题目内容
The long climb left Jane feeling______ (令人屏息的,气喘吁吁).
breathless
I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed”, sh
e said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.?
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “ I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”
【小题1】In the first paragraph, “No ifs, ands or buts” probably means ______.
| A.Unintentionally | B.Independently |
| C.Impressively | D.Unconditionally |
| A.with his family | B.with Evelyn |
| C.alone | D.with his children |
| A.he was determined to be a good husband |
| B.he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm |
| C.she looked lovely in her new clothes |
| D.the doctor said his wife was seriously ill |
| A.He praised her sweater, which puzzled her. |
| B.She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated. |
| C.He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her. |
| D.He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying. |
| A.he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life |
| B.he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband |
| C.he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change |
| D.he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before |
Once upon a time, a man was walking on a mountain when he found an incredible cave with all kinds of treasure inside it. So he gave up his job, his home, and his friends, and spent all his time guarding the cave.
He was so dedicated to it that he hardly ate or drank, and before long he fell ill. One day, when he could hardly move at all, he decided to share the treasure.
He crawled(爬)into the cave to get a handful of jewels, but discovered, to his horror, that it was empty except for a small emerald(绿宝石). The man took it, and gave it to the first person he came by, a woman.
Then an old man came by. “What bad luck!” the man said. “Just a moment ago I gave a woman the last of the treasure I was guarding.”
“Are you sure there is nothing left?” the old man asked.
The man took him into the cave, where they found a chest with jewels and some bags of gold. The man was shocked, and the old man explained to him, “At last! At last someone has broken the spell(咒语)of this cave. This is the Cave of Treasure, and you’re the first to have passed its great test. Many have dedicated their lives to this cave, only to end up realizing there was nothing here…”
“And why does this happen?” the man asked.
“This magic cave has only as many riches as your own heart. When someone discovers it, the cave is filled with treasure, but later, when they have devoted themselves to guarding the treasure, their hearts empty, as does the cave. The only way to fill it is by filling your heart with all that is good, as you did by giving the woman that last jewel.”
From that day on, the man understood that it was better to share than to keep. Thanks to the cave and the old man, he became noble and generous.
【小题1】Why did the man give up his job, home and friends?
| A.Because he possessed a variety of treasure. |
| B.Because he had to guard the treasure cave. |
| C.Because he wanted to find the treasure cave. |
| D.Because he devoted himself to a great test. |
| A.A small emerald. | B.A handful of jewels. |
| C.All kinds of treasure. | D.A chest filled with jewels and some gold. |
| A.They all found the cave empty at last. |
| B.The old man freed them from its spell. |
| C.They all filled the cave with the treasure they had. |
| D.They thought it was better to share than to enjoy the treasure alone. |
| A.The old man had devoted himself to it before. |
| B.The old man was the first to break the spell. |
| C.Only the old man could free people from its spell. |
| D.The cave and the old man helped the man become noble and generous. |
| A.Purely material things cannot make us truly wealthy. |
| B.Different people have different views. |
| C.Treasure only belongs to those who possess it. |
| D.Some people never learn what is really valuable. |