Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils (水仙花)before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. “I will go next Tuesday,” I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.
The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is indiscernible in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!”
My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read “Daffodil Garden”.
We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most beautiful sight! There were five acres of flowers! “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. “It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “That’s her home,” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio(平台), we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs(鳞茎),” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”
I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun -- one bulb at a time -- to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top.
【小题1】Why was the author unwilling to see the daffodils at first ____.A.The weather was terrible. |
B.She took little interest in them. |
C.She wasn’t available at that time. |
D.It was not easy to go there. |
A.Invisible. |
B.Remote. |
C.Impossible. |
D.Complex. |
A.Optimistic. |
B.Productive. |
C.Determined. |
D.Generous. |
A.I love Daffodils |
B.An Unbelievable Experience |
C.Gardening as a hobby |
D.One Bulb at a time |
Our bachelor uncle lived with us, who loved hunting and fishing; and it was one of the pleasures of our young life to go fishing with him.
I remember my first fishing experience as if it happened yesterday. I was very excited when I received that first fishing pole from my uncle's hand, and went fishing with him. It was a still, sweet day of early summer; the leaves seemed greener, the flowers brighter, the birds merrier, than ever before.
My uncle considerately placed me at the most favorable point. I threw out my line as I had so often seen others, and waited anxiously for a bite, moving the bait (鱼饵) in rapid movement on the surface of the water just like the jumps of a frog. Nothing came of it. "Try again," said my uncle. Suddenly the bait sank out of sight. "Now for it," thought I, "here is a fish at last."
I made a strong pull, and brought up a tangle of weeds. Again and again I cast out my line with aching arms, and drew it back empty. "Try once more," he said, "we fishermen must have patience to catch a fish." "But remember, boy," he said, with his big smile, "never say you've caught a fish until it is on dry ground. It's no use showing off anything until it's done."
How often since I have been reminded of the fish that I did not catch! When I hear people boasting of a work as yet undone, I will remember the wise caution of my uncle in that particular instance takes the form of a proverb of universal application: "NEVER BOAST (吹嘘) OF YOUR FISH BEFORE YOU CATCH HIM."
【小题1】From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2, we can infer that_____________.A.the leaves and the flowers were not so beautiful before. |
B.the birds ate lots of fish and felt far merrier than before. |
C.that day the author was much happier than ever before. |
D.that day the uncle was much happier than ever before. |
A.Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. |
B.Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. |
C.One false step will make a great difference. |
D.True friends have hearts that beat as one. |
A.Strong and brave. | B.Wise and patient. |
C.Patient and strong. | D.Lazy and talkative. |
A.A sweet day of summer | B.My first fishing pole |
C.The way to catch a fish | D.The fish I didn’t catch |
Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into actions. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s easy to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash, had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, and the store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. “If anything,” he looked more pitiable, “Charge it to me,” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft, safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed, either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.
【小题1】The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits________.A.promised to obey the store rules | B.forgot to take any money with him |
C.hoped to have the food first and pay later | D.could not afford anything more expensive |
A.kind and lucky | B.poor and lonely |
C.friendly and helpful | D.wise and disappointed |
A.he wanted to keep his present job | B.he felt no pity for the old gentleman |
C.he considered the old gentleman dishonest | D.he expected someone else to pay for the old gentleman |
A.Wealth is more important than anything else. | B.Helping others is easier said than done. |
C.Experience is better gained through practice. | D.Obeying the rules means more than compassion. |
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