Sarah came running in saying, Look what l foundOver the top of the paper I was reading I saw a long object that made me jump. It was a piece of snakeskin that had been shed （脱皮) by one of our garden snakes.
'Isn't it beautiful? said my wide-eyed 7~year-old daughter. I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah. Everything children see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity. They see only merit (忧点) and excellence in the world.
Why does it do this? Sarah asked. I like to teach my children that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them. Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves, I explained.
Why do they need to renew themselves? Sarah asked. We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with, I said to my now absorbed daughter. We outgrow some things and find other stuff unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too old, and the snake probably doesn't think it looks as smart in the skin as it once did. Like buying a new suit.
Of course, I'm sure this explanation won't suit naturalists. But Sarah got the point. As we talked, I knew that she began to understand that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off. I was careful to point out that this is a natural process, not one to be forced.
Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it, I explained. lt happens as part of their growth.
I see, Dadsaid Sarah. She then jumped off my lap, grabbed the snakeskin, and ran off.
I hoped she would remember this. Often, in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of munity and culture we are cloaked (掩饰) in year after year, we need to start examining these layers. We need to gently peel some away, as we recognize them to be worthless, unnecessary, or flawed (有缺陷的); or at best, remember the things we discard（丢掉）to teach us how we can improve.
【小题1】When Sarah asked the author whether the snakeskin was beautiful, A．he was shocked and jumpedB．he tried to understand her point of viewC．he thought that telling the truth was a meritD．he decided to teach her something about the garden【小题2】How did Sarah feel about the author's explanation?A．Confused.B．BoreciC．Satisfied.D．Excited.【小题3】Which of the following would the author agree with?A．By reflecting on ourselves, we can better ourselves.B．It is necessary to force others to remove some things.C．The munity and culture force us to change.D．It is natural to keep some old clothes.【小题4】From the text, we can conclude that the author .A．does not like nature muchB．takes the chilcl's feelings lightlyC．is both a logical and thoughtful personD．loves to see his daughter excited about animals【小题5】Which of the following could be the best title for the article?A．The things we should cast offB．A shed snakeskin in Sarah's eyesC．A natural part of our growthD．Renewal for snakes and usB
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(答案→)B
解析：本文叙述了作者的女儿问作者关于蛇为什么会脱皮的问题，作者借机又给女儿进行了一次教育，蛇要脱皮是在成长，人要进步也须不断反省自己，只有会发现自己的缺点才能不断进步。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah. 作者试图理解女儿的观点，故选B。
【小题2】细节理解题。根据But Sarah got the point.作者的女儿理解这种解释，故选C。
【小题3】细节理解题。根据we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off.我们需要反省我们自己然后推进我们的进步，故选A。
【小题4】推理判断题。根据女儿的好问和作者适时的引导孩子，同时又起到教育孩子的目的，故选C。
【小题5】标题归纳题。纵观全文把蛇的脱皮和人的进步作了类比，故选D。