题目内容
– Pardon me, Sir. And is it time for us to set off now?
-- ____________. We’ll have to wait for one more hour.
A. Certainly, it is B. That’s all right
C. Sorry, it’s too long D. Sorry, I am afraid not
D
It was her giggling (咯咯笑) that drew my attention. Note taking really wasn’t all that funny.
Walking over to the offender (肇事者), I asked for the 36 . Frozen, she refused to give it to me. I waited, all attention in the classroom on the quiet 37 between a teacher and a student. When she finally 38 it over she whispered, “Okay, but I didn’t draw it.” It was a hand-drawn 39 of me, teeth blackened and the words “I’m stupid” coming out of my mouth.
I managed to fold it up calmly. My mind, 40 , was working angrily as I struggled not to 41 . I figured I knew the two most likely students who drew the picture. It would do them some 42 to teach them a lesson, and maybe it was high time that I did it.
Thankfully, I was able to keep myself 43 .
When there were about six minutes remaining, I showed the class the picture. They were all silent as I told them how 44 this was for me. I told them there must be a reason 45 and now was their chance to write down anything they needed to tell me. Then I let them write silently while I was seated in the back of the classroom, with tears in my eyes.
As I 46 the notes later, many of them said something like, “I’ve got nothing 47 you.” or “I’m sorry you were hurt.” Some kids said, “We’re afraid of you.” But two notes, from the girls who I 48 drew the picture, had a list of issues. I was too 49 , too strict…
Reading those notes, I realized that over the course of this year, instead of 50 my students, I had begun commanding them to 51 . Where I thought I was driving them to success I was 52 driving them away. I had some apology to make. But the next day in the classroom, one boy and one girl each handed me a card. The one 53 by all the boys expressed sincere regret for the ugly joke. The one from the girls asked for 54 .
This was a lesson for both the kids and me. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the 55 .
1. | A. note | B. advice | C. reason | D. help |
2. | A. battle | B. competition | C. argument | D. conversation |
3. | A. took | B. thought | C. turned | D. handed |
4. | A. statue | B. graph | C. picture | D. poster |
5. | A. otherwise | B. however | C. therefore | D. besides |
6. | A. leave | B. cry | C. explain | D. argue |
7. | A. good | B. harm | C. favor | D. punishment |
8. | A. amused | B. controlled | C. uninterested | D. relaxed |
9. | A. meaningful | B. forgetful | C. regretful | D. hurtful |
10. | A. aside | B. above | C. under | D. behind |
11. | A. wrote | B. finished | C. read | D. collected |
12. | A. beyond | B. from | C. against | D. for |
13. | A. figured | B. promised | C. concluded | D. confirmed |
14. | A. talkative | B. mean | C. funny | D. considerate |
15. | A. forcing | B. encouraging | C. comforting | D. teaching |
16. | A. appreciate | B. apologize | C. promise | D. succeed |
17. | A. actually | B. normally | C. immediately | D. generally |
18. | A. decorated | B. offered | C. signed | D. bought |
19. | A. thankfulness | B. pardon | C. congratulation | D. communication |
20. | A. friendship | B. education | C. knowledge | D. future |
A few years ago I asked my children’s governess, Julia Vassilyevna, to come into my study.
“ Sit down, Julia Vassilyevna,” I said.“Let’s settle our accounts. Although you most likely need some money, you stand on ceremony and won’t ask for it yourself. Now then, we agree on thirty rubles a month…”
“ Forty.”
“ No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay the governess thirty. Now then, you’ve been here two months, so…”
“ Two months and five days.”
“ Exactly two months. I made a specific note of it. That means you have sixty rubles coming to you. Subtract nine Sundays… you know you didn’t work with Kolya on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays…”
Julia Vassilyevna flushed a deep red and picked at the flounce of her dress, but--- not a word.
“ Three holidays, therefore take off twelve rubles. Four days Kolya was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Vanya. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven---nineteen. Subtract…that leaves…hmm…forty-one rubles. Correct?”
Julia Vassilyena’s left eye reddened and filled with moisture. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but---not a word.
“ Around New Year’s you broke a teacup and saucer: take off two rubles. The cup cost more, it was an heirloom, but---let it go. When didn’t I take a loss? Then, due to your neglect, Kolya climbed a tree and tore his jacket: take off ten. Also due to your heedlessness the maid stole Vanya’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more rubles off. The tenth of January I gave you ten rubles…”
“ You didn’t ” whispered Julia Vassilyevna.
“ But I made a note of it.”
“ Well…all right.”
“ Take twenty-seven from forty-one ---that leaves fourteen.”
Both eyes filled with tears. Perspiration appeared on the thin, pretty little nose. Poor girl!
“ Only once was I given any money,” she said in a trembling voice, “ and that was by your wife. Three rubles, nothing more.”
“ Really? You see now, and I didn’t make a note of it! Take three from fourteen… leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three , three, three, one and one. Here it is!”
I handed her eleven rubles. She took them and with trembling fingers stuffed them into her pocket.
“ Merci,” she whispered.
I jumped up and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger.
“ For what, this ---‘merci’?” I asked.
“ For the money.”
“ But you know I’ve cheated you, God’s sake---robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this ‘merci’?”
“ In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”
“ They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you … I’m going to give you the entire eighty rubles! Here they are in an envelope all ready for you… Is it really possible to be so spineless? Why don’t you protest? Why be silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws--- to be such a nincompoop?”
She smiled crookedly and I read in her expression: “ It is possible.”
I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and , to her great surprise, gave her the eighty rubles. She murmured her litter “merci” several times and went out. I looked after her and thought: “How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”
【小题1】When the employer called Julia Vassilyevna in to talk with him, what he really wanted to do was _______
A.to settle their accounts |
B.to criticize her for neglecting her duties as a governess. |
C.to play a joke on her so as to amuse himself. |
D.to teach her not to be so spineless. |
A.she had neglected her duties. |
B.he wanted to pay her as little money as possible. |
C.he wanted to make her realize that she was being cheated and protest against it. |
D.he wanted to make her feel miserable. |
A.she had in fact neglected her duties. |
B.she was a very dumb girl. |
C.she thought it was of no use to protest to her employer. |
D.she loved the children she taught. |
A.she didn’t say “Merci” loudly. |
B.she didn’t protest to him. |
C.he thought that by simply saying “ Merci” she wasn’t polite enough. |
D.he didn’t like the way in which she stuffed the money into per pocket and expressed her thanks. |
A.how a governess was cheated by her employer. |
B.how an employer tried to teach the governess a cruel lesson. |
C.how a governess was fired by her employer for being a nincompoop. |
D.how an employer punished the governess for not having done a good job. |