Question

【题目】 He’s an old cobbler(修鞋匠）with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I don’t have time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street. He’ll fix them for you right away.”

But I’d had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman(手艺人). “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can’t do it well.”

“The other fellow was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys ‘while-U-wait’-without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap(鞋带)you might as well just throw away the pair.

My man saw I wouldn’t give in, and he smiled. He wiped his hands on his blue apron(围裙）， looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week.”

I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.

“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work.” When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-mew to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-know-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.

These are times when nothing is important but he bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing, consumption (消费）rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.

【1】Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?

A.He was equipped with the best repairing tools.B.He was the only cobbler in the Marais.

C.He was proud of his skills.D.He was a native Parisian.

【2】The underlined sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend.” implies that_____.

A.the man was too oldB.it was difficult to communicate with this man

C.the man was very strangeD.nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him

【3】According to the author, many people work just to _________.

A.realize their abilitiesB.gain happiness

C.make moneyD.gain respect

【4】This story wants to tell us that ___________

A.craftsmen make a lot of moneyB.whatever you do, do it well

C.craftsmen need self-respectD.people are born equal

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】D

【3】C

【4】B

【解析】

本文主要向我们介绍了一位鞋匠的故事，作者从看见一个鞋匠从做好一个工作中得到最大的满足这件事中，希望人们应该认真工作。

【1】推理判断题。A项：他配备了最好的修理工具；B项：他是玛黑区唯一的鞋匠；C项：他为自己的技术感到自豪；D项：他是土生土长的巴黎人。根据“his pride in his craft”可知，他为自己的技术感到自豪。故选C。

【2】词句猜测题。A项：那人太老了；B项：和这个人沟通很困难；C项：这个人很奇怪；D项：现在你很难找到像他这样的人。分析本段内容可知，此句表示会这项手艺的人很少，老人又对自己的手艺感到骄傲，所以此处表示“现在你很难找到像他这样的人”的含义。故选D。

【3】推理判断题。A项：实现他们的能力；B项：获得幸福感；C项：赚钱；D项：获得尊重。根据“These are times when nothing is important but he bottom line…rather than a way to realize their own abilities.”可知，现在人工作只是为了赚钱。故选C。

【4】主旨大意题。A项：工匠们赚了很多钱；B项：无论你做什么，都要把它做好；C项：工匠需要自尊；D项：人人生来平等。分析文章内容可知，作者通过鞋匠从做好一个工作中得到最大的满足这件事中，希望人们应该认真工作。故选B。