Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.

I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”

“Oh, you’re such a good man.” She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”

“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.

“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

At dawn, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

“How much do I owe you?” she asked.

“Nothing.” I said.

“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”

The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.

A. show she was familiar with the city                    B. see some places for the last time

C. let the driver earn more money                             D. reach the destination on time

The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he ______.

A. wanted to do her a favor                              

B. shut off the meter by mistake

C. had received her payment in advance

D. was in a hurry to take other passengers

What can we learn from the story?

A. Giving is always a pleasure.

B. People should respect each other.

C. An act of kindness can bring people great joy.

D. People should learn to appreciate others’ concern.

Frankly, I very much appreciate myself. Yes, I admit I’m in many respects not as good as other people, but I don’t think I’m always not good. When I find what I’ve done or written is okay, I’ll remain pleased with myself for quite a few days, and in case I receive praise for it, I’ll even become so excited as to add a few words to glorify myself.

True, I’m not modest at all. People may call me conceited (自负的). But I think otherwise.

I also appreciate other people. I appreciate anything good. Isn’t it unfair to forget appreciating myself while appreciating others?

We Chinese generally tend to be modest, and we take pride in being so. For example, a Chinese will call his own wife zhuojing, meaning “my humble wife”, and his own writings zhuozuo, meaning “my poor writings”. But if you should call his wife a “rustic (乡巴佬的) woman” or his writings “trash”, he would, I’m sure, slap the table in a rage and declare he would make a clean break with you. As a matter of fact, there is probably no difference at all between what is said by him and you respectively.

I don’t think it’s wrong for you to freely praise yourself if you’re really worthy of praise. As we know, there is an old Chinese saying disparaging (蔑视的) a melon peddler(商贩), named Lao Wang, who keeps praising his own goods. Well, why can’t he praise his melons if they are really sweet and juicy?

Friends, Lao Wang sells melons for a living. How could he carry on business if he, by imitating the affectations of us intellectuals, were to show false modesty about his melons? He would sure enough die of starvation.

Self-appreciation is therefore key to professional dedication (贡献) and enjoyment of work. One will lose confidence in continuing with writing when he pauses to admire his own essays.

Needless to say, the same is true of those who make a living with their pen.

 

49. The best title for the passage would be __________.

A. On Self-Appreciation                        B. Types of Appreciation

C. Power of Appreciation                     D. Uses of Appreciation

50. The underlined word “zhuojing” in Paragraph 4 means _________.

A. wife high in position                            B. wife low in position

C. wise wife                                           D. foolish wife

51. The writer points out with an example about an old Chinese saying that _________.

A. self-appreciation is also an active way of attitude to life and work

B. a false modesty will lose confidence in continuing with writing

C. one person pauses to admire his own essays without self-appreciation

D. one doesn’t praise his melons if his melons are really sweet and juicy

52. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. If I find what I’ve done or written is wrong, I’ll appreciate myself.

B. I never appreciate other people because I think others are foolish.

C. If you think poorly of your friend’s writings, perhaps he’ll be angry at you.

D. Lao Wang will die of starvation because he never praises his melons.

After lunch,I walked back home. I was just to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn’t much but,as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime.
The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on pavement is an attention-getter.It Can be nothing more than a penny.Whatever the coin is,no one ignores the sound of it.It got me thinking about sounds again.We are surrounded by so many sounds that attract the most attention.
People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine,a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street.When I’m in New York,I’m a New Yorker.I don’t turn either.Like the natives,I hardly hear a siren(警报)there.
However,at home in my little town in Connecticut,it’s different.The distant sound of a police car, all emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I’m seated and brings me to the window if I’m in bed.It’s the quietest sounds that have most effect on us.not the loudest.In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away thigh three closed doors.I’ve been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imaginnation turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house.How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime?
I’m quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what the bad sounds are,I’ve turned against whistling,for instance:I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I’ve been associating the whistler with a nervous person making unconscious noises.The tapping,tapping,tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me.I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it.
41.The sound of a coin dropping makes people         .
A.think of money    B.look at each other
C.pay attention to it    D.stop crossing the street
42.The author dislikes whistling because         .
A.he has got tired of it    B.it reminds him of tense people
C.he used to be happier D.he doesn’t like workers
43. What kind of sound does the author find pleasant?
A.Tapping sound of his typewriter.    B.Clinking sound of keys.
C.Tinkling sound of a coin dropping.D.Creaking sound of footsteps.
44.How does the author feel about sounds in general?
A.They make him feel al home.      B.He thinks they should be ignored.
C.He prefers silence to loud noises.D.He believes they ale part of our life.

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