A
I was selfish as a teenager. I usually spent my time thinking about myself and taking care of my own needs. I let my older brother do most of the work around the house until he left for college. I let my mom and dad worry about our bills and problems while I read books, played, and lost myself in my own imagination. This didn’t change even when I went to college either. I studied hard but only to make my own life better. Even when I started to explore my faith, it was only to increase my own happiness.
I married after graduation and decided to start a family. Of course, I had no idea what hard knocks reality had in store for my selfish soul. Soon I found myself unemployed, deeply in debt, and with a new baby on the way. I found out that life has little sympathy for spoiled people. In fact, all of the struggles I was going through were beating the selfishness slowly out of me.
Still, I didn’t give up on happiness. I knew that there must be a way to find it. I finally realized, however, that it had to include more than just my own needs, wants, and desires. The answer began to make itself clear one night shortly after my baby boy was born. I got a bottle and held him in my arms. As I was feeding him I looked down and saw his big, innocent, trusting eyes. I smiled and talked to him. Then he smiled and I could feel my heart growing, expanding with love. I felt such peace and joy. At that moment I had a hint of the truth: it is by growing our hearts with love that we find our happiness.
Carolyn Arends wrote:“The more people you let into your heart, the bigger your heart gets. The more love you get, the more love you have to give. It just keeps growing. ” So, keep loving, keep living and keep caring. Keep growing your heart today, tomorrow, and always.
【文章大意】本文是一篇夹叙夹议文, 主要讲述作者由一个自私的人成长为一个心中对他人有爱的人, 也明白了“爱他人即幸福”的道理的经历。
1. What do we know about the author from the first paragraph?
A. He often helped his brother with housework.
B. He studied hard for his family.
C. He put his own needs above others’.
D. He was concerned about his family.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据第一段中的“let my older brother do most of the work” “let my mom and dad worry about our bills and problems” “This didn’t change even when I went to college either. ” “I studied hard but only to make my own life better. ”和“it was only to increase my own happiness”的描述可推知, 作者在青少年时期较为自私, 行为处事总是只考虑自己, 几乎不为家人考虑, 即他把自己的需要放在别人的需要之上, 故选C。
2. What did the author realize after he suffered in life?
A. Spoiled people can’t survive the hardship of life.
B. Life is cruel to spoiled people.
C. Spoiled people are never happy in life.
D. Selfishness is helpful.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据第二段中的“Soon I found myself unemployed, deeply in debt, and with a new baby on the way. I found out that life has little sympathy for spoiled people. ”可知, 作者在经历了人生的失意后, 终于发现生活对被宠坏的人是残酷的。
3. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The author loved kids.
B. The author often fed his baby.
C. The author realized the importance of happiness.
D. When caring for his baby, the author got inspired.
【解析】选D。推理判断题。根据第三段中的“As I was feeding him I looked down and saw his big, innocent, trusting eyes. I smiled and talked to him. Then he smiled and I could feel my heart growing, expanding with love. I felt such peace and joy. At that moment I had a hint of the truth: it is by growing our hearts with love that we find our happiness. ”可推知, 作者在照料孩子的过程中领悟到了通往幸福的途径。
4. Which can be the best title of the passage?
A. Loving Others, a Way to Happiness
B. The Elder One Grows, the More He Gets
C. Help Others, Help Oneself
D. Keep Growing to Live a Happy Life
【解析】选A。标题归纳题。根据最后一段中的“‘The more people you let into your heart, the bigger your heart gets. The more love you get, the more love you have to give. It just keeps growing. ’ So, keep loving, keep living and keep caring. Keep growing your heart today, tomorrow, and always. ”描述可推知, 这篇文章的主旨是“爱他人即幸福”。
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【知识拓展】 长难句分析
The more people you let into your heart, the bigger your heart gets. The more love you get, the more love you have to give.
分析:本句是the more. . . , the more. . . 句型, 表示“越……, 越……”。
翻译:你接纳的人越多, 你的心就越宽广。你得到的爱越多, 你付出的爱也越多。
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