The meaning of the word "volunteer" may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means "one who offers his or her services". There are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working in homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage from beaches and parks. Volunteers may work within their own countries or in other countries. They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. Volunteers don't expect any kind of pay. At the root of volunteering is the idea that one person may have the ability to offer services that can help other people. Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a _ of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa's homes in Calcutta. The following is her story. "I first heard about Mother Teresa in my high school We watched a video about her work in India and all over the world. I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that after I graduated from high school, I wanted to try her kind of work. So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks. " "I was asked to work in a home for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch. I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer them up. I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them. To be honest, I don't think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help,but to learn about and experience another culture that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world. " Why did Tracy choose to be a volunteer? A) She liked to work with Mother Teresa. B) She had already had some experience. C) She was asked by Mother Teresa's example. D) She wanted to follow Mother Teresa's example.
D
The businessman was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy . Suddenly an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something is troubling you." he said. After listening to the businessman, the old man said: "I believe I can help you." He asked the man his name, wrote out a check , and pushed it into his hand saying: "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time." 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, then one of the richest men in the world! "I can settle all my debts in a moment!" he realized. But instead, the man decided to put the uncashed check in his safe, just knowing it would give him the strength to work out a way to save his business. With renewed optimism, he made better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big deals. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again. Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the businessman was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man. "I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller." And she led the old man away by the arm. The businessman stood there, still and shocked. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, 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 had given him the power to achieve anything he wanted to. What is the message of the story? A) An offer of money can be a mixed blessing. B) A mad man can save a bankrupt company. C) It's always good to have some backup money. D) Self-confidence matters in problem-solving.
D
(Q).
It was late in a spring afternoon. I was sitting at a fruit stand beside Beihai Lake looking at the shinning ripple , which awoke me to a full sense of life. A mother and her daughter were sitting opposite to me. The latter, a lovely girl of seven or eight with a pretty, small nose, was occupied with an ice cream. Her mother, holding the child's sweater, was whispering to her. A sudden breeze blew and the child sneezed. Her mother rapidly put the sweater on her and began to button it up. In her hurry the buttons were wrongly matched, which was unnoticed by her until several had been done. The mother at once unbuttoned the sweater and did it again. Such an unimportant incident, however, did not escape the child's eye. "Ha-ha, mum, see how your mind has wandered!" said the girl with a loud laughter, which brought a bit angry look to the mother's face. As an onlooker, I imagined a good dressing down for the little girl because of the impolite remark she made. But instead there was only an embarrassing interval of a few seconds. Then I heard the mother's gentle voice: "Yes, it surely has, for my heart has gone out to you!" said the mother, pointing a kind finger at the girl's little chest. The child blinked puzzlingly, hiding her red face in the arms of her mother who hugged her gently. A smile of satisfaction spread over the mother's face. I was deeply moved by the scene of motherly love. What was the most praiseworthy thing about the mother was her way of treating the child's behavior. Nowadays many people seem to forget that the best way to educate a child is not tolerating or blaming, or even moral lecturing, but tender enlightening with love. Which of the following statements is true? A) The child was very naughty. B) Many people are short of love. C) The writer was familiar with the mother. D) The writer can't agree more with the mother's way of educating her child.
(A).
D