I think it was my mother who taught me the meaning of honesty. Not because she actually was honest, but because she lied all the time. She felt that the easiest way out of any given situation was generally the best way out. And, for her, that generally meant telling a “little white lie.” As a young child I thought it was kind of cool. And, naturally, when I would come to her with a concern or question wondering what I should do, she generally advised me to lie.
“Mom, I told Theresa that I would go over to her house, but now I would rather go to Sue’s house to play.”
“Tell Theresa you’re sick,” she would advise. And generally I did. But I didn’t seem blessed with her lack of conscience. On many painful occasions Theresa would find out that I really went to Sue’s house without her. These occasions taught me that it is more painful to be caught in a lie than it is to tell the truth in the first place. I wondered how it was possible that my mother had never learned that lesson.
I started thinking of all the lies that I’d heard her tell. I remembered the time she told someone that her favorite restaurant had closed, because she didn’t want to see them there anymore. Or the time she told Dad that she loved the lawn-mower he gave her for her birthday. Or when she claimed that our phone lines had been down when she was trying to explain why she hadn’t been in touch with a friend of hers for weeks. And what bothered me even more were all the times she had involved me into her lies. Like the time she told my guidance counselor that I had to miss school for exploratory surgery, when she really needed me to babysit. And it even started to bother me when someone would call for her and she would ask me to tell them that she wasn’t there.
So, I started my own personal fight against her dishonesty. When I answered the phone and it was someone my mother didn’t want to talk to, I said, “Louise, mom is here, but she doesn’t want to talk to you.” The first time I did it, she punished me, but I refused to apologize. I told her that I had decided that it was wrong to lie. And the next time it happened I did the same thing. Finally, she approached me and said, “I agree that lying is not the best thing to do, but we need to find a way to be honest without being rude.” She admitted that her methods weren’t right, and I admitted that mine were a bit too extreme.
Over the past few years, the two of us have worked together to be honest—and yet kind. Honesty should mean more than not lying. It should mean speaking the truth in kindness. Though I started by trying to teach my mom the importance of honesty, I ended up gaining a deeper understanding of the meaning of the term.
【小题1】 The author’s mother __________. 

A.thought white lies were not lies
B.helped the author get out of trouble with white lies
C.told the author to lie when in trouble
D.taught the author the importance of being honest
【小题2】The author __________.
A.was thankful to her mother’s advice
B.felt more awkward when being caught lying
C.found that telling the truth hurt more than telling a lie
D.felt guilty when hurting people with her honesty
【小题3】It can be inferred that the author’s mother __________.
A.met her friends in the same restaurant regularly
B.didn’t get along with the author’s teachers
C.was not popular among her friends
D.wanted to have something else for her birthday
【小题4】Finally the author and her mother agreed that __________.
A.kind-heartedness is more important than honesty
B.appropriate methods are the key to telling a good lie
C.honesty is defined as kindness as well as truthfulness
D.absolute honesty is basic to good interpersonal relationships

请阅读下列应用文及相关信息,并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

以下是演讲会的资料:

 

A

 Are you interested in “Dream of the Red Mansion”(Hong Lou Meng)? Listen to a lecture on this classical novel.

Venue: National Museum of Chinese Modern Literature (Beijing)

Time: 9:30 A.m.

Price: free

Tel: 010 – 84615522         B

 “Jiaguwen” is among the oldest pictographic characters in the world.How much do you know about it? Get all the answers at this free lecture.

Venue: Dongcheng District Library (Beijing)

Time: 9:00 a.m.

Price: free

Tel: 010 – 64013356

C

 Former United Nations interpreter Professor Wang Ruojin speaks about her experiences at the UN and shares her understanding of the cultural differences between East and West.

Venue: National Library of China (Beijing)

Time: 1:30 p.m. — 4:00 p. m.

Price: free

Tel: 010 – 68488047         D

 Qi Baishi, one of China’s greatest modern painters, was also a poet, calligrapher(书法家) and seal-cutter(刻印者). Can you appreciate his works? Then come to spend the time with us.

Venue: Beijing Art Academy

Time: 9:00 A.m. – 11:00 A.m.

Price: 10 Yuan

Tel: 010 - 65023390

E

 It is the year of the Dog, and you can see “Fu” everywhere. But how much do you know about dogs–man’s best friend? What is “Fu” and where does it come from? Why do people hang “Fu” character upside down on the door? Get all the answers from this free lecture.

Venue: Capital Library (Beijing)

Time: 2:00 p. m.

Price: free

Tel: 010 - 67358114 F

 About 160 cultural relics from Guangdong, Macao and Hong Kong are on display to April 15th. Meanwhile experts will talk about the important roles these three cities have played in the past two thousand years of Sino–Western exchanges.

Venue: Beijing Art Museum

Time: 2:00 p. m. – 5:00 p. m.

Price: 20 Yuan, students 10 Yuan

Tel: 010 - 83659337

以下是想去听演讲的人员的基本信息,请匹配适合他们的演讲内容。

1.Alice is now studying in Beijing University, and she is especially interested in Chinese writing. In her spare time she enjoys drawing, writing poems and is fond of sharing her pieces with her classmates.

2.Simon comes from Egypt. He is now studying in Beijing Art Academy. He shows great interest in Chinese ancient characters. Now he wants to know much about it.

3.Lora and Peter, visiting professors from Australia, are both crazy about Chinese traditional culture. At weekends they like to call on Chinese families to learn about Chinese festivals as well as their history.

4. Edward is a senior student in Beijing Foreign Language University. He likes traveling very much and has made up his mind to work as an interpreter for some joint–venture enterprises (合资企业).

5.Steve and Mark are both studying in the Chinese Department of China’s Renmin University. They want to do some research on Chinese ancient literature.

 

 I went over my grandmother’s house today and she didn’t have time for me. You see, the lady’s husband downstairs died and my Grandmother wanted to make some cookies for her. My grandmother did not analyze (分析) how the lady treated her, or if the lady needed any cookies, or even if the lady would like the cookies. She didn’t think how much the lady has done for her. She simply began baking.

My Grandmother turned 94 last week and this I believe is her secret to life. My grandmother is generous (慷慨) and hard-working in a way that is rare for our time. She lives by a simple belief: if someone needs your help, you help. Never mind all the analyzing and thinking whether the person deserves  or appreciates  the help. My grandmother doesn’t sit around thinking about who might be making use of her; she simply does what is needed.

At 94, she is busy in life. She is making a blanket for a new great grandchild, and worried that I don’t have enough kitchen towels for my home. She is bringing soup to a sick neighbor, and teaching the new wife of her cousin (who is 88) how to cook Italian food.

My grandmother had every right to give up, but she didn’t — and amazingly life did bring her good things, like a husband with twinkling blue eyes who was much ahead of his time and believed that men should do an equal amount of cooking and cleaning in the home, three beautiful children (my father and two aunts), 22 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. My grandmother is not afraid to give someone she barely knows a bowl of soup. She never keeps herself out of the world.

1.The reason why my grandmother made cookies for the lady downstairs is that ________.

   A. she thought the lady was too busy

   B. she would make them as thanks to her

   C. she thought she should do something for the lady at the special time

   D. they had had an agreement before

2. In the writer’s opinion, ________.

   A. my grandmother has a secret way of living

   B. my grandmother does everything on careful consideration

   C. few people are as generous as my grandmother now

   D. my grandmother will get something in return

3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

   A. My grandmother cares for her children even some strangers.

   B. My grandfather does not treat women in an unfair way.

   C. This is a family in which there are nearly 30 people now.

   D. My grandmother never keeps everything for herself.

4.We may infer from the text that the writer ________.

   A. thinks his grandmother is living a tired life

   B. thinks his grandmother is doing what she should do

   C. thinks his grandmother should not be so kind

   D. is proud of his grandmother

 

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