To some people who didn’t know Harry，he was just a senior citizen  36  me he was an adviser, a good listener，and most of all，my friend．Harry always  37  time for me when I would  38  him up on the phone with some plumbing(管道)problems．He would always say，“How are you，kid?”

    He  39  on a lot of his plumbing knowledge to me in our  40  talks and would inspire me to be confident in the things I had learned from him and on the job．I still remember  41  a customer came into the   42  looking for help．I started to shy away，feeling  43_of myself．Harry said，“Go ahead．kid．you   44  do it．You have to leave the nest sometime and now is the time．”He was right-

    Hatry was a humble(谦逊的)man．One day I complained when asked to  45  the floor in the store and Hatry told me，  “Kid，it’s part of the job and， 46  ，you’re being paid．”He would grab the broom and start singing 1 was always   47  by how this gentle man could  48   an unpleasant task into a learning  49  for me．

    I always wanted to be like him．He never  50   to let little things annoy him．He said，“Life was too  5l   for that．”

    I will miss his concern and gentle caring ways，and I will always cherish(珍惜)the moments we had together．I am   52   for the good pans that Harry  53  on me and at times I try to pass these  54  on to others．Gad must have known that I needed an Angel(天使)to guide me and he 55  Harry．

Wishing to encourage her young son to make more progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually found his way through a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE.” When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.
Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. To her horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
At that moment, the great pianist made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a melody. Together, the old master and the young beginner transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was amazed and, as it finished, they cheered.
That’s the way it is in life. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly graceful flowing music. But when we put our trust in the hands of a Greater Power, our life’s work can be truly beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit, and keep playing.”
【小题1】The reason why the boy went to the piano was that ________.

It amazed me—every time I saw Joe he was smiling.It didn’t matter whether he had to stop at a stop light，or if he was the seventh person in line at the bank，and the teller (出纳员) ended her job just before he got there.Joe always smiled.It made me wonder why he always seemed so happy.

Having observed Joe with other people，I noticed something else too.Joe asked people how they were doing，and really seemed to listen to their answers.He showed pity to someone who was hurting，and had kind words，and offered to help in any way he could.

It made me think.What if I tried to smile more？An experiment began when I went to the supermarket.I smiled as I went up and down the supermarket and people I didn’t even know smiled back at me.Some even spoke！The little kid in the cart who was giving his mother a hard time saw me smile；he stopped talking and then made a shy attempt at a smile.The man in the cart for the disabled needed help to reach for something，and I got it for him.The smile even transferred (转移) over to him，and he thanked me.

As I drove home，I was smiling.Now I know a smile is a small thing，but what if we all tried to smile a few more times each day？I couldn’t believe how great I felt.Nothing in my life had changed，but maybe it had.What I had learned was that such a small thing could lift not only my spirits，but also the spirits of those around me.So smile!

60．What did the writer wonder?

A．Why bad things never happened to Joe.

B．What kind of person Joe was.

C．Why Joe always seemed so happy.

D．How to be as happy as Joe.

61．What do we know about Joe from Paragraph 2?

A．He has nothing to worry about.

B．He lives a very hard life.

C．He is kind and ready to help others.

D．He often asks others to smile.

62．What experiment did the writer do?

A．He smiled at others in the supermarket.

B．He bought people things in the supermarket.

C．He helped anyone who needed help.

D．He said kind words to others.

63．According to the passage，how was the writer’s experiment?

A．It was a failure.                                   B．It proved nothing.

C．It was unacceptable.                           D．It was quite satisfying.

It amazed me—every time I saw Joe he was smiling.It didn’t matter whether he had to stop at a stop light，or if he was the seventh person in line at the bank，and the teller (出纳员) ended her job just before he got there.Joe always smiled.It made me wonder why he always seemed so happy.

Having observed Joe with other people，I noticed something else too.Joe asked people how they were doing，and really seemed to listen to their answers.He showed pity to someone who was hurting，and had kind words，and offered to help in any way he could.

It made me think.What if I tried to smile more？An experiment began when I went to the supermarket.I smiled as I went up and down the supermarket and people I didn’t even know smiled back at me.Some even spoke！The little kid in the cart who was giving his mother a hard time saw me smile；he stopped talking and then made a shy attempt at a smile.The man in the cart for the disabled needed help to reach for something，and I got it for him.The smile even transferred (转移) over to him，and he thanked me.

As I drove home，I was smiling.Now I know a smile is a small thing，but what if we all tried to smile a few more times each day？I couldn’t believe how great I felt.Nothing in my life had changed，but maybe it had.What I had learned was that such a small thing could lift not only my spirits，but also the spirits of those around me.So smile!

50．What did the writer wonder?

A．Why bad things never happened to Joe.

B．What kind of person Joe was.

C．Why Joe always seemed so happy.

D．How to be as happy as Joe.

51．What do we know about Joe from Paragraph 2?

A．He has nothing to worry about.

B．He lives a very hard life.

C．He is kind and ready to help others.

D．He often asks others to smile.

52．What experiment did the writer do?

A．He smiled at others in the supermarket.

B．He bought people things in the supermarket.

C．He helped anyone who needed help.

D．He said kind words to others.

53．According to the passage，how was the writer’s experiment?

A．It was a failure.                                   B．It proved nothing.

C．It was unacceptable.                           D．It was quite satisfying.

Wishing to encourage her young son to make more progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually found his way through a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE.” When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.
Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. To her horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
At that moment, the great pianist made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a melody. Together, the old master and the young beginner transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was amazed and, as it finished, they cheered.
That’s the way it is in life. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly graceful flowing music. But when we put our trust in the hands of a Greater Power, our life’s work can be truly beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit, and keep playing.”

1. 1.

   The reason why the boy went to the piano was that ________.

   1. A.
      he was encouraged to explore
   2. B.
      his mother forced him to have a look
   3. C.
      he was invited by the pianist
   4. D.
      he was exploring the concert hall
2. 2.

   What the famous pianist did at the beginning of the concert showed ________.

   1. A.
      what a great pianist he was
   2. B.
      what a skilled pianist he was
   3. C.
      what an upright man he was
   4. D.
      what a strong man he was
3. 3.

   What did the author really want to tell us in the last paragraph?

   1. A.
      Not being interrupted by others is important.
   2. B.
      Life needs one’s own effort combined with guidance and cooperation.
   3. C.
      It is necessary for us to keep doing everything.
   4. D.
      It is important for us to get help from a famous person.