3．The man (paragraph 6) left his first job partly because he was ______.

　　　 A．in an abnormal mental state　　　　 　　 B．under too much pressure

　　　 C．not well paid　　　　　　　 　　　　 D．not respected

2．The underlined phrase “turn his back on” (paragraph 6) most probably means _____.

　　　 A．leave for　　　　 B．return to　　　　　　 C．give up　　　　 　 D．rely on

1．The first paragraph of the passage tells us that ______.

　　　 A．we always try to find some time to write a book

　　　 B．we always make plans but seldom fulfil them

　　　 C．we always enjoy many of life’s best moments

　　　 D．we always do what we really want to do

4．The best possible title for this passage is “　　 ”.

A．Ways of Choosing Gifts　　　　　 B．An Important Tradition

C．Exchanging Presents　　　　　　　 D．Message in a Gift

四十八

How many people have I met who have told me about the book they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time? Far too many.

This is life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal (排演) and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments.

We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do．Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life.

In America they have a saying much laughed at by the English: “Have a nice day” they speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars．I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment: to value this very day.

How often do we say to ourselves, “I’ll take up horse-riding (or golf, or sailing) as soon as I get a higher position,” only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position.

When I first became a reporter I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper．At the time I was astonished by what　 appeared to me to be his completely abnormal (反常的) mental state．How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area? I wanted to know.

Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it．In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure．He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains.

3．In the third paragraph, the author tells us that 　　　　.

　　　 A．attention should be paid to the receivers’ responses

　　　 B．one learns from what he did in the past

　　　 C．the choice of gifts reflects one’s emotional qualities

　　　 D．one should spend more time choosing gifts

2．Which of the following is the main idea of the second paragraph?

　　　 A．Natural empathy needs to be reinforced.

　　　 B．Emotional changes influence one’s choice of gifts.

　　　 C．Selecting the right gift is an ability people are born with.

　　　 D．choosing gifts requires one to understand the receivers.

1．The underlined expression “you had missed the mark” means “you had failed to 　　　”.

A．make her feel better 　　　　　　　B．keep you friendship

C．receive a present in return　　　　 D．get the expected effect

3．Vauvenarges’s remark　 suggests that 　　　　　

　　　 A．lying is an age-old human problem　　　

　　　 B．dishonesty　 increase as people get older

　　　 C．people were dishonest in the 18^th century

　　　 D．it is social conditions that make people tell lies

四十七

Have you ever received a gift that was so clearly not your taste that you wondered if perhaps it had been handed to you by mistake? Worse, have you ever given a present and watched your friend took as though she had opened the wrong box? Maybe she responded with a polite “Why, thank you,” but you knew you had missed the mark．Why do presents sometimes to wrong? And what do your choices (good and bad) reflect about your personal qualities?

Choosing the right gift is an art, I believe．It calls for empathy-the ability to put yourself into someone else’s head and heart．We’re all able to do this; in fact, we’re born with a kind of natural empathy．After the earliest period of childhood, however, it needs to be reinforced (加强) by our parents, teachers, friends．When it isn’t, we’re not able to understand other people’s feelings as sharply．This can show in the gifts we select, and so can many other emotional (情感的) qualities.

Think back to the presents you’ve given over the past year, the time and effort you put into your selection, how much you spent, your thoughts while you were shopping, and your feelings when the receiver opened the package．Keep in mind that what you choose displays your inner world．Of course, you may express yourself differently with different friends, relatives, and other people you know.

We live in a society where exchanging presents is an important part of communication．Ignoring the tradition won’t make it go away．If you really dislike such a tradition, tell your friends ahead of time.

2．According to the text, most Americans　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　 A．hate white lies　　　　　　　　　 　　 B．believe white lies

　　　 C．value honesty　　　　　　　　　 　　 D．consider others dishonest

1．When the writer says “Dick Spivak is just an ordinary man ,” he means　　　　 　

　　　 A．it is common that people tell white lies

　　　 B．Dick could do nothing about bad traffic

　　　 C．it is common that people delay their payment

　　　 D．Dick found it hard to deal with everyday problems