Question

Lily was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community. At the age of 16, her father thought that she had enough schooling and forced her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income. In 1922, with limited education and skills, the future didn't look bright for Lily. Her father demanded that Lily find a job as soon as possible, but she didn't have the confidence to ask for a job.

One day, Lily gathered her courage and knocked on her very first door. She was met by Margaret Costello, the office manager. In her broken English, Lily told her she was interested in the secretarial position. Margaret decided to give her a chance.

Margaret sat her down at a typewriter and said, “Lily, let's see how good you really are.” She directed Lily to type a single letter, and then left. Lily looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:40 a.m. Everyone would be leaving for lunch at noon. She thought she should at least attempt the letter.

On her first try, she got through one line but made four mistakes. She pulled the paper out and threw it away. The clock now read 11:45. “At noon,” she said to herself, “I'll move out with the crowd, and they will never see me again.”

On her second attempt, things didn't get any better. Again the started over and finally completed the letter, full of mistakes, though. She looked at the clock: 11:55 —five minutes to freedom.

Just then, Margaret walked in. She came directly over to Lily, and put one hand on the desk and the other on the girl's shoulder. She read the letter and paused. Then she said, “Lily, you're doing good work!”

Lily was surprised. She looked at the letter, then up at Margaret. With those simple words of encouragement, her desire to escape disappeared and her confidence began to grow. She thought, “Well, if she thinks it's good, then it must be good. I think I'll stay!”

Lily did stay at Carhartt Overall Company…for 51 years, through two world wars and 11 presidents—all because someone had the insight to give a shy and uncertain young girl the gift of self-confidence when she knocked on the door.

1.Why did Lily leave school at an early age?

A. To learn English well.

B. To get self-confidence.

C. To become a typist.

D. To earn money for her family

2.When Lily applied for(申请) the job, she ________.

A. didn't know much about typing

B. could speak good English

C. knew Margaret very well

D. never wrote any letter

3.Who does the underlined word “someone” in the last paragraph refer to?

A. Margaret B. Lily's father.

C. Lily herself D. A president. .

4. What can we learn from Lily's story?

A. Honesty is the best policy.

B. Money is not everything.

C. Encouragement makes a difference

D. Time waits for no man.

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.A

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：作者叙述了害羞而且受教育程度较低的Lily受到Margaret的鼓励赢得自信的故事，目的就是告诉我们鼓励也许会在我们的生活里产生很大的作用。

1. 细节题。根据文章第一段第二句At the age of 16, her father thought that she had enough schooling and forced her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income.可知他辍学是为了帮助挣钱养家。故D正确。

2. 推理题。根据文章第一段第三句In 1922, with limited education and skills, the future didn't look bright for Lily.可知她接受的教育很少，也没有求职的技巧。故A项说法是正确的。

3. 推理题。根据文章第第六段最后一句Then she said, “Lily, you're doing good work!”可知正是Margaret鼓励了她。所以本句中的someone就是指Margaret。故A正确。

4. 推理题。作者叙述了害羞而且受教育程度较低的Lily受到Margaret的鼓励赢得自信的故事，目的就是告诉我们鼓励也许会在我们的生活里产生很大的作用。故C正确。

考点：人生百味类阅读理解