Question

    In the fall of 1988, I visited many Buddhist temples, but after a while they all began to fade from my memories. However, there was one temple that left a great impression in my heart.

It is called the Temple of the Golden Buddha. After walking around it and taking some photos, I walked over to a glass case, next to which was a typewritten page describing the history of this magnificent piece of art.

Back in 1957 a group of monks from a monastery(修道院) had to relocate a clay Buddha from their temple to a new location. The monastery was to be relocated to make room for the development of a highway. When the crane(吊车)began to lift it, the weight of was so large that it began to crack. What’s more, rain began to fall, The head monk decided to lower the statue back to the ground and cover it with a large oilcloth to protect it from the rain.

Later that evening the head monk went to check on the Buddha. He shined his flash- light under the oilcloth to see if the Buddha was staying dry. As the light reached the crack, he noticed a little beam shining back and thought it strange. As he took a closer look at this beam of light, he wondered if there might be something underneath the clay. He went to fetch a chisel and hammer from the monastery and began to chip away at the clay. As he knocked off pieces of clay, the little beam grew brighter and bigger. Many hours of labor went by before the monk stood face to face with the extraordinary solid-gold Buddha.

Historians believe that several hundred years before the head monk’s discovery, the army was about to invade the country. The monks, realizing that their country would soon be attacked, covered their precious golden Buddha with an outer covering of clay in order to keep their treasure from being robbed by the enemy.

Unfortunately, it appears that the enemy killed all the monks, and the well-kept secret of the golden Buddha remained uncovered until the day in 1957.

As I flew home I began to think to myself, “We are all like the clay Buddha covered with a shell of hardness created out of fear, and yet underneath each of us is a ‘golden Buddha’, agolden Christ, or a ‘golden spirit,’ which is our real self. Somewhere along the way, between the ages of two and nine, we begin to cover up our’ golden spirit,’ our natural self. Much like the monk with the hammer and the chisel, our task now is to discover our true spirit once again.”

1.What made the monks cover the Buddha with a large oilcloth?

A.Hiding it from being stolen.

B.Protecting it from the rain.

C.Protecting it from being damaged.

D.Avoiding being seen.

2.Why was the author greatly impressed by the golden Buddha?

A.Because he likes it very much.

B.Because it differs from others.

C.Because of its history.

D.Because of the protection of the monk.

3.What might be the best title of the passage?

A.Visiting Buddhist Temples

B.The Golden Buddha

C.Protecting Their Country

D.Relocating the Buddha

4.What advice is given to us according to the passage?

A.Covering up ourselves.

B.Finding the truth.

C.Discovering our true spirit.

D.Building up our belief.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.C

【解析】

本文是一片夹叙夹议文。作者通过讲述Temple of the Golden Buddha中金佛不同寻常的历史，说明我们都像被一层坚硬的外壳覆盖着的泥佛，要发现自己真正的金色。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段最后The head monk decided to lower the statue back to the ground and cover it with a large oilcloth to protect it from the rain.可知修道士们在Buddha上盖上一块大油布是为了保护佛像不受雨淋，故选B.

2.细节理解题。根据第二段I walked over to a glass case, next to which was a typewritten page describing the history of this magnificent piece of art.及下文的具体介绍可知，这个金佛给作者留下深刻印象是因为他的不寻常的历史，故选C.

3.主旨大意题。作者通过讲述Temple of the Golden Buddha中金佛由于被保护涂上一层粘土，经雨淋露出本来面目不同寻常的历史，说明我们都像被一层坚硬的外壳覆盖着的泥佛，要发现自己真正的金色。The Golden Buddha贯穿全文，适合作为标题。故选B.

4.细节理解题。根据文章最后our task now is to discover our true spirit once again可知作者建议我们要发现自己真正的精神，故选C.