I was catching a later flight to St. Louis, then on to Minnesota. A couple of seats in front and the aisle over sat a very pretty lady. She smiled back at me, I smiled at her noticing her pretty dress. The rest of the flight was uneventful, but as I was getting off the plane I noticed her again standing by the prompters seeing what flight she was to take and what gate. I stood beside her looking for my gate, and flight number. I commented to her that I had seen her on the flight and she had on a pretty dress. She said "Thank you", I asked what flight she was taking? She said to "Phoenix". I looked and she had a two-hour _ , I also had a two and a half hours layover and asked her if she would like to go to the cafeteria for something to eat or drink. She said "Sure". We introduced ourselves on the way, and she told me that her name was "Phyllis". I laughed and said "my name is Phyllis also". As we sat in the booth she began telling me that she had been told she was dying of cancer and had less than 6 months to live. She was on her way to visit her children and grandchildren before she began taking treatment. She then told me that she had never flown before and she had prayed a specific prayer. She was afraid she would get lost at the airport and not be able to find her way to the gate, and didn't know what she was going to do for the two hours she was there. She prayed, that someone would meet her at the gate and stay with her until she left the airport. She then asked me "Are you an Angel God has sent"? No, I assured her I was no angel, but did God use me to answer her prayer? Yes. Where did the writer notice the lady at first? A) On the flight to Minnesota. B) On the flight to Phoenix. C) On the flight to St. Louis. D) At the St. Louis Airport.
C
When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States. I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive Americans are and how they dislike the description "old". I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry. In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience. However, in the United States, people think "growing old" is a problem since "old" shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn't want to hear. After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don't respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don't show my feelings through words. Which of the following is TRUE? A) The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got. B) Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience. C) The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple. D) From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.
D
Q: Shane Thomas is a 10-year-old pianist from England. He's being called the next Mozart because of his amazing abilities. He has only been having piano lessons for four months, and practices four hours a week, but he has already played difficult classical pieces. He was just seven when he sat down at the piano, and could play at once. He also says he never gets nervous. When Shane was three years old, he said that he could play the piano, but nobody took him seriously. At school, he could listen to the teacher and do his work while composing in his head. Shame remembers all the melodies ,and when he gets home he plays them on the piano, while his father records them. Shane loves playing the piano, and when he grows up he wants to be a composer. His tutor, Richard Goffin-Lecar, says he is like Amadeus Mozart, who lived during the 18thcentury in Salzburg, Austria, and was one of the most famous composers ever. Mr. Goffin-lecar says, "I don't teach Shane very much. I just give him directions, then sit back and watch." His father, a single parent with two other children, says that although he has little money, he wants to send Shane to a good music school. "I'm a single father, but I have this gifted child. I don't have much money, but I want to give him the best teachers, and also take him into a studio to record." What do we learn about Shane's father? A) He also plays the piano well. B) He's a single father with two children. C) He believes in Shane's talent for music and will support him. D) Not having enough money, he will ask the teachers for help
A: C
(Question)
Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness,happiness,goodness,and selfrespect?The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized (......) as "honor" help you create this life of good feelings. Here's an example to show how honorable actions create happiness. Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item.If we keep silent,and profit from the clerk's mistake,we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement.Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune.On the other hand,if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item,the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty.We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul. Then,what is it to do with our sense of happiness? In the first case,where we don't tell the clerk,a couple of things would happen.Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief.In the process,we would lose some peace of mind and selfrespect.We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted,since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends.We damage our own reputations by telling others.In contrast, _ causes different things to happen.Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable.Upon leaving the store,we feel honorable and our selfrespect is increased.Whenever we take honorable actions we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility. There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions.Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions.Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence.And it's easy to think and act honorably again when we're happy.While the positive cycle can be difficult to start,once it's started,it's easy to continue.Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind,which is important for our happiness. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage? A) How to Live Truthfully B) Importance of Peacefulness C) Ways of Gaining Selfrespect D) Happiness through Honorable Actions
(Answer)
D