my world,” said the wise man. “You can’t trust a man if you don’t know his house.”

Now more at ease, the young man took the spoon and wandered again through the palace, this time paying attention to all the works of art that hung from the ceilings and walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around the palace, and the delicacy of the flowers. Returning to the sage, he reported in detail what he had seen.

“But where are the two drops of oil that I entrusted to you?” asked the Sage.

Looking down at the spoon, the young man realized that he had spilled the oil.

“Well, that is the only advice I have to give you,” said the sage. “The secret of happiness lies in looking at all the wonders of the world and never forgetting the two drops of oil in the spoon.”

1.What was the intention of the young man to travel to look for the sage?

A. To appreciate the most beautiful scenery along the way.

B. To experience adventures of the outside world.

C. To learn the secret of happiness from the wisest man.

D. To figure out whether the sage was knowledgeable or not.

2.Which of the following statements is wrong?

A. The sage listened to the young man with patience.

B. The young man made it as the sage had expected.

C. During his second round of wandering, the young man appreciated the wonders of the castle.

D. The young man was too concerned about the oil when he first went around the castle.

3.Why did the sage ask the young man to go around his castle with a spoon of two drops of oil?

A. Because he wanted to find out whether the young man was perseverant(坚持不懈的)in accomplishing his goals.

B. Because he intended to let the young man know that happiness came at a price.

C. Because he wanted to help the young man to uncover the secret of happiness in an indirect way.

D. Because he wanted to let the young man trust him.

4.What can we learn from the story?

A. Real happiness consists in enjoying our rights and meanwhile fulfilling our duties.

B. We can’t trust a man unless we get familiar with his house.

C. The search for the secret of happiness demands our devotion.

D. It’s not easy to keep balance between enjoyment and commitment.

Answer

1. C

2. B

3. C

4. A

【解析】

本文是一篇哲理性短文，年轻人询问圣人幸福的秘密，圣人先让他端着两滴油游览宫殿，年轻人只专注于油而忘记了风景。圣人让年轻人多关注风景，年轻人忘记了所端的油。圣人以此让年轻人理解幸福存在于发现生活中的美同时还不要忘记自己的责任。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段“With considerable patience, the sage listened attentively to the reason for the boy’s visit, but told him that at that moment he did not have time to explain to him the secret of happiness.”可知年轻人来找圣人是为了寻找幸福的秘密的，故C项正确。

2.推理判断题。根据文章第五六段“So,” asked the sage, “did you see the Persian tapestries(挂毯)hanging in my dining room? Did you see the fantastic garden that the Master of Gardeners spent ten years in creating?” Embarrassed, the young man admitted that he had seen nothing.”可知当圣人问他是否看到宫殿周围美丽的景色时，他很尴尬。说明他并没有达到圣人对他的期待。故B项说法是错误的，符合本题要求。所以选择B项。

3.推理判断题。圣人让年轻人端着两滴油四处参观的目地是让他理解幸福存在于发现生活中的美同时还不要忘记自己的责任。他想通过这种间接的方法让年轻人知道幸福的秘密，故C项正确。

4.主旨大意题。本文是一篇哲理性短文，年轻人询问圣人幸福的秘密，圣人先让他端着两滴油游览宫殿，年轻人只专注于油而忘记了风景。圣人让年轻人多关注风景，年轻人忘记了所端的油。圣人以此让年轻人理解幸福存在于发现生活中的美同时还不要忘记自己的责任。故A项正确。