Question

There was a businessman who was deep in debt(债务) and could see no way out. He sat on a park bench, head in his hands.

Suddenly, an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you,” he said. After listening to the businessman’s story, the old man wrote out a check(支票), and put it in his hand, saying, “Take it and pay me back here exactly one year from today.” Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The businessman saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, one of the richest men in the world.

“I can pay off my debts in a second!” he realized. But instead, the businessman decided to put the check in his safe(保险箱). Just knowing it was there might give him the power to save his business, he thought.

He went back and worked hard to make his business successful. Within several months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. Behind the old man was a nurse. The nurse spoke to the businessman and said that the old man was mentally ill and was always telling people he was John D. Rockefeller.

The businessman was shocked to hear this. All year long he’d been buying and selling, believing that he had half a million dollars behind him. Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

1.The businessman probably felt_________when he got the check from the old man.

A.anxious B.excited C.annoyed D.unhappy

2.The business put the check away because_________.

A.he didn’t want it to be stolen B.having the money brought him confidence

C.he hoped to find his real owner D.he was scared of spending it

3.What does the underlined word “mentally” mean in Chinese?

A.心理上 B.身体上 C.言语上 D.行动上

4.What happened at the agreed-upon time the next year?

A.The old man asked the businessman to pay back at once.

B.The businessman returned the check to the old man.

C.The old man didn’t remember he was John D. Rockefeller.

D.The businessman found out that the old man had a mental illness.

5.What does the story tell us?

A.Poor people are less confident than the rich.

B.It is easy for rich people to become poor.

C.Self-confidence plays a big role in one’s life.

D.Mentally ill people understand life’s basic truths.

Answer 1