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I met him first in 1936. I rushed into his ugly little shop to have the heels of my shoes repaired. I waited when he did it. He greeted me with a cheerful smile. “You’re new in this neighborbood, aren’t you?”
I said I was. I had moved into a house at the end of the street only a week before.
“This is a fine neighborhood,” he said. “You’ll be happy here.” He looked at the leather covering the heel sadly. It was worn through because I had failed to have the repair done a month before. I grew impatient, for I was rushing to meet a friend. “Please hurry,” I begged.
He looked at me over his spectacles. “Now, lady, we won’t be long. I want to do a good job. You see, I have a tradition to live up to.”
A tradition? In this ugly little shop that was no different from so many other shoe repair shops on the side streets of New York?
He must have felt my surprise, for he smiled as he went on. “Yes, lady, I inherited a tradition. My father and my grandfather were shoemakers in Italy, and they were the best. My father always told me, ‘Son, do the best job on every shoe that comes into the shop, and be proud of your fine work. Do that always, and you’ll have both happiness and money enough to live on.’”
As he handed me the finished shoes, he said: “These will last a long time. I’ve used good leather.”
I left in a hurry. But I had a warm and grateful feeling. On my way home I passed the little shop again. There he was, still working. He saw me, and to my surprise he waved and smiled. This was the beginning of our friendship. It was a friendship that came to mean more and more to me as time passed.
Every day I passed his shop, we waved to each other in friendly greeting. At first I went in only when I had repair work to be done. Then I found myself going in every few days just to talk with him.
He was the happiest man I’ve ever known. Often, as he stood in his shopwindow, working at a pair of shoes, he sang in a high, clear Italian voice. The Italians in our neighborhood called him la luce alla finestra—“the light in the window”.
One day I was disappointed and angry because of poor jobs some painters had done for me. I went into his shop for comfort. He let me go on talking angrily about the poor work and carelessness of present-day workmen. “They had no pride in their work,” I said. “They just wanted to collect their money for doing nothing.”
He agreed. “There’s a lot of that kind around, but maybe we should not blame them. Maybe their fathers had no pride in their work. That’s hard on a boy. It keeps him from learning something important.” He waited a minute and said “Every man or woman who hasn’t inherited a prideful tradition must start building one.”
“In this country, our freedom lets each of us make his own contribution. We must make it a good contribution. No matter what sort of work a man does, if he gives it his best each day, he’s starting a tradition for his children to live up to. And he is making lots of happiness for himself.”
I went to Europe for a few months. When I returned, there was no “light in the window”. The door was closed. There was a little sign: “Call for shoes at shop next door.” I learned the old man had suddenly got sick and died two weeks before
I went away with a heavy heart. I would miss him. But he had left me something—an important piece of wisdom I shall always remember: “If you inherited a prideful tradition, you must carry it on; if you haven’t, start building one now.”
1.The shoemaker looked sadly at the shoes because __________
A. they were of poor quality.
B. he didn’t have the right kind of leather
C. he thought they were too worn to be repaired
D. the author hadn’t taken good care of them.
2.The author was surprised when she heard that the shop had a tradition because the shop ________.
A. looked no different from other shoe repair shops
B. had a light in the window
C. was at the end of a street
D. was quite an ugly and dirty one
3.What does the underlined word “inherit” mean in paragraph 6 mean?
A. develop B. receive C. learn D. appreciate
4.The author later frequently went into the little shop __________.
A. to repair her worn shoes
B. only to chat with the shoemaker
C. to look at the new shoes there
D. only to get comfort from the shoemaker
5.Why was the shoemaker called “the light in the window” by his neighbors?
A. Because he always worked late at night.
B. Because he always put a light in the window.
C. Because he was always guiding the others.
D. Because he was always happy and cheerful.
6.What’s the best title of this passage?
A. A Proud Shoemaker B. A Prideful Tradition
C. The Light in the Window D. Treasure Your Shoes
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David and Victoria Beckham are firing their sons’ uncles. Well, sort of . The couple will be forced to let go of their eight longtime security guards when they move to the States this summer. According to the Sun, the Beckham children, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz, are so close to the guards that they consider them their uncles.
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An insider told the newspaper, “Posh and Becks’ personal protection group have been with them for a good few years. But they won’t be allowed to work for them in America because they do not qualify for work permits because of the strict regulations surrounding work permits in the US. It is looking like the Becks will have to give them all the sack because they will rarely be outside the US and won’t be needed. The hunt is now on to find an American security team to look after them in LA. It’s proving to be a massive headache because David and Victoria are comfortable and so happy with their current team.” The current guards have qualifications hard to match. Two of them are former members of Britain’s Special Air service. But considering the fact that the Beckhams pay their guards about $3,000 a week and the guards get two weeks off every month, it’s likely that they will attract some qualified candidates in Los Angeles as well.
1．From this passage, we know that ____________.
A．the Becks are not satisfied with their security guards
B．the current guards are popular with the Beckham kids
C．American guards are better qualified than British ones
D．security guards are always loyal and well paid
2．What does the underlined expression “give them all the sack” mean?
A．To help them to find new jobs.
B．To stay inside while in the US.
C．To get all of them dismissed.
D．To offer them a large sum of money.
3．What does the author want to tell us through the last paragraph?
A．It will not be difficult for the Becks to find new guards in America.
B．The American guards are sure to be worse than the current ones.
C．The Becks prefer their guards to have army backgrounds.
D．The Becks have a good relationship with their American guards.
4．When will the Beckhams begin the hunt for a new American protection group?
A．It will begin this summer.
B．It will begin right now.
C．It began a few years ago.
D．It has already been on.
5．Which section of a newspaper does this passage probably belong to?
A．Sports. B．Opinions. C．Entertainment. D．Business.
查看习题详情和答案>>Mother was born in 1887.By the time she was 13, seven more children filled the family’s
She and my father got married when they were nearly 40. A few years after their marriage, my parents fulfilled their dream of owning a home. To Mother, Buckingham Place, he Venice canals and Shangri-La were all wrapped up in that six-room brick house in the Bronx. Then the Depression (经济大萧条) set in. Father’s pub began to lose money; their savings declined to nothing. Daddy had to let the assistants go and began working 20-hour days and one morning in 1936 he didn’t wake up. Mother was left with three children and a mortgage (抵押贷款)。
Mother bore her grief and carried on. It was impossible to get a job in those times, so Mother came up a solution. A sign, “Furnished Rooms”, was tacked onto our door, beginning a parade of people into our lives for the next five years.
One I remember fell two weeks behind in his rent and tried to tiptoe (踮着脚走) out at dawn. Unfortunately for him, Mother, who was always rearranging things, had moved the furniture the night before, and he tripped (绊) over a repositioned lamp. Mother rushed out to find him sprawled on the floor. “If you didn’t have the money, you should have told me,” she said. “God knows, I can understand that.” He left with two dollars pressed into his hand.
All those things happened long ago but they are always fresh in my mind. And Mother is always in my heart.
1. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The author’s mother was born in a family with seven children.
B. The author’s mother was a well-educated and hard-working woman.
C. The author’s mother never realized her dream of traveling to Europe.
D. The author’s father died when the author was very young.
2. What was the most probable cause of the author’s father’s death?
A. Old age. B. Depression. C. Overwork D. Mortgage
3. The person who tried to tiptoe out _____.
A. paid the rent and left the house
B. was not wiling to pay the rent though he had money
C. paid the rent and had only two dollars left
D. got two dollars instead of paying the rent
4. The author’s mother did the following EXCEPT that ____.
A. she moved the lamp to another pace one night
B. she put up an advertisement on the door
C. she started to work at an early age to earn money
D. she got up early to stop the person from running away
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阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36~55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡将该项涂黑。
Lang Lang is a world-class young pianist who grew up in Shenyang.He went to a piano school in Beijing when he was just eight.“You need 36 ,”his father said.“But if you don’t work hard,no fortune will come.”
What made him sad was 37 his piano teacher in Beijing didn’t like him.“You have no talent(天赋).You will never be a pianist.” 38 a nine-year-old boy,Lang Lang was badly 39 .He decided that he didn’t want to be a 40 any more.For the next two weeks he didn’t touch the piano._ 41 ,his father didn’t push,but waited.
Luckily,the day came when his teacher asked him to 42 some holiday songs.He didn’t want to,but as he placed his fingers on the piano keys,he 43 that he could show others that he had talent 44 .That day he told his father 45 he had been waiting to hear—that he wanted to study with a new teacher. 46 that point on,everything turned around.
He started 47 competitions(比赛).In the 1994 International Young Pianists Competition,when it was 48 that Lang Lang had won,he was too 49 to hold back his tears.Soon 50 was clear that he couldn’t stay in China forever—he had to play on the world’s big 51 .In 1997 Lang Lang 52 again,this time to Philadelphia,U.S.There he spent two years practising,and by 1999 he had worked hard enough for fortune to take over.After his 53 performance at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival,gigs(特邀演出) in Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall started 54 in.Lang Lang finally worked to reach the place where fortune spots(发现) him,and lets him 55 .
36.A.exercise B.fortune C.knowledge D.wealth
37.A.whether B.why C.when D.that
38.A.Like B.With C.To D.As
39.A.hurt B.weakened C.ruined D.frightened
40.A.singer B.pianist C.conductor D.player
41.A.Hopefully B.Patiently C.Wisely D.Painfully
42.A.play B.sing C.write D.study
43.A.seemed B.admitted C.noticed D.realized
44.A.in all B.above all C.after all D.at all
45.A.that B.what C.which D.when
46.A.From B.At C.Since D.After
47.A.receiving B.accepting C.winning D.beating
48.A.told B.mentioned C.announced D.recognized
49.A.excited B.encouraged C.shocked D.satisfied
50.A.this B.it C.that D.what
51.A.concerts B.tours C.competitions D.stages
52.A.started B.left C.moved D.performed
53.A.successful B.cheerful C.respectful D.meaningful
54.A.pulling B.breaking C.falling D.pouring
55.A.brighten B.shine C.admire D.develop
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