51. Why did the author give his money to the boy?

A. Because he had enough money.

B. Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.

C. Because he held a higher position in the society.

D. Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.

50. The second time the author met the boy, the boy　 　.

A. told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts B. wanted to express his thanks

C. asked him for money for his schoolbooks D. tried to take advantage of him

49. What was the author’s first impression of the boy?

A. He seemed to be poor and greedy.　 B. He seemed to have suffered a lot.

C. He seemed younger than his age.　 D. He seemed good at bargaining.

48.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

C

The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me ,eager to sell his bunches(串)of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known he bitterness of life. “Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 that for the fruit and nuts, When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change. So I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.

When two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.

I pulled over and rolled down my window, He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” asked him.

“I…I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills. “Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir.” he said. “Thank you very much!”

When driving home. I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a cheat(骗子)?And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I wondered why I did it, Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.

Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out For a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.

“Oh, gosh! Long time.”

“Are you in school now?” I asked.

He nodded.

“That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?”　 I asked. “It’s a gift.”

He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat(汗水). He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”

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

A. attention should be paid to the receiver’s 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

46. Which of the following is the main ideas 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.

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

A. make her feel better　　　　　　　　 B. keep your friendship

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

44. It can be inferred from the passage that the March family had ______.

A. both happiness and sadness　　 B. wealthy neighbors

C. more girls than boys　　　　　 D. a lot of rich relatives

B

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 look 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 go wrong? And what do your choices(good and had) 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.

43. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. The march Family 　　　　 B. The March Parents

C. The March Girls　　　　　　 D. The March Relatives

42. Who was the most successful in career(事业) among the March girls?

A. Jo 　　　　　　　　　 B. Beth　　　　　　　　 C. Amy　　　　　　　　 D. Meg