题目内容
The repairman told me, “No charge, Professor Pan! We’re friends. ” “I’d rather pay,” I replied. “If it’s free, I can’t afford it!”
Chinese often refuse payment for professional services, insisting, “We’re friends now!” But then they show up later to ask me to tutor them in English, or get them into an American university, and I wish I’d have just paid the 30 yuan I owed them in the first place!
According to the Americans, “There’s no free lunch,” meaning that there’s a price for everything, and I’m always looking around to figure out what this means.
Many of our neighbors have given us fruit or flowers or costly teas, never asking anything in return. For years, a bicycle repairman has repeatedly refused to let me pay him. “Wait until you have something major to fix!” he insists.
I mentioned to a peasant friend that I wished I had a stone mill to grind (磨) flour for bread. A month later he showed up with a beautiful mill that he’d had his uncle in the countryside carve from a solid block of granite (花岗石).
Chinese generosity (慷慨) is a real education for Americans like me, who would rather avoid social entanglements (纠纷) and just hand over the money. But cash can’t compensate (补偿) for the greatest gift friendship.
When an American saw some of my friends sitting on bamboo stools under the trees, sipping (呷) tea, he said, “They must have nothing better to do.” “Actually,” I said, “they are professors, with plenty to do. But probably you’re right in saying that, at this moment, they have nothing better to do. And neither do I!”
And I joined the group. We chatted about tea and Chinese cooking and how much my boys have grown since we arrived. One man said, “They were pocket-sized when you came here. Now they’re taller than you. How time flies!”
How life flies. And Chinese are smart enough to share what they know they cannot keep. They freely give of their time, never too busy to help a friend. And they are teaching me, slowly, to both give and receive. So the next time someone says, “No charge. We’re friends!” I will thank them heartily. But if they show up later asking me to tutor them in English, I’ll make sure they tutor my son in Chinese as well, because there’s still no free lunch.
60. The author insisted on paying repairman while he was offered free repairs because he ____.
A. was an honest man B. didn’t know the repairman
C. thought it natural to pay for others’ service D. didn’t want to help others in return
61. Generally, the author thinks that Chinese are ____.
A. generous and always ready to help their friends B. good at exchange of equal values
C. free enough to drink tea and chat with their friends D. helpful but don’t treasure time
62. The best title for the passage should be “____”.
A. Learn to Both Give And Receive B. A Good Lesson from Chinese
C. True Help or Not D. Still No Free Lunch
63. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. The Chinese would rather not take the money to avoid problems in social communication.
B. When a peasant knew the author needed a mill, he made one for the author himself.
C. The author thinks that Chinese are wise enough to enjoy the limited life.
D. The author thinks little of Chinese way of life.
Some time ago , I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg .I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended , as there were a whole lot of antique shops near my home .So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me .I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception .I was quite wrong .The man wouldn’t even look at my chair .
The second shop , though slightly more polite , was just the same , and the third, and the fourth—so I decided that my approach must be wrong .
I went into the fifth shop with a plan in my mind .I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper , “ Would you like to buy a chair ?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes , not a bad chair .How much do you want for it , sir ?” “Twenty pounds ,” I said .“OK ,” he said , “I’ll give you twenty pounds .” “It’s got a slightly broken leg ,”I said .“Yes I saw that , it’s nothing .”
Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited .“What will you do with it ?” I asked .“Oh , it will be easy to sell once the repair is done .” “I’ll buy it ,” I said .“ What do you mean ? You’ve just sold it to me ,” he said . “Yes , I know but I’ve changed my mind .I’m sorry , I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it .” “You must be crazy ,” he said.Then suddenly the penny dropped .“ I know what you want .You want me to repair your chair.” “ You’re right ,” I said .“ And what would you have done if I had walked in and said , ‘ Would you mend this chair for me’ ?” “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it ,” he said .“We don’t do repairs , not enough money in it and too much trouble .But I’ll mend this for you , shall we say for a five?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused (感到有趣) by the whole thing .
【小题1】We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer .
A.was rather impolite |
B.was warmly received |
C.asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair |
D.asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair |
A.changed his mind | B.accepted the offer |
C.saw the writer’s purpose | D.decided to help the writer |
A.£5. | B.£7 | C.£20. | D.£27. |
A.honest | B.careful | C.smart | D.funny |