Question

【题目】Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

【1】Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?

A. Start the car the moment everyone is seated.

B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.

C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.

D. Move an object out of the way before it trips (绊倒) someone.

【2】 The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to ______.

A. keep her appointment with the eye doctor

B. meet her father who was already an old man

C. join in the holiday celebration of the company

D. finish her work before the deadline approached

【3】What is the best title for the passage?

A. The Emotional Well-being.

B. The Two Saddest Words.

C. The Most Useful Rule.

D. The Peace of Mind.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】B

【3】B

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述了作者认为英语中最悲伤的两个词语是“if only”，因为他们表达了遗憾。父亲在我小的时候经常让我提前做一些能防止意外发生的事，因此我懂得珍惜现在所拥有的一切，而且我知道我正在做对的事．

【1】D 推理判断题。由第二段whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter，or something that required a little more work such as taping padding （衬垫） onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table．避免即将可能发生的危险。可知，在物体绊住别人之前将它移动属于the “extra minute” rule，故选D。

【2】B细节理解题。由第三段When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn't be here. But then I thought about the fact that he's 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn't give up an opportunity to see him．可知，我在周五休息的时候去工作是为了去看我的已经是个老人的爸爸，故选B。

【3】B 主旨大意题。本文围绕英语中两个最悲伤的词语展开叙述，故选B。