Question

No one has a temper naturally so good, that it does not need attention and cultivation, and no one has a temper so bad, but that, by proper culture, it may become pleasant. One of the best disciplined tempers ever seen, was that of a gentleman who was naturally quick, irritable, rash, and violent; but, by taking care of the sick, and especially of mentally deranged(疯狂的) people, he so completely mastered himself that he was never known to be thrown off his guard.

There is no misery so constant, so upsetting, and so intolerable to others, as that of having a character which is your master. There are corners at every turn in life, against which we may run, and at which we may break out in impatience, if we choose.

Look at Roger Sherman, who rose from a humble occupation to a seat in the first Congress of the United States, and whose judgment was received with great respect by that body of distinguished men. He made himself master of his temper and cultivated it as a great business in life. There are one or two instances which show this part of his character in a light that is beautiful.

One day, after having received his highest honors, he was sitting and reading in his sitting room. A student, in a room close by, held a looking­glass in such a position as to pour the reflected rays of the sun directly in Mr Sherman's face. He moved his chair, and the thing was repeated. A third time the chair was moved, but the looking­glass still reflected the sun in his eyes. He laid aside his book, went to the window, and many witnesses of the rude behavior expected to see the ungentlemanly student severely punished. He raised the window gently, and then—shut the window blind!

I can not help providing another instance of the power he had acquired over himself. He was naturally possessed of strong passions, but over these he at length obtained an extraordinary control. He became habitually calm and self­possessed. Mr Sherman was one of those men who are not ashamed to maintain the forms of religion in their families. One morning he called them all together as usual to lead them in prayer to God. The “old family Bible” was brought out and laid on the table.

Mr Sherman took his seat and placed beside him one of his children, a child of his old age. The rest of the family were seated around the room, several of whom were now grown­ups. Besides these, some of the tutors of the college were boarders in the family and were present at the time. His aged mother occupied a corner of the room, opposite the place where the distinguished Judge sat.

At length, he opened the Bible and began to read. The child who was seated beside him made some little disturbance, upon which Mr Sherman paused and told it to be still. Again he continued but again he had to pause to scold the little offender, whose playful character would scarcely permit it to be still. At this time he gently tapped its ear. The blow, if blow it might be called, caught the attention of his aged mother, who now with some effort rose from the seat and tottered across the room. At length, she reached the chair of Mr Sherman, and in a moment, most unexpectedly to him, she gave him a blow on the ear with all the force she could gather. “There，” said she, “you strike your child, and I will strike mine.”

For_a_moment,_the_blood_was_seen_mounting_to_the_face_of_Mr_Sherman. But it was only for a moment and all was calm and mild as usual. He paused; he raised his glasses; he cast his eye upon his mother; again it fell upon the book from which he had been reading. Not a word escaped him; but again he calmly pursued the service, and soon sought in prayer an ability to set an example before his household which should be worthy of their imitation. Such a victory was worth more than the proudest one ever achieved on the field of battle.

1.The following sentence should be put at the beginning of Paragraph ________．

The difference in the happiness which is received by the man who governs his temper and that by the man who does not is dramatic.

A. Two    B. Three

C. Four    D. Five

2.How is the passage mainly developed?

A. By analyzing reasons.    B. By giving examples.

C. By listing arguments.    D. By comparing facts.

3.What was Roger Sherman's attitude towards his aged mother?

A. Grateful.    B. Skeptical.

C. Tolerant.    D. Sympathetic.

4.What can we learn about Roger Sherman?

A. He came from a distinguished family background.

B. He was not good at displaying his true inner feelings.

C. He severely punished a student who didn't behave himself.

D. He was a man conscious of the consequences of his behavior.

5.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A. Mr Sherman's face was covered with blood.

B. Mr Sherman was seeking strength in prayer.

C. Mr Sherman was then on the point of exploding.

D. Mr Sherman was ashamed of his mother's rude behavior.

6.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Control your temper    B. Save your self­esteem

C. Mind your manners    D. Treasure your Bible

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.D

5.C

6.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，文章通过Sherman对学生和自己母亲控制脾气的例子，说明了培养脾气的重要性，不能控制脾气的危害与痛苦。

1.推理判断题。所填句子的句意：能控制自己脾气的人所获得的幸福与不能控制自己脾气的人所获得的幸福的区别是戏剧性的。第一段讲培养脾气的重要性，第二段介绍不能控制脾气的危害与痛苦。所填句子连接第一、二段，承上启下，应该放在第二段开头。故选A.

2.推理判断题。根据第三段Look at Roger Sherman,和There are one or two instances which show this part of his character in a light that is beautiful.及下文Roger Sherman控制脾气的两件事可知，作者采用的是举例的方法，故选B.

3.推理判断题。根据第二个故事中she gave him a blow on the ear with all the force she could gather.母亲用尽全力打了Sherman一耳光，it was only for a moment and all was calm and mild as usual. He paused; he raised his glasses; he cast his eye upon his mother; again it fell upon the book from which he had been reading. Not a word escaped him;事后Sherman马上恢复了以往的平静和温和，继续做事。由此可知Sherman对母亲的行为是宽容的，故选C.

4.推理判断题。根据第三段He made himself master of his temper and cultivated it as a great business in life.及下文Sherman对无教养学生和自己老母亲的宽容可知，他控制住自己的脾气，并把它当作人生中的一件大事来培养。他是一个能意识到自己行为后果的人，故选D.

5.句意猜测题。划线句意：有那么一会儿，谢尔曼先生的脸上出现了血丝。因为母亲当众用力打了Sherman一耳光，他当时很生气，脾气几乎要失去控制马上要爆发。故选C.

6.主旨大意题。文章前两段说明了培养脾气的重要性，不能控制脾气的危害与痛苦。下文举了Sherman对学生和自己母亲控制脾气，宽容的例子，最后告诉我们控制脾气的胜利比在战场上取得的最值得骄傲的胜利更有价值，说明了其意义。所以全文主要在讲控制脾气，Control your temper适合作为文章标题，故选A.