Question

Like most July days, it was hot. I stepped into a tiny ice-cream shop to cool off with a chocolate ice-cream. It was an old-time store with little round tables and chairs.

As I entered, I found a very old woman bent over a table near the door. Her back was so badly twisted by some sadness that her face nearly touched the table top. I sat down facing her several tables away.

“Poor woman,” I thought. “What does she get out of life? Why God let people live so long past their prime?”

As I thought, another aged lady entered the shop and sat down with her. Soon the two of them were talking about childhood days. They talked of how little the shop had changed in 70 years… In minutes, the two of them were trembling with laughter.

I looked again at the first woman, then in the mirror on a nearby wall, catching a picture of myself.

I was wearing a dirty shirt. She was well dressed in white, her hands shining with gold rings.

I was gloomy(愁闷的). She was laughing, smiling.

I was putting the pieces of my life together. She had millions of wonderful memories to recall.

I sat alone. She was sharing the day with a good friend.

I was secretly worried about getting old. She was old, but it wasn’t hurting her.

As I left the shop, I thought of my foolish question about God letting people live past their prime. Why, that woman was more alive, more sensitive to life than I was. Age has not bent her spirit.

1.The word “prime” in paragraph 3 means ______.

A. old age         B. middle

C. childhood        D. greatest period of life

2.Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

A. To tell us the life of old people.

B. To show the difference between the old and the young.

C. To show that old age does not mean going short of spirit.

D. To make the reader have a pity on the old people.

3.Which of the following is the conclusion the writer made about the old lady?

A. She was to be pitied for her old age.

B. She considered the young man pitiable.

C. She was more alive and sensitive to life than the writer.

D. People should not be allowed to live when they are too old.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.C

【解析】

试题分析：作者在冰激凌店里见到一位老人，开始还为年老感到可惜，但通过和老人的对比才感觉到老人比自己更有活力，对生活更敏感。于是感叹年龄并不能使人失去精神。

1.D猜测词意题。划线的“prime”指“全盛时期，人生最辉煌的时期”，D项符合此意，故选D.

2.C主旨大意题。根据文中自己和老人的对比及最后一句that woman was more alive, more sensitive to life than I was. Age has not bent her spirit.可知作者想告诉我们年龄不能使人失去精神，故选C.

3.细节推理题。根据最后一句that woman was more alive, more sensitive to life than I was. Age has not bent her spirit.可知作者认为这个老人比我更有活力，对生活更敏感。故选C.

考点：考查人生感悟类短文阅读。