Question

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn't look like any doctor I'd ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.

When Doctor Gibbs wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He believed in the principle: "No pain, no gain". He hardly watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said you had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water. So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he'd beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention.

Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some twenty five years ago. They were all tall and strong.

I planted a couple of trees myself a few years ago. Two years of attending these trees meant they grew up weak. Whenever a cold wind blew, their branches trembled. Adversity(逆境) seemed to benefit Doctor Gibb's trees in ways comfort and ease never could.

Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to meet with hardship. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won't be torn apart.

1.With the trees planted, Doctor Gibbs often ________.

A. kept watering them every morning

B. beat them to make them grow deep roots

C. talked to them to get their attention

D. paid little attention to them

2.Which prayer does the author wish for his sons?

A. Have an easy life, without too much to worry about.

B. Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives.

C. Have good luck, encountering less hardship in their life.

D. Meet people like Dr Gibbs in the future.

3.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. Prayers for my sons    B. Doctor Gibbs and his trees

C. Growing roots    D. Watering trees

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.C

【解析】这篇文章主要讲了作者的邻居是一位和蔼可亲的医生，这位医生对于种树有着自己的智慧，他认为，困难和阻力才能让树更好地成长。作者从中悟出这样一个道理，人的成长和树是一样的，只有经受风雨的洗礼，把根扎深，才能成长得更好。

1.根据第二段He hardly watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. 可知，Gibbs医生很少去关注他的树，故选D。

2.根据最后一段But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to meet with hardship. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won't be torn apart. 可知，作者为他的儿子们祈祷，祈祷他们在未来的生活中可以抵御暴风雨的侵袭。故选B。

3.这篇文章通过作者的邻居医生种树的故事，告诉大家这样一个道理，无论是树还是人，都要把根扎深，经受风雨的洗礼，这样才能成长得更好。所以这篇文章最好的题目，应该是生长中的根。故选C。