It was blazing hot, just like most July days. I stepped into a tiny ice-cream shop to cool off with a
chocolate ice-cream. It was an old woman bent over a table near the door. Her back was so badly twisted that her face nearly touched the tabletop. I sat down facing her a couple of 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 sparking with gold rings. I was sad. 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.
【小题1】From the passage we know that the ice-shop .A．changed a lot in the pastB．had only a couple of tablesC．started its business 70 years ago.D．had only women shoppers.【小题2】What is the meaning of the underlined word “prime” in this passage?A．miserable lifeB．wonderful experienceC．long careerD．time of great strength, beauty, vigor(活力)【小题3】 The writer implies all of the following except that .A．the old lady had lived a full and satisfying lifeB．the writer had more problems than the old ladyC．the old lady was very lonely and sadD．the old lady had learned to enjoy the simple things in life【小题4】 Which of the following is the conclusion the writer made about the old lady?A．She was more alive and sensitive to life than the writer.B．She considered the young man pitiable.C．She was to be pitied for her old age.D．People should not be allowed to live when they are too old.【小题5】Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?A．To tell us the life of old peopleB．To show that old age does not mean being short of spirit.C．To show the difference between the old and the young.D．To make the reader have a pity on the old people.C
网友回答
(答案→)C
解析：文章大意是作者见到一个佝偻着背的老人，一开始对她充满了同情，认为她活在世上是不快乐的。但后来经过观察，作者发现老人其实比自己好过得有滋有味，年老并不意味着不幸。
【小题1】 C.推理判断题。根据文章第三段第二句话They talked of how little the shop had changed in 70 years...说明这家店有七十年历史了。
【小题2】D语义题。前句作者说可怜的人，她在生活中还能得到什么呢？充满了对老人是同情，所以接下来作者说上帝为什么让人经过那么长悲惨的生活呢？miserable悲惨的。
【小题3】 C推理判断题。根据第五段，the two of them were trembling with laughter.说明C是错误的。再根据She was well dressed in white, her hands sparking with gold rings.说明老人生活得很美满。A是正确的。根据整个第五段的描述，可以推断B、D是正确的。
【小题4】 A细节题。根据文章最后一句话that woman was more alive, more sensitive to life than I was. Age has not bent her spirit.
【小题5】 B主旨大意题。全文拿老人和作者比较，一个年轻，一个年老，但年轻的生活不怎么样，年老的却过得有滋有味。就是要表明年老并不意味着缺乏生活的精神。