When I was a boy, my father told me that he could do anything he wanted to．Dad said that he wanted to be the first to develop color prints in our city, and so he did．

When I was 16, Dad looked closely at the violin I played and announced that he wanted to make one． He read about violin making, and then became a violinmaker at the age of 43．He bought the tools and materials, opened a small store and set Mom up as the shopkeeper, while he worked at a local company． He retired from the company 17 years later and continued to make violins and other instruments．

Dad often guessed why the Stradivarius violins sound so beautiful． Some experts claimed that it was the unique varnish （油漆） that gave those instruments their beautiful sound． Dad argued that chemists could analyze the varnish—if that were the answer．

One of Dad’s friends asked him once which kind of wood was used to make violins．When Dad explained that the top was made of spruce （云杉） , his friend said that he had an old piece of spruce Dad might be interested in．

He worked for the next 12 months making a violin from the wood that his friend had given him． It proved to be a superior violin and it would become Dad's masterpiece． He was convinced that the secret of the Stradivarius sound was in the wood itself．

Later, the instrument was stolen．Dad's spirit was broken by the robbery, and he stopped making instruments． But he kept the music shop until he was 80 years old, selling guitars and violins．　　　

My father has been gone for 14 years now． The violin has been missing for more than 25 years．Somewhere a musician is playing a late 20th century violin with an excellent tone． The owner today may never understand why this ordinary-looking violin sounds so much like a Stradivarius．

56． The author mentions his father's developing color prints　　　　　 .

　　　 A． to show that his father-s real interest was not in making violins

　　　 B． to prove that his father could do anything he wanted to

　　　 C． to give an example proving that his father was an inventor

　　　 D． to describe the real thing that made the author believe his father

57． What did the author’s father think about Stradivarius violins?

　　　 A． The varnish was different from the others,

　　　 B． The way of making them was special．

　　　 C． The wood of the violins was special．

　　 D． They could only be analyzed by chemists．

58． How long did the author’s father live after the violin was stolen?

　　　 A． About 11 years．　　 　　　　　　　　　 B． About 14 years．

　　　 C． About 25 years． 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D． About 80 years．

59． From the underlined sentence, we can learn that the author’s father　　　　　　　　　 .

　　　 A． liked the violin very much

　　　 B． got crazy after this happened

　　　 C． lost interest in instruments

　　　 D． didn't want to become famous

　　When I was a boy, my father told me that he could do anything he wanted to. Dad said that he wanted to be the first to develop color prints in our city, and so he did.

　　When I was 16, Dad looked closely at the violin I played and announced that he wanted to make one. He read about violin-making, and then became a violin-maker at the age of 43. He bought the tools and materials, opened a small store and set Mom up as the shopkeeper, while he worked at a local company. He retired from the company 17 years later and continued to make violins and other instruments.

　　Dad often guessed why the Stradivarius violins sound so beautiful. Some experts claimed that it was the unique varnish (油漆)that gave those instruments their beautiful sound. Dad argued that chemists could analyze the varnish-if that were the answer.

　　One of Dad's friends asked him once which kind of wood was used to make violins. When Dad explained that the top was made of spruce, his friend said that he had an old piece of spruce Dad might be interested in. He worked for the next 12 months making a violin from the wood that his friend had given him. It proved to be a superior violin and it would become Dad's masterpiece. He was convinced that the secret of the Stradivarius sound was in the wood itself.

　　Later, the instrument was stolen. Dad's spirit was broken by the robbery, and he stopped making instruments. But he kept the music shop until he was 80 years old, selling guitars and violins.

　　My father has been gone for 14 years now. The violin has been missing for more than 25 years. Somewhere a musician is playing a late-20th-century violin with an excellent tone. The owner today may never understand why this ordinary-looking violin sounds so much like a Stradivarius.

(1)The author mentions his father's developing color prints ________.

[　　]

A．to show that his father's real interest was not in making violins

B．to prove that his father could do anything he wanted to

C．to give an example proving that his father was an inventor

D．to describe the real thing that made the author believe his father

(2)What did the author's father think about Stradivarius violins?

[　　]

A．The varnish was different from the others.

B．The way of making them was special.

C．The wood of the violins was special.

D．They could only be analyzed by chemists.

(3)From the underlined sentence, we can learn that the author's father ________.

[　　]

A．liked the violin very much

B．got crazy after this happened

C．lost interest in instruments

D．didn't want to become famous

(4)How long did the author's father live after the violin was stolen?

[　　]

(5)We can infer from the last paragraph that the author ________.

[　　]

A．really hates the thief

B．misses his father a lot

C．really wants to play the violin

D．wonders who's playing the violin now

When I walked into the house after school, I found my dad at home.

"What are you doing home already?" I asked casually.

"Andrew, I was laid off today," he answered quietly.

　 I was sure he was joking. "No, you weren't. Why are you really home?"

　 Then I noticed his expression and realized he was telling the truth. My father has always been a hard worker and prided himself on his career. My father's unemployment created many changes in our lives. He was home all day, which meant my bed had to be made, my room cleaned up, and my homework done right after school. I would come home every day to find him at the computer searching for jobs. I began to notice how down he seemed, and how losing his job had affected his self-esteem (自尊心), though he tried to be optimistic. He asked my brother and me to spend less money. I gave up my allowance（零用钱）, which even though it wasn't much, felt like the right thing to do. I also found a part-time job.

　 After several difficult months of searching, my dad decided to go in a totally different direction. He explained that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business. Day by day, I watched him build it, and I admired how much time and energy he devoted to it.

　 One evening I asked if he needed help. "Only if it doesn't interfere（打扰，妨碍） with school," he said, which sounded like a yes.

I showed up at his office the next afternoon, and most afternoons after that for two months. I always knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action really influenced me. Although this was one of the worst experiences for our family, it taught me a lot about dealing with adversity. Now I know that through creative problem-solving, I can always find Plans, ask for help, and take risks.

1．When the father was laid off, he ________.

A．was angry with his boss　　　　　　 B．didn't care about it at all

C．couldn't accept the fact easily　　　　 D．was as happy as usual

2．We can know from the passage that ________.

　 A．it was not easy for the father to find a new job

　 B．the father asked his sons to give up their allowance

　 C．the father found a good job when he changed his direction

　 D．Andrew and his brother helped his father set up his business

3．The underlined word "adversity" in the last paragraph probably means　　　 .

　 A．poor feelings　　 B．bad situations　　 C．low spirits　　 D．old ideas

4．What has Andrew learned from his father?

　 A．The spirit of creative problem-solving.　 B．The skills of surfing the Internet.

　 C．The experience of saving money.　　　　 D．The rich business skills.