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’d had my eye 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 “while-U-wait” —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.
The man saw I wouldn’t give in, and he smiled. He wiped his 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 from who-knows-where and, above all, 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(消费) rather than a way to realize their own 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”(Paragraph 7) 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
Science Textbooks for Sale!
Used, but in like-new condition with absolutely no writing.
+ (2-Volume Set)
Third Edition (ISBN 978-1-55581-479-3 & 978-1-55581-480-9),
Paperback—$ 110
Introduction to Genetic Analysis
Ninth Edition (ISBN 978-0-7167-6887-6), Hard Cover—$ 110
Please call 646-470-1770 or email for details. No text messages, please. Thank you!
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Having a fruitful life depends upon oneself. Join our Elder Helpers Program and start becoming productive now!
We will connect you with elders who are in need of care in your community. If you have a kind heart and some extra time, feel free to join our program. Register here: http://www. elderhelpers. org.)
Citizens of all states and countries are encouraged to join!
Profiles(简介)with a picture always get more attention!
(Wonderful angel who helped me greatly by Kim)
I was so lucky to find Elder Helpers on the web and even luckier that Laura decided to help me get organized. I was hit by a car in January and couldn’t do much in my house for several months so things really got messy here. But this Angel of a person came and rescued me. I am so lucky and grateful to have met her and to have received her generous help.
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1.We can know that Introduction to Genetic Analysis sold in Ad 1 .
A. is in its third edition
B. is an old science textbook
C. has notes on some pages
D. is in paperback
2.What’s the purpose of Ad 2?
A.To give tips on volunteering.
B. To introduce an active lifestyle
C. To find volunteers.
D. To help older people.
3.What’s the meaning of the word “messy” (underlined in Ad 2)?
A. Untidy. B. Broken.
C. Unpleasant. D. Changed.\
4.The chess lessons in Ad 3 will .
A. mainly include beginners
B. be taken mainly by adults
C. be taught by an old teacher
D. have learners of different ages
Rembrandt was an extraordinary Dutch painter. He was most well-known for his brushwork and the way in which he connected with the human soul. His life, however, was not happy.
He was born on July 15,1606 in Leiden, the Netherlands. His father wanted him to have a real, learned profession but Rembrandt left the University of Leiden after becoming bored. He began studying art under a local teacher but soon left and studied in Amsterdam where he mastered all his lessons in six months!
At the age of 22, he moved back to Leiden and began to get his own students. One of his students was the famous artist Gerrit Dou. In 1631 he returned to Amsterdam where he became the most popular portrait painter in Holland. Rembrandt met Saskia and married her in 1634. She was a cousin of a very successful art dealer and she helped him to meet wealhy people who commissioned(委任制作) many paintings from him. He used her as a model in many of his paintings.
Rembrandt’s private life, however, was very unfortunate. He had four children with Saskia but only one, Titus, survived. Saskia died in 1642 at the age of only 30. In 1649, his housekeeper became his second wife and was also a model for many of his paintings. Even though Rembrandt was very successful as an artist, art dealer and teacher, he lived in a careless way and had to declare bankruptcy(破产) in 1656. He even had to sell his whole art collection and his house to pay off his debts.
His unfortunate life, however, didn’t affect his art. He painted many great paintings during that time. His new love, Hendrickje, died in 1663 and his 27-year-old son, Titus, died in 1668. Eleven months later, on October 4, 1669, Rembrandt died in Amsterdam. He produced more than 600 paintings and over 2,000 drawings!
1.Which of the following is the reason that made Rembrandt’s business fail?
A. As an extraordinary Dutch painter, he knew nothing about business.
B. He spent most of his time on art, leaving no time to care his business.
C. All his children but Titus died, which made him very sad.
D. Like other famous artists, he was thoughtless.
2.From the passage we learn that Rembrandt .
A. graduated from the University of Leiden
B. began his teaching career in 1628
C. married Saskia when he was 22 years old
D. was good at drawing animals and flowers
3.How many members of Rembrandt’s family died before him, not including his parents?
A. Four. B. Five. C. Six. D. Seven.
4.What’s the best title for this passage?
A. A brief biography of Rembrandt
B. A great Dutch painter
C. The greatest painter in the world
D. Rembrandt’s unhappy family
Four years ago, I felt lucky after escaping one of those terrible 2-mile runs. I hated ; it was just something that came easily to me. At that time, if you had told me that I would one day run a marathon, I’d have told you in all honesty that I had a better of winning the lottery(彩票).
The turning came when I met Mrs. Green. She was fifty years old, going through chemotherapy(化学疗法)for her cancer, and still to run 30 miles a week. I that if Mrs. Green could run 6 miles at a time, I could run at least two. In February, in cold weather, I started to walk a 2-mile around my neighborhood. Two months later, I the whole route, running for the first time. I felt exhausted, I felt happy.
Over the next several years, I continued to push each run for a few minutes, slowly building my endurance(耐力). I didn’t need to against other runners, for my most important competitor was myself.
After continuing to myself, I knew it was time to step my training up. I I would train for the Detroit Free Press/ Flagstar Marathon.
The race day came and I was filled with excitement and worry. It was the final time to see what I was made of. The ended up incredibly. I did through the last few miles, but after my journey, there was no doubt in my mind that I’d finished. As I the finish line, I experienced the strongest sense of and happiness I had ever had in my life. I am now a marathoner.
As John Bingham once said, “The isn’t that I finished. The miracle(奇迹) is that I had the to start.”
1.A. studying B. thinking C. running D. teaching
2.A. never B. always C. usually D. often
3.A. chance B. belief C. suggestion D. hope
4.A. case B. point C. situation D. stage
5.A. devoted B. applied C. led D. managed
6.A. figured B. agreed C. provedD. ordered
7.A. race B. route C. site D. test
8.A. closed B. changed C. finished D. considered
9.A. and B. or C. so D. but
10.A. perfect B. extra C. actual D. basic
11.A. compete B. take C. rely D. argue
12.A. treat B. entertain C. march D. challenge
13.A. forced B. decided C. doubted D. seemed
14.A. certainly B. instantly C. finally D. regularly
15.A. moment B. atmosphere C. experience D. reward
16.A. struggle B. manage C. get D. look
17.A. travelled B. moved C. crossed D. walked
18.A. touch B. pride C. humor D. hearing
19.A. miracle B. habit C. view D. way
20.A. chance B. ability C. idea D. courage
---Would you like to read some news about the football game, Jane?
---______. I feel like doing something else.
A. Not likelyB. No problem
C. Not reallyD. Never mind
---Alice, you didn’t come to Tim’s birthday last night.
---I wished I had, but my parents just simply___ not let me out so late at night.
A. might B. should
C. would D. could