“Father, don’t you want me to be clever and great one day? ” said Willie to his father.
“I want you, my boy, to do your duty in whatever work or task given to you. Also do not be too sure of anything,” he replied. “When I see people, as the saying goes, ‘never count chickens before they are hatched’, it makes me think of the famous Napoleon.”
When Napoleon was ruling over France, and had beaten most of Europe, he wanted to rule over England, too. He was so sure of beating England that he chose the day and time he would come over and enter London as the winner.
“He got a number of his soldiers together, and had ships ready to carry them from France to England. He looked over the blue waves towards England and thought, I’ll land in England soon, march(行进) to London, and take it.”
“He was too sure,” laughed Willie.
“He was so sure,” said the father, “that he actually had a medal made to celebrate his success! On the medal was written in French, ‘STUCK AT LONDON’, which means that the medal was made in London.”
“But he never even got to England!” said Willie.
“He made so sure of success,” said the father, “that he had a medal made in celebration of beating a city that he was never even to set foot in.”
“Well, that was counting his chickens before they are hatched!” laughed the boy. “How shameful Napoleon must have felt later whenever he thought of that medal! Have you got any more stories for me, father?”
“Yes, I have a story about a very different man from the one who STUCK the medal; it’s about the Duke of Wellington...”
11. What can this passage be described as?
A.A personal interview. | B.A short play. |
C.A daily conversation. | D.A famous poem. |
12. What is true of Napoleon according to the passage?
A.He was born to be the king of France. |
B.He failed to step into England. |
C.He landed in England and ruled over it. |
D.He made a medal after beating England. |
13. In the father’s eyes, what was the Duke of Wellington most probably like?
A.Brave and independent. | B.Great but not too proud. |
C.Clever but not too believable. | D.Famous and strong-willed. |
14. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined part in Paragraph 2?
A.No one is wise at all times. |
B.There is no ending to learn. |
C.Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket. |
D.Never fry(油炸)a fish until it caught. |
15. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A.The father thought Napoleon was too sure to beat England. |
B.The father taught his son a lesson by telling stories. |
C.The father wanted to show how successful Wellington is. |
D.The father compared Napoleon with Wellington in two stories. |