I never thought I would have a life?changing experience at Wal?Mart.

Although my thoughts were only on speed，the checkout line I was standing in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted，and I glanced toward the cashier.

There stood a man in his seventies，wearing glasses and a nice smile.I thought，well，he’s an old guy!

For the next few minutes I watched him.He greeted every customer before scanning the items.Sure，his words were the usual，“How’s it going？” But he did something different—he actually listened to people.Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.

I thought it was odd.I had grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit.After a while，you don’t give any thought to the question and just mumble something back.I could say，“I just found out I have six months to live，” and someone would reply，“Have a great day！”

But that wasn’t the end.

He gave them the change，walked around the counter，and extended his right hand in an act of friendship.He looked the customers in the eyes.“I sure want to thank you for shopping here today，” he told them.“You have a great day.Bye?bye.”

The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless.There were smiles and some sheepish grins.All had been touched by his simple gesture—and in a place they never expected.They would gather their things and walk out，smiling.

Of course，he did the same to me and I got to know his name，Marty.

Who was that guy？It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy’s body.

I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that.

1.The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because ________.

A．the cashier couldn’t work as fast as others

B．there were some big purchases

C．the cashier did more than scanning the items

D．the writer was not patient enough

2.According to the writer，when common people ask you “How’s it going？” ________.

A．they don’t really care what you may answer

B．they are just practicing their conversation ability

C．they are inquiring about your private information

D．they don’t expect to hear any negative answers

3.What was most customers’ reaction to Marty’s behaviors?

A．They thought it priceless.

B．They were in some way moved.

C．They thought it awful and odd.

D．They felt somewhat offended.

4.What does the writer intend to express through the text?

A．Our everyday life is always full of surprises.

B．Most customers enjoy being treated this way.

C．Being different is a good way of doing business.

D．A little positive action can make a big difference.

Is this old woman ____? Yes, But she doesn't feel ___.

A. alone, lonely   B. alone ; alone   C. lonely ; alone   D. lonely, lonely

----Awould you please______this old lady?

----Sure. Have my seat, please.

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 haven’t time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street. He’ll fix them for you right away.”

But I had my eyes 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 — 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 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-new 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 and his pride in his craft.

These are times when nothing is important but the 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 rather than a way to realize their 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 sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend” implies that ______.

A．nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him

B．it was difficult to communicate with this man

C．the man was very strange

D．the man was too old

3.According to the author, many people work just to ______.

A．realize their abilities                     B．gain happiness

C．make money                           D．gain respect

4.This story wants to tell us that ______.

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

C．craftsmen need self-respect               D．people are born equal

第三节完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21至40各个题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中,选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

One day a young man called Jim was told to take the  21  examination the next day. He was   22   so much that he couldn’t get to sleep. He wouldn’t join the army because he was in love with a beautiful girl. “If only I could find a   23   to make the doctor believe there is something    24  with my body,” he thought and thought. Suddenly, a good idea crossed his mind.

The next morning Jim got to the   25   on time and was led into a large room. He hurriedly found a seat to sit down and took out an out-of-date newspaper,   26   to read it. Soon it was his turn to be examined. When he came up to the doctor, the old man took a quick and sharp look at him. Then in a   27   he ordered Jim to take off his clothes, go straight to a corner and sit down on a chair there. No sooner had he seated himself on the chair than he heard the doctor murmuring to his assistant: “Finished! The boy is  28   up to the standard.”

“How can you draw such a   29   like that before you give me a  30  check? Jim shouted at the doctor.

“Don’t be impetuous(冲动), young man! Put on your clothes, and then I’ll  31   it to you,” the doctor said   32  .“You said we didn’t examine you carefully, but I don’t think it

33   for us to do that. When I told you in a low voice to take off your clothes, you did it as I told you. It shows you have good  34  . When you were asked to go and sit on the chair, you did so, too. It shows you can see any subject within a certain distance.   35  , you were found reading the newspaper just now, and we are certain you are a man of intelligence.

36 , you’re perfect in mind and body.” 

Half a year later, Jim was killed on the battlefield. At the news his girlfriend nearly went

37  . She kept weeping. “Don’t be like that, my dear.” It was an old man’s  38   voice. “Your Jim died a real man. He   39  his life to the people all over the world. It is right that we should be proud of him…” Saying this, the old man, her father, was choked(哽咽). His only   40   was that he had never had Jim know who he was. This old man was the medical officer who had given Jim the health check.