2．I must have been about fourteen then，and I put away the incident from my mind with the easy carelessness of youth．But the words，Carl Walter spoke that day，came back to me years later，and ever since have been of great value to me．
Carl Walter was my piano teacher．During one of my lessons he asked how much practicing I was doing．I said three or four hours a day．
"Do you practice in long stretches，an hour at a time？"
"I try to．"
"Well，don't，"he exclaimed．"When you grow up，time won't come in long stretches． Practice in minutes，whenever you can find them five or ten before school，after lunch，between household tasks．Spread the practice through the day，and piano-playing will become a part of your life．"
When I was teaching at Columbia，I wanted to write，but class periods，theme-reading，and committee meetings filled my days and evenings．For two years I got practically nothing down on paper，and my excuse was that I had no time．Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said．During the next week I conducted an experiment．Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied，I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so．To my astonishment，at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript ready for revision，later on I wrote novels by the same piecemeal method．Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever，in every day there were idle moments which could be caught and put to use．I even took up piano--playing again，finding that the small intervals of the day provided sufficient time for both writing and piano practice．
There is an important trick in this time--using formula：you must get into your work quickly．If you have but five minutes for writing，you can't afford to waste four chewing your pencil．You must make your mental preparations beforehand，and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes．Fortunately，rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize．
I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes．But life can be counted on to supply interruptions．Carl Walter has had a tremendous influence on my life．To him I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need，if I plunge（投入）in without delay．
36．The meaning of"stretch"in the underlined part is the same as that in sentence"B"．
A．The forests in the north of the province stretch for hundreds of miles．
B．Bob worked as a government official for a stretch of over twenty years．
C．My family wasn't wealthy by any stretch of the imagination．
D．During his senior year his earnings far enough to buy an old car．
37．Which of the following statements is true？A
A．The writer didn't completely take the teacher's words to heart at first．
B．Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer's life since he became a student．
C．The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long stretches．
D．Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine．
38．We can infer that the writerD．
A．has new books published each year however busy his teaching is
B．is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy
C．has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels
D．can find sufficient time for mental preparations beforehand，so he's devoted to work instantly
39．What is the best title of this passage？B
A．Concentrate on Your Work B．A Little at a Time
C．How I Became a Writer D．Good Advice Is Most Valuable．
分析 本文属于记叙文阅读，作者通过这篇文章主要向我们讲述了作者对的钢琴老师卡尔•沃尔特对他生活有很大的影响，他使作者认识到，即使是很短的时间，加起来，就是做成一件事所需要的时间，作者从此懂得了珍惜零碎时间的重要性．
解答 36．B．词义推断题．根据文章第三段""Do you practice in long stretches，"你在长时间练习吗？可知词义为一段时间．B选项中句意为Bob担任政府官员超过了20年，可知同样意为一段时间；故选B．
37．A．推理判断题．根据文章第一段But the words，which Carl Walter spoke that day，came back to me years later，and ever since have been of great value to me．然而他那天说的话很多年以后又回到我身边，那以后这些话对我有巨大的价值．可推出一开始我并没有把老师的话放在心上，但是多年后，我记起了老师的话，故选A．
38．D．推理判断题．根据文章倒数第二段"You must make your mental preparations beforehand，and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes"如果你只有五分钟写作，你不能浪费四咀嚼你的铅笔，你必须事先有心理准备，并专注于你的任务几乎瞬间的时候了；这是作者总结出来的诀窍，由此可知作者一定是掌握了的；故选D．
39．B．主旨大意题．根据文章最后一段Carl Walter has had a great influence on my life．To him，I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need，if I begin without delay．Carl Walter 对我的生活有巨大的影响．我感激他使我发现即使是很短的时间总计达我所需要的有用的时间，以及纵观全文，可知文章写得是生活中的零碎的时间是很有用的，故选B．
点评 考察学生的细节理解和推理判断能力，做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确的选择．在做推理判断题不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．
