Once many years ago, I pulled a family out of a burning car somewhere in Wyoming．Last week I received a telephone call from a woman who could not stop crying as she told me that one of my stories had saved her son from committing suicide．In closing she called me a hero．
That got me thinking about what a hero is．Was I a hero because I pulled a family from a burning car?If so, how could I be a hero just because I wrote a story that saved someone's life?
Today I decided to look up the word“hero”in the dictionary to see exactly what it meant．It read“a person who does something brave”．As I read on, it also said“a person who is good and noble．”
That statement impressed me more than the part about being brave．So I thought about something very important．Say I was walking into the local Wal-Mart Store and I happened to open, and hold the door for someone as a courtesy．As they passed by, I say,“How are you today?”Most of the time that would be no big deal, but this time let's say it was for someone who was deeply depressed and near the end of the rope．That may have very well been the only kindness or courtesy shown to them in a very long time．
Having been near“the end of my rope”, after my marriage of twenty years ended, I was in such a condition．I was within hours trying to get up enough courage to end the pain and misery．When I returned home, someone had sent me a card in the mail which told me how much they would appreciate me as a friend．That wonderful card probably saved my life．That person, without even knowing it, saved a life and became a hero．
The many stories I kept writing in the following years saved the life of a teenage boy．In turn that makes the person who sent me the card a double hero．I suppose that is why I fight so hard to help the children now living in orphanages(孤儿院)．Most children come out of these institutions with a very hard and bitter attitude against the world．The gifts we send them let them know that they have not been forgotten．Hopefully, most of them will never hurt anyone because of the kindness shown to them by those of us who cared．If it works, we will also become“heroes”．
Gee, who would have ever thought that anyone can become a hero, and possibly save a life, just by being kind and courteous to others?The best part of all is that becoming a hero is free to all who wish to wear such an honor．
(1)
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
[ ]
A．
Why Should You Be A Hero?
B．
What Exactly Is A Hero?
C．
I Am A Hero
D．
Everyone Is A Hero
(2)
The underlined word“courtesy”in Paragraph 4 means the behavior that is ________．
[ ]
A．
both polite and respectful
B．
both brave and fearless
C．
both polite and brave
D．
both quick-minded and kind
(3)
The underlined word“it”in the last sentence of Paragraph 5 refers to ________．
[ ]
A．
the wonderful card the writer received
B．
the action of sending the card
C．
the fact that the sender saved the writer
D．
the fact that the sender was a true friend
(4)
According to this passage, which of the following can be considered as the behavior of a hero?
Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an expensive French restaurant in Denver．The ice cream he was serving fell onto the white dress of a rich and important woman．
Thirty years have passed, but Odland can't get the memory out of his mind, nor the woman's kind reaction．She was shocked, regained calmness and, in a kind voice, told the young Odland,“It's OK．It wasn't your fault．”When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO with a life lesson：You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter．
Odland isn't the only CEO to have made this discovery．Rather, it seems to be one of those few laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up．It's hard to get a dozen CEO's to agree about anything, but most agree with the Waiter Rule．They say how others treat the CEO says nothing．But how others treat the waiter is like a window into the soul．
Watch out for anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like,“I could but this place and fire you,”or“I know the owner and I could have you fired．”Those who say such things have shown more about their character than about their wealth and power．
The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson．He wrote a best-selling book called Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management．
“A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person,”Swanson says．“I will never offer a job to the person who is sweet to the boss but turns rude to someone cleaning the tables．”
(1)
What happened after Odland dropped the ice cream onto the woman's dress?
[ ]
A．
He was fired．
B．
He was blamed．
C．
The woman comforted him．
D．
The woman left the restaurant at once．
(2)
Odland learned one of his life lessons from ________．
[ ]
A．
his experience as a waiter
B．
the advice given by the CEOs
C．
an article in Fortune
D．
an interesting best-selling book
(3)
According to the text, most CEOs have the same opinion about ________．
[ ]
A．
Fortune 500 companies
B．
the Management Rules
C．
Swanson's book
D．
the Waiter Rule
(4)
From the text we can learn that ________．
[ ]
A．
one should be nicer to important people
B．
CEOs often show their power before others
C．
one should respect others no matter who they are
D．
CEOs often have meals in expensive restaurants
阅读理解：
Several years ago, my parents, my wife, my son and I ate at one of those restaurants where the menu is written on a blackboard．After a wonderful dinner, the waiter set the check in the middle of the table．That’s when it happened：my father did not reach for the check．
Conversation continued．Finally I realized that I should pick up the check!After hundreds of restaurant meals with my parents, after a lifetime of thinking of my father as the one with dollars, it had all changed．I reached for the check, and my view of myself suddenly changed．I was an adult．I was no longer a kid．
Some people mark off(区分)their lives in years, I measure mine in small events．I didn’t become a young man at a particular age, like 16, but rather when a kid who wandered in the streets called me “mister．” These events in my life are called “milestones”(里程碑)
There have been other milestones．The cops(policemen)of my youth always seemed big, even huge, and of course they were older than I was．Then one day they were suddenly realized that all the football players in the game I was watching were younger than I was．They were just big kids．With that milestone gone was the dream that someday, maybe I, too, could be a football player．Without ever having reached the hill, I was over it．
I never thought that I would fall asleep in front of the TV set as my father did．Now it’s what I do best．I never thought that I would go to the beach and not swim, yet I spent all of August at the shore and never once went into the ocean．I never thought that I would appreciate opera, but now the combination of voice and orchestra attract me．I never thought that I would prefer to stay home in the evenings, but now I find myself passing up parties．I used to think that people who watched birds were strange, but this summer I fond myself watching them, and maybe I’ll get a book on the subject．I feel a strong desire for a religious belief that I never thought I’d want, feel close to my ancestors(祖先)long gone, and echo my father in arguments with my son．I still lose…
One day I bought a house．One day－what a day!–I became a father, and not too long after that I picked up the check for my own father．I thought then it was a milestone for me．One day, when I was a little older, I realized it was one for him, too, another milestone．
(1)
The tone established in the passage is one of ________．
[ ]
A．
sad regret
B．
amusement
C．
happiness
D．
deep feeling
(2)
The author mentions the event in the restaurant because ________．
[ ]
A．
that was one of his milestone
B．
he paid the bill but he didn’t want to
C．
he became a father with dollars
D．
that was the last restaurant meal with his parents
(3)
“Then they were suddenly neither．” Suggests that ________．
[ ]
A．
suddenly they became older than I was
B．
suddenly I knew that they was neither bigger nor older than I was
C．
suddenly I realized that I made mistake
D．
suddenly I found myself no longer a kid
(4)
Which of the following best expresses the author’s thinking?
[ ]
A．
One day is worth two tomorrow
B．
To save time is to length life
C．
When an opportunity is lost, it never comes back to you
D．
Time and tide wait for no man
阅读理解。
I’m seventeen．I had worked as a box boy at a supermarket in Los Angeles．People came to the counter and you put things in their bags for them and carried things to their cars．It was hard work．
While working, you wear a plate with your name on it．I once met someone I knew years ago．I remembered his name and said, “Mr．Castle, how are you?” We talked about this and that．As he left, he said, “It was nice talking to you, Brett．” I felt great, he remembered me．Then I looked down at my name plate．Oh no．He didn’t remember me at all, he just read the name plate．I wish I had put “Irving” down on my name plate．If he’d have said, “Oh yes, Irving, how could I forget you?” I’d have been ready for him．There’s nothing personal here．
The manager and everyone else who were a step above the box boys often shouted orders．One of these was：You couldn’t accept tips．Okay, I’m outside and I put the bags in the car．For a lot of people, the natural reaction is to take a quarter and give it to me．I’d say, “I’m sorry, I can’t．” They’d get angry．When you give someone a tip, you’re sort of being polite．You take a quarter and you put it in their hands and you expect them to say, “Oh, thanks a lot．” When you say, “I’m sorry, I can’t,” they feel a little put down．They say, “No one will know．” And they put it in your pocket．You say, “I really can’t．” It gets to a point where you almost have to hurt a person physically to prevent him from tipping you．It was not in agreement with the store’s belief in being friendly．Accepting tips was a friendly thing and made the customer feel good．I just couldn’t understand the strangeness of some people’s ideas．One lady actually put it in my pocket, got in the car, and drove away．I would have had to throw the quarter at her or eaten it or something．
I had decided that one year was enough．Some people needed the job to stay alive and fed．I guess I had the means and could afford to hate it and give it up．
(1)
What can be the best title for this text?
[ ]
A．
How Hard Life is for Box Boys
B．
Getting along with Customers
C．
Why I Gave up My Job
D．
The Art of Taking Tips
(2)
From the second paragraph, we can infer that _________．
[ ]
A．
the writer didn’t like the impersonal part of his job
B．
with a name plate, people can easily start talking
C．
Mr．Castle mistook Irving for Brett
D．
Irving was the writer’s real name
(3)
The box boy refused to accept tips because _________．
[ ]
A．
customers only gave small tips
B．
some customers had strange ideas about tipping
C．
the store forbade the box boys to take tips
D．
he didn’t want to fight with the customers
(4)
The underlined phrase “put down” in the third paragraph probably means _________．
