(08·江苏D篇)

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There,I n the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him,“Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.”Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him.

I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,”Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing.

He’d reminisce(回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,”Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,”Jack said.

“You know, Jack,after your father died, Mr.Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,”she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him.He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,”Jack said.

Busy as he was,he kept his word.Jack caught the next flight to his hometown.Mr.Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful.He had no children of his own,and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home,Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time,which was exactly as he remembered.Every step held memories.Every picture,every piece of furniture...Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong,Jack?”his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,”he said.

“What box?”Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk.I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside.All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,”Jack said.

It was gone.Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it,except for the box.He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,”Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day,he found a package on his desk.The return address caught his attention.

“Mr.Harold Belser”it read.

Jack tore open the package.There inside was the gold box and an envelope.

Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside.

“Upon my death,please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett.

It’s the thing I valued most in my life.”A small key was taped to the letter.His heart racing,and tears filling his eyes,Jack carefully unlocked the box.There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover,he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved:“Jack,thanks for your time!Harold Belser.”

“Oh,my God! This is the thing he valued most...”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes,then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days.“Why?”his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

66.Why did Jack think Mr.Belser died years ago?

A.College and career prevented him from remembering Mr.Belser.

B.Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr.Belser.

C.Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr.Belser.

D.His present busy life washed away his childhood memories.

67.Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr.Belser EXCEPT that         .

A.Mr.Belser often asked how Jack was doing

B.Mr.Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

C.Mr.Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

D.Mr.Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

68.Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

A.Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

B.Because he had no children or relatives.

C.Because he thought he had to keep his word.

D.Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

69.Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

A.He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

B.He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

C.He had missed his son and his family for days.

D.He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

70.Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A.The Good Old Times

B.What He Valued Most

C.An Old Gold Watch

D.The Lost Childhood Days

A young man learns what’s most important in life from the guy next door.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said．

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry,” he said．“I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important…Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,” Jack said．

As busy as he was, he kept his word．Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered．Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture….Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone.” he said．

“What box?” Mom asked．

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’.” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him.” Jack said.

“I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom.”

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day, Jack discovered a note in his mailbox “Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days.” the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. “Mr. Harold Belser” it read．Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside.

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

“Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser.”

“The thing he valued most was…my time”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” Janet, his assistant asked．

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said, “Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!”

1．Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

     A．College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Bleser.

     B．Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

     C．Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

     D．His present busy life washed away his childhood memories.

2．Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that ______.

     A．Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

     B．Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

     C．Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

     D．Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

3．Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

     A．Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

     B．Because he had no children or relatives.

     C．Because he thought he had to keep his word.

     D．Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

4．Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

     A．He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

     B．He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

     C．He had missed his son and his family for days.

     D．He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

Learning English is one of the few things I have been doing consistently over the past 16 years. Like most Chinese students, I started learning English because it was a compulsory (必修的) course in my middle school. More importantly, English was a central subject for the college entrance exam.

At that time , studying English was not a pleasant experience for me . There was no fun in the process of learning . The focus of our English education was getting a good mark in exams . And nobody told me that the real meaning of studying mother language was communication.

When I became a university student , I spent nearly half of my time on English . In fact , more than 90 percent of the job offer ads in Shanghai list “ proficiency (精通) as a main requirement.

How did I improve my English ? People told me that TOEFL was very helpful and useful. As a result, I took a TOEFL training course and studied like mad. After six months’ preparation, I took part in the exam and got a high score . Later on , I had a chance to further my study in Britain . I soon discovered that all of my past English learning had been futile (没用的) . When I first went shopping in a local supermarket , I really could not understand what the cashier was saying at all.

It was then that I realized I had totally missed the point . Instead of just passing exams , the main function of learning English or any other language is communication . What is more , lanuage does not exist independent of culture. Hence , mechanical memorization helps very little in communication. That’s why I was still unable to freely express myself after learning English for many years . By no means am I talented in any foreign language . I am still learing English . Why ?

First and foremost , my job requires me to use English everyday . Secondly , English helps me to have access to more information . Thirdly , as a bookworm , English gives me a chance to dive into the huge pool of inspiring English books . Last but not least , it is such a great experience to write in another language . Indeed , English has become part of my life .

How did the writer find English when he was a student?

A. He was interested in it .

B. He studied it because it was compulsory course.

C. He thought it funny to study English.

D. He often recited something when he studied English.

What is the purpose of studying English according to the writer’s idea ?

A. To get high marks in exams.

B. To prove that Englsih is very important.

C. Studying Eglish well can ehlp you get a good job.

D. To use English for communication with others.

According to the text , how is my English ?

A.I am good at English.

B.I can speak Englsih like natives.

C.I can master it but I can’t use it correctly.

D.I continued to study Englsih.

How can we master Englsih well ？

A.We need more mechanical memorization.

B.We should read and recite more books.

C.We should study Englsih as well as its culture and use it more .

D.We can study hard in classrooms and houses and get high marks in exams .

Learning English is one of the few things I have been doing consistently over the past 16 years. Like most Chinese students, I started learning English because it was a compulsory (必修的) course in my middle school. More importantly, English was a central subject for the college entrance exam.
At that time , studying English was not a pleasant experience for me . There was no fun in the process of learning . The focus of our English education was getting a good mark in exams . And nobody told me that the real meaning of studying mother language was communication.
When I became a university student , I spent nearly half of my time on English . In fact , more than 90 percent of the job offer ads in Shanghai list “ proficiency (精通) as a main requirement.
How did I improve my English ? People told me that TOEFL was very helpful and useful. As a result, I took a TOEFL training course and studied like mad. After six months’ preparation, I took part in the exam and got a high score . Later on , I had a chance to further my study in Britain . I soon discovered that all of my past English learning had been futile (没用的) . When I first went shopping in a local supermarket , I really could not understand what the cashier was saying at all.
It was then that I realized I had totally missed the point . Instead of just passing exams , the main function of learning English or any other language is communication . What is more , lanuage does not exist independent of culture. Hence , mechanical memorization helps very little in communication. That’s why I was still unable to freely express myself after learning English for many years . By no means am I talented in any foreign language . I am still learing English . Why ?
First and foremost , my job requires me to use English everyday . Secondly , English helps me to have access to more information . Thirdly , as a bookworm , English gives me a chance to dive into the huge pool of inspiring English books . Last but not least , it is such a great experience to write in another language . Indeed , English has become part of my life .

1. 1.

   How did the writer find English when he was a student?

   1. A.
      He was interested in it .
   2. B.
      He studied it because it was compulsory course.
   3. C.
      He thought it funny to study English.
   4. D.
      He often recited something when he studied English.
2. 2.

   What is the purpose of studying English according to the writer’s idea ?

   1. A.
      To get high marks in exams.
   2. B.
      To prove that Englsih is very important.
   3. C.
      Studying Eglish well can ehlp you get a good job.
   4. D.
      To use English for communication with others.
3. 3.

   According to the text , how is my English ?

   1. A.
      I am good at English.
   2. B.
      I can speak Englsih like natives.
   3. C.
      I can master it but I can’t use it correctly.
   4. D.
      I continued to study Englsih.
4. 4.

   How can we master Englsih well ？

   1. A.
      We need more mechanical memorization.
   2. B.
      We should read and recite more books.
   3. C.
      We should study Englsih as well as its culture and use it more .
   4. D.
      We can study hard in classrooms and houses and get high marks in exams .