Question

I'll never forget the day when Mary came into my office and said,I am too old to learn how to use a computer.I shook my head.Here was a woman who had raised 6 children and who had made great progress in her career telling me that she was too old to learn something new.I told her that I always believed people were never too old to learn.

Mary followed my advice and did learn how to use the computer.Now,she is retired and leading a very active life volunteering in her community( 社区 ),using her computer skills and helping anyone that needs help.

When she was in her sixties,one day she called me and said she had played the piano for others all her life,and now she was going to make a CD of her own.My mind flashed back to the day when she told me she was too old to learn.You can imagine my surprise and delight.

To produce the CD,she had a lot of things to learn.It was not just sitting at the piano and playing.She had to research the songs,learn about copyright(版权),and learn about marketing.It was pretty amazing for someone who once said she was too old to learn.And finally she made it. Now she has her own CD-Mixed Blessings.

Most of you probably have heard about some people who have gone back to university in their seventies and have also graduated.They are on their way again to charging themselves with a new skill and a new attitude towards life.The point is you are unable to learn anything at any age if you believe you are too old.On the contrary,you can achieve anything at any age if you believe you can.

1.When Mary said she was too old to learn, the author________.

A. became disappointed with her

B. felt sad and decided to help her

C. did not agree with her

D. thought what she had said was true

2.Why did Mary call the author one day in her sixties?

A. To ask him for some help.

B. To talk about her new CD.

C. To ask him to make a CD.

D. To tell him about her plan.

3.The author thought it________for Mary to make a CD.

A. impossible    B. difficult

C. unnecessary    D. interesting

4.What does the text mainly tell us?

A. We're never too old to learn.

B. We should always learn new skills.

C. Interest is the best teacher.

D. Some people succeed for a reason.

Answer

1. C

2. D

3. B

4. A

【解析】

本文为记叙文。玛丽女士抚养了6个孩子，在她的职业生涯中取得了很大的进步，她告诉作者，她太老了，学不到新东西。作者告诉她，自己一直相信人活到老学到老。玛丽听从了作者的建议，确实学会了如何使用电脑。作者认为——如果你认为自己太老了，那么你在任何年龄都学不到任何东西。相反，如果你相信你能做到，你可以在任何年龄取得任何成就。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中的I shook my head.及I told her that I always believed people were never too old to learn.可知，当玛丽说她太老了不能学习时，作者不同意她的这种观点。故C选项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据When she was in her sixties, one day she called me and said she had played the piano for others all her life, and now she was going to make a CD of her own.可知，玛丽在六十多岁的某一天给作者打电话，是为了告诉他她的计划。故D选项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中的To produce the CD, she had a lot of things to learn. It was not just sitting at the piano and playing可知，作者认为玛丽要制作一张CD，还有很多事情要做，并不是件容易的事情。故B选项正确。

4.推理判断题。根据第一段中的I told her that I always believed people were never too old to learn.及最后一段中的The point is you are unable to learn anything at any age if you believe you are too old. On the contrary, you can achieve anything at any age if you believe you can.可推知，这篇文章主要想告诉我们——我们要活到老学到老。故A选项正确。