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（戏剧性的，巨大的）.

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.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.D

5.C

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，我们可以通过训练培养我们的脾气。没有人天生就有一个好脾气，好到这个脾气都不用加以注意和培养。也没有人的脾气坏到无可救药，通过合理培养，坏脾气也能变好，文章列举了美国国会的议员罗杰·谢尔曼的故事说明可以通过训练控制自己的情绪。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段三四句可知：我就遇到过这样一位绅士，加以训练，最好的脾气甚至可以出现在他这样一个天生急躁易怒，鲁莽粗暴的人身上；通过照顾病人，尤其是通过对精神病患者的照顾，他完全掌控了自己的脾气，以至于人们自然而然误以为他从不失控。第二段第一句承上启下，串联第二段二三句，它们告诉我们：你的性格主宰着你，又一而再再而三地困扰着你，没有什么事情比这更持续不断，更让人痛苦烦恼，更让他人难以忍受的了。在人生的每个转角，我们都会碰到很多困难，遇到这些困难时如果我们选择失去耐心，大可以爆发。本句意为“掌控好自己脾气的人和未能掌控好脾气的人因此所获得的幸福具有天壤之别。”把这两段内容连在了一起。故A项正确。

2.写作手法题。文章从第三段开始讲述美国国会的议员罗杰·谢尔曼的故事说明可以通过训练控制自己的情绪。所以本文是通过举例说明的方法组织全文。故B项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段最后两句“最后，她总算来到谢尔曼先生的椅子旁边。顿了顿，让谢尔曼先生没有预料到的是，她用力地往他耳朵上一巴掌打了过去，边说着：“好啊，你打你的孩子，我打我自己的。”以及最后一段前三句“顿时，谢尔曼先生涨红了脸；但是片刻之后，一切又恢复了往常的平静。谢尔曼先生停下来，抬了抬他的眼镜；看了看老母亲，转而视线又回到了他刚在看的书上。他什么也没说，只是继续平静地进行仪式。”可知罗杰·谢尔曼通过巨大的毅力容忍了她的母亲。故C项正确。

4.推理判断题。根据文章倒数第三段第二句“他天性情感充沛，但最后却很好地掌控了这一切。他养成了冷静沉着的习惯，自控力很强。”可知罗杰·谢尔曼非常冷静。对自己的行为会导致的结果非常清楚。所以在最后两段中才能容忍母亲的行为。故D项正确。

5.猜测句意题。根据倒数第二段最后一句“顿了顿，让谢尔曼先生没有预料到的是，她用力地往他耳朵上一巴掌打了过去，边说着：“好啊，你打你的孩子，我打我自己的。”可知他的母亲打了他，这让他非常难看，情绪处于失控的边缘。横线句与C项语意相近。故C项正确。