A
A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The boy walked a long way, and finally came upon the beautiful castle where the wise man lived.
On entering the main room of the castle, the boy was quite surprised: tradesmen coming and going, people chatting in the corners, and a small orchestra playing soft music. The wise man talked with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn.
The wise man listened carefully to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
“Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.”
The boy began to walk up and down stairs of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the wise man.
“Well,” asked the wise man, “Did you see the Persian tapestries（挂毯）in the hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create?” The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.
“Then go back and observe the wonders of my world,” said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. This time he observed all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. When he returned, he described in detail everything he had seen.
“But where are the drops of oil?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,” said the wise man. “The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”
1. When the boy arrived at the castle, he .
A. received a warm welcome from the wise man
B. had already missed his chance to talk to the wise man
C. didn’t expect to see so many people around
D. was shown around the palace by the local people
2. The wise man gave the boy two tasks in order to .
A. teach him the secret of happiness
B. show him how to observe the wonders in the world
C. make him learn from his mistakes
D. let the boy enjoy his palace and garden
3. We can infer from the article that “the drops of oil on the spoon” probably refer to ______
A. the beauty of nature
B. the fortune a person owns
C. the responsibilities of a person
D. the great opportunities in life
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
A. The wise man was satisfied with the way the boy performed the second task
B. It took the wise man about 10 years to finish his garden.
C. The wise man wasn’t paying much attention to the boy at first.
D. The boy took no notice of the surroundings during his first task.
【答案】1. C 2. A 3. C 4. D
【解析】
本文是记叙文。文章讲述一个店主派儿子去从世界上最聪明的人那里了解快乐的 秘密，而智者没有直接告诉他答案，而是让男孩做了两个任务，通过这两个任务，男孩了解到快乐的秘密。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。 从文章第二段的句子：Rather than finding a holy man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were chatting in the corners(然而，我们的主人公并没有找到圣人，当他进入城堡的正厅时，他看到了一片繁忙的景象:商人来来往往，人们在角落里聊天)可知当店主的儿子到了城堡后，他没有想到会有那么多的人，选C。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。 从第四段的句子：“As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill(当你四处走动时，带着这个勺子，不要让油溢出来)” 和第八段的句子：“Then go back and observe the wonderful things of my world,” said the wise man.（“那么，回去看看我的世界里那些美妙的事情吧。”智者说）可知智者为了解释快乐的秘密，让男孩做两个任务，选A。
【3题详解】
推理判断题。 四个选项的意思分别是：A.自然的美， B.一个人拥有的财产， C. 一个人的责任， D. the great opportunities in life人生的重大机会。从文章的最后一段的句子：“The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.(幸福的秘诀是看到世界上所有的奇迹，并且永远不会忘记勺子上的油滴)”可知ABD都不符合，“the drops of oil on the spoon” 是指“一个人的责任”，选C。
【4题详解】
细节理解题。 从第七段的句子：The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.（男孩感到很尴尬，回答说他什么也没看见。他唯一关心的是不泄漏油）可知男孩在做第一个任务的时候，没有注意到周围，选D。
