Question

Many people thought that the USA former president Calvin Coolidge always lived in the White House. However, he sometimes lived in the nearby Willard Hotel.

Once, in the middle of a night, the president woke up to see a thief searching his clothes. Coolidge calmly spoke up from the darkness, "I wish you wouldn't take that watch."

"Why?" asked the shocked man.

Coolidge answered, "Take it near the window and read what is engraved(雕刻) on the back of it."

The man read, "Presented to Calvin Coolidge, Speaker of the House, by the Massachusetts General Court." He was very surprised!

"Are you President Coolidge?" he asked. He had never thought he would find the president sleeping in a hotel!

"Yes, I am," Coolidge said. Then he asked, "Why are you doing this?"

The young man explained that he and two friends travelled to Washington D.C. during their college vacation. They spent all of their money and had no money to pay the hotel bill and buy the train tickets back to school.

Coolidge added up the cost. It came to $ 32. That may not sound like much now, but it was a big number then. "I'll give you the $ 32 as a loan(借款) ," the president said, "and I expect you to pay me hack."

The young man thanked him. Coolidge left him with this warning: "You are a nice boy. You are better than you are acting. You are starting down the wrong road. Just remember who you are."

It wasn't until after the death of Mr Coolidge that this story was allowed to come out. It was first published in the newspaper Los Angeles Times. And the most interesting of all is that the president's notes show that the young man was indeed better than he was acting. He repaid the $ 32 loan in full.

1.How did the young man get to know the president?

A. By looking at the back of the watch.

B. By looking at the loan.

C. The boss of the hotel told the young man about it.

D. The president's wife told the young man about it.

2.How did the young man travel to Washington D.C.with his friends?

A. By air. B. By bus. C. By train. D. On foot.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A. The young man's family was always poor.

B. The hotel cost was rather cheap at that time.

C. The young man never got in touch with the president again.

D. The young man learned a lesson from his experience with the president.

4.How did people first get to know the story?

A. From the president himself. B. From a newspaper.

C. From the young man's notes. D. From the young man himself.

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Money can be given up when necessary.

B. People should be forgiven(原谅) for their mistakes.

C. Everyone can become better after an unusual experience.

D. An act of kindness may change a person's life.

Answer 1