Question

    I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention. Finally, the driver, a man about 60, looked up from behind the wheel and apologized, “I'm sorry, but I was reading a letter.” He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough.

Since I was in no hurry, I told him to finish his letter. He shook his head, explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart. Curious, I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild.“This isn't family，” he replied, “though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family. Old Ed and I grew up together.”

They were always friends. But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago, it'd generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them. A couple of weeks ago, Ed died. “I should have kept in touch.” He repeated this, more to himself than to me. To comfort him, I said sometimes we just didn't seem to find the time. “But we used to find the time，” he said. “Take a look.” He handed the letter over to me.

The first sentence “I've been meaning to write for some time, but I've always delayed it.” reminded me of myself. It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together. When I read the part where it said“Your friendship really means a lot to me, more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that”， I found myself nodding in agreement.

We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph：“So I thought you'd like to know that I was thinking of you.” And it was ended with “Your Old Friend, Tom.”

“I thought your friend's name was Ed，” I said.

“I'm Tom，” he explained. “It's a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he'd died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner.” His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away, I had to write a letter and post it.

1.Who wrote the letter?

A.Tom.

B.Old Ed.

C.The author.

D.The driver's grandchild.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that the driver regretted ________.

A.missing Ed's funeral

B.moving away from his neighborhood

C.forgetting to send Ed Christmas cards

D.not being able to keep in touch with Ed

3.From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author of the passage ________.

A.often failed to write to his friends

B.had no intention to write to his friends

C.had many great moments with his friends

D.was good at expressing feelings to his friends

4.What message does the passage probably try to convey?

A.Comfort your friends when they are feeling down.

B.Life is unpredictable, so live each day as if it were your last.

C.Remember to always mail your letters after expressing your words.

D.Always make time to value and experience your lasting friendships.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.A

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。作者坐车看到出租车司机看信，是写给朋友去没有寄出的信，朋友已经去世，虽然看了好几遍，但是司机随身携带。这篇短文告诉我们要珍惜友谊。

1.细节理解题。由第五段尾句And it was ended with "Your Old Friend，Tom．"可知，信的结尾是爱你的汤姆。所以信是汤姆写的。故选A。

2.推理判断题。由第三段 I should have kept in touch． 我本应该保持联系的，由此推断出作者很后悔没有早点寄出信，和Ed保持联系，故选D。

3.推理判断题。由第四段句首I’ve been meaning to write for some time，but I’ve always delayed it．” reminded me of myself.可知，我一直打算写信但是我一直推迟"，这使我想起了我自己，尤此判断出作者也经常这样，未能给自己的朋友写信。故选A。

4.推理判断题。通读全文尤其是第四段I've been meaning to write for some time, but I've always delayed it.” reminded me of myself. It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together. When I read the part where it said“ Your friendship really means a lot to me, more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that， I found myself nodding in agreement.可知，我一直想写点东西，但总是推迟。让我想起了自己。信中还说，他常常想起他们在一起的美好时光。当我读到“你的友谊对我来说真的很重要，比我所表达的还要重要，因为我不擅长说那样的话。”我自己点头表示同意。所以好友Ed去世，Tom反复念一封未寄出的信，深深后悔好友生前未能及时联系，未能珍惜友谊。作有同感。故判断出短文想要表达要留出时间珍惜友谊，不给自己留遗憾。故选D。