The old man walked slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket, patched (打补丁的) trousers, and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd. Unforgettable were his pale blue eyes that sparkled (闪耀) like diamonds, large rosy cheeks, and thin lips held in a steady smile.
With the help of his trusty cane (拐杖), he walked toward a table by the window. A young waitress named Mary watched him and ran over to him, and said, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair.”
Without a word, he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table. Steadying him with one arm, she helped him move in front of the chair, and get comfortably seated. Then she pushed the table up close to him, and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it.
In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss.”
“You are welcome, Sir.” She replied. “My name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment. If you need anything, just wave at me!”
After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary brought him the change, helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir!”
He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile, “You are very kind!”
When Mary went to clean his table, she was surprised. Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin, under which was a $ 100 bill.
The note on the napkin read...
“Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you.”
The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant. This was the first time that she, or any of his employees, had seen him in person.
1. Who helped the old man in the restaurant? (No more than 8 words)2. Please explain the underlined phrase “stand out” in English. (No more than 5 words)
3. How much did the old man leave on the table? (No more than 2 words)
4. Who do you think the old man was? (No more than 10 words)
5. According to the passage, how do you understand the meaning of “Happiness”？ (No more than 20 words)
相似题推荐
【推荐1】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 plan 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 |
| A．To ask him to play the piano. | B．To talk about her education. |
| C．To ask him to make a CD. | D．To tell him about her plan. |
| A．impossible | B．difficult | C．unnecessary | D．interesting |
| 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. |
【推荐2】You’ve heard an old Chinese saying before: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. You may even be nodding your head in agreement right now. However, we can have a different understanding about it.
When a person is starving, that’s not the time to fill their head with knowledge but to first give the person a fish eradicating their hunger and only then teach them to fish. Far too often, people ignore this common sense first step. They see someone who is struggling, and they rush to offer wisdom. “Let me tell you what I’d do in your position,” a well-meaning individual might offer.
But few of us understand the anxiety, confusion and uncertainty that come with overwhelming need. People meeting with personal disasters don’t have the ability to think straight. Their nerves may be shot. Their confidence may be non-existent. Can you imagine what it would be like to be in that person’s situation?
Rushing to offer a struggling person long-term advice is a waste of time. Instead, it makes far more sense to help them regain their emotional balance. Once their ears, heart and mind open, you’ll have an opportunity to teach a new skill.
But how do we know whether a person needs a fish before a fishing lesson? Two things: One is the ability to pay attention. We need to know whether the other person is open and receptive, or looking at the world through narrowed eyes? You can’t just take their words but have to look at how the person acts and what they don’t say. The other is empathy(共情). The more successful you are, the harder it is to imagine what it must be like to be the opposite. Try to create a safe environment for emotional acceptance before the fishing lesson.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To illustrate a concept. | B．To bring in a new viewpoint. |
| C．To introduce the background. | D．To put up an example. |
| A．Getting rid of. | B．Paying attention to. |
| C．Making up for. | D．Putting up with. |
| A．Get them to think straight. | B．Enhance their confidence. |
| C．Satisfy their primary needs. | D．Teach them a new skill. |
| A．Live and learn. | B．Never teach a fish to swim. |
| C．Put yourself in others’ shoes. | D．Don’t teach old dogs new tricks. |
| A．Before fishing, one must have some fish. |
| B．Fishing is not as important as fish. |
| C．A lesson in need is a lesson indeed. |
| D．Teach a lesson when it is a perfect time. |
【推荐3】My friends and I had just finished lunch at a hotel when it started to rain heavily. When it became lighter, I decided to get my car which was parked at my office three streets away.
My friends argued that I shouldn’t go, mainly because I was seven months pregnant（怀孕的）then. I made it clear to them that I’d be very careful. One of them wanted to come with me but I insisted that she stayed with another friend who needed help with her baby.
I walked out of the hotel and started making my way to the car. At the crossing, a van stopped and a man came out with an umbrella. Before I knew what was happening’ walked right beside me and told me he’d escort（护送）me to my destination. Although I was very embarrassed and refused, he insisted that he would.
During our walk, he kept telling me to walk slower, as the ground was wet. When we got to the car-park, I thanked him and he went away. I did not get his name and may not even recognize him now. Did he purposely stop for me? I’ll never know.
So how did I pay it back? I was at home when I noticed two Indian construction workers walking in the heavy rain. They were probably on their way to the working place near my home. I went out and passed them an umbrella. They were completely surprised by my action, and I told them they should take and keep it. They were very grateful to me, probably wondered why a stranger was offering such kindness. I was so relaxed and happy that day.
1. The author went to the hotel to .| A．book rooms for her friends | B．avoid being caught in the rain |
| C．find a place to park her car | D．have lunch with her friends |
| A．was frightened by the man | B．asked the man for his umbrella |
| C．refused the man, s help but failed | D．was escorted to her house by the man |
| A．By giving them some money. |
| B．By offering them an umbrella. |
| C．By preparing a nice lunch for them. |
| D．By driving them to the construction site. |
| A．Pass on the Kindness |
| B．My Sweet Memory on a Rainy Day |
| C．My Pleasant Experience at a Hotel |
| D．How to Help People in Need |
【推荐1】Harvey Sutton spent nearly seven months hiking with his parents, walking the thousands of miles that make up the complete Appalachian Trail (AT). Harvey, or “Little Man”, was just 4 years old when he started, and celebrated his 5th birthday on the trail.
Harvey’s parents, Josh and Cassic Sution, have been hiking with Harvey since he was two. They prepared him for hiking the AT by starting out with lots of shorter walks and hikes.
It took Harvey and his family 209 days to complete the entire AT. Every day the family would wake up around 5:30 in the morning. They would have breakfast and pack up their tent and sleeping bags before setting off through the woods. In general, the family hiked about 16 kilometers a day before stopping to camp again.
During his days on the AT, Harvey liked to use his imagination. This helped him walk more quickly and have fun while he hiked. He played games with his mom and dad and other hikers. Harvey says he enjoyed playing the “cell phone game” where you pretend you are different people.
Harvey and his family made friends with other hikers on the trail. Along the way, Harvey earned the nickname of “Little Man”.
Karl Donus Sakas hiked with the Suttons through seven states. He helped make the hike fun for Harvey by creating a treasure hunt for him to complete.
But Harvey also enjoyed the sometimes hard work of hiking. “My favorite part was the rock scrambles,” he says, “because they were so fun and hard.”
Mr. Sakas says Harvey didn’t seem to get tired. When other hikers were worn out at the end of the day, Harvey was still eager for a game of freeze tag.
Completing the AT taught Harvey and his parents how to work as a team and how to take on challenges together. Harvey’s mom says that because of the experience, “We’re closer than ever before.”
1. According to the story, we know that .| A．Harvey Sutton started hiking at the age of 4 |
| B．Harvey is physically stronger than other hikers |
| C．Harvey Sutton managed the trip through fun activities |
| D．Harvey was accompanied by Karl Donus Sakas to complete the trail |
| A．Enjoyable. | B．Tiring. | C．Tough. | D．Novel. |
| A．Success lies in perseverance. | B．Many hands make light work. |
| C．Like father, like son. | D．No pains, no gains. |
【推荐2】Kyle Cassidy and three other members of the Annenberg (Lunchtime) Running Group were relaxing on the grounds of the University of Pennsylvania, waiting for a few slower ones. The Penn co-workers and other community members meet three days a week for a 30-minute running and sometimes an informal lecture. That’s right — during some runs, one of them gives a talk with topics changing from the brain to Bitcoin. Not your normal exercise chatter.
Last Saturday, it would not be their normal run. Something unusual happened when a man ran quickly past them. “How fast!” Cassidy told the others admiringly. Then he discovered why the runner was running so quickly when another man ran by, shouting, “Help! Catch the thief ! He took my phone and laptop!”
At that time, the group did what running clubs do: They ran, following the man down the streets of Philadelphia until he quickly hid into a construction site (建筑工地). The runners began to go different ways. Cassidy ran around to the far side of the site to cut the man off while the others wandered around the neighborhood, hoping he had thrown away what he had stolen.
No luck. So they decided to ask the locals whether they’d seen the guy. When they knocked on the door of a house, they found the man had already come out from the construction site — and was hiding behind a bush by that very house. As the owner opened the door, the man ran out from behind the bush and right into the arms of a campus policeman, who had joined shortly behind the runners.
Running is usually a useless sport. But sometimes it can be useful, and here was one of those examples.
1. Why did the man run so quickly?| A．He had stolen from somebody. | B．He had a great gift for running. |
| C．He wanted to catch up with others. | D．He tried to break the group’s record. |
| A．He caught him on the way. | B．He wandered in the neighborhood. |
| C．He ran around the site to cut him off. | D．He followed him into a construction site. |
| A．A new member joined the group. | B．One of the runners gave a speech. |
| C．Some policemen followed the group. | D．The runners happened to catch a thief. |
| A．To praise the campus policeman. | B．To show running can be useful. |
| C．To warn there is danger everywhere. | D．To encourage others to give a helping hand. |
【推荐3】My 16-year-old son, Anton, had gone to the local swimming hole. Most kids swam there, and there were plenty of rocks for them to use as safe harbors, so I had no fears for his safety.
Still, the firefighter’s first words “You need to come up here to the Stillwater River” made me catch my breath and his follow-up words gave me relief: “Your son is OK.”
When I got to the river, I immediately saw the firetruck, ambulance and Anton, wrapped with a towel about his shoulders, sitting quietly on a low platform of the fire engine.
I hurried over to him. “You OK?” I asked.
“Yeah,” was all that he said. But my eyes begged for an explanation, I didn’t get it from my son, however, who tends to play his cards close to his vest.
The story was this: A woman was being swept under water. Hearing the cries, Anton and his friend Tyler, without hesitation, swam out to her, and brought her safely to shore.
In an age in which the word “hero” is broadcast with abandon and seemingly applied to anyone who make it through the day, I realized the real thing in my son. The teens are stubborn and self-centered, but that didn’t mean they have no desire to do good.
Still shocked by my son’s daring, I drove him home. Along the way, I tried to dig out some more information from him－but he had precious little to say. The only words he said were, “What’s for supper?”
I spent some time alone that evening, thinking about the tragedy that might have been. The next morning, when Anton got up, I half expected him to tell me the story. But all he did was toast some bread, pull himself together, and head for the door to start a new day. Watching from the window, I was reminded that still water often runs deep.
1. Why did the mother allow her son to swim there?| A．Because he was an excellent swimmer. |
| B．Because the water of the river was shallow. |
| C．Because he was old enough to swim. |
| D．Because the rocks could be of help if there is danger. |
| A．Anton is a boy fond of swimming with other kids |
| B．Anton is unwilling to tell others what he thinks |
| C．Anton always has a desire to help others |
| D．Anton seldom changes his mind |
| A．dangerous but interesting | B．unexpected and courageous |
| C．meaningful but difficult | D．awful and absurd |
| A．My son, my hero | B．Anton, a silent boy |
| C．A good deed | D．A proud mother |
