There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care．To water his flowers，he used two buckets．One was a shiny and new bucket．The other was a very old and dilapidated one，which had seen many years of service，but was now past its best．
Every morning, the gardener would fill up the two buckets．Then he would carry them along the path，one on each side，to the flowerbeds．The new bucket was very proud of itself．It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled(溢出)．The old bucket felt very ashamed because of its holes：before it reached the flowerbeds，much water had leaked along the path．
Sometimes the new bucket would say，“See how capable I am ! How good it is that the gardener has me to water the flowers every day ! I don’t know why he still bothers with you．What a waste of space you are !”
And all that the old bucket could say was，“I know I’m not very useful，but I can only do my best．I'm happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me，at least. ”
One day，the gardener heard that kind of conversation．After watering the flowers as usual，he said，“You both have done your work very well．Now I am going to carry you back．I want you to look carefully along the path．”
Then the two buckets did so．All along the path，they noticed，on the side where the new bucket was carried，there was just bare(光秃秃的)earth；on the other side where the old bucket was carried，there was a joyous row of wild flowers，leading all the way to the garden．
【小题1】What does the underlined word “dilapidated” probably mean ?A．dirty．B．dark．C．worn-out．D．plain-looking．【小题2】What was the old bucket ashamed of ? A．His past．B．His aging．C．His manner．D．His leaking．【小题3】The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to .A．laugh at the old oneB．take pity on the old oneC．show off its beautiful looksD．praise the gardener’s kindness【小题4】Why was the old bucket still kept by the gardener?A．Because it was used to keep a balance．B．Because it stayed in its best condition．C．Because it was taken as a treasure．D．Because it had its own function．C
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(答案→)C
解析：文章给我们讲述了一个寓言故事，告诉我们每个人都是用自己的用处的。
【小题1】猜测词义题。根据上下文可知这个词与shiny and new是反义词。C正确。
【小题2】推理题。根据文章第2段3,4行The old bucket felt very ashamed because of its holes：before it reached the flowerbeds，much water had leaked along the path．可知旧的桶坏了，会漏水。
【小题3】推理题。根据第3段第2行I don’t know why he still bothers with you．What a waste of space you are !”
可知那只新桶是在嘲笑那只旧的桶。
【小题4】推理题。根据最后一段可知花匠仍然使用旧桶是因为它仍然有用。