Question

“What is the most important thing you’ve done in your life?” The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers.

The answer came to me in an instant. It’s not the one I gave, because the situation was not right. As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people, but here’s the true answer:

The most important thing I’ve ever done occurred on October 8,1990. I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while. Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other’s lives. He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night.

     While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts. It was my friend’s father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital. In a flash my friend was in the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

     For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed(呆若木鸡). Then I tried to figure out what I should do. Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself. My friend’s son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome. Be there for moral support? Well, maybe. But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they’d be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened. All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was to get in the way. Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home. So I decided to head back to my house and check in my friend later.

     As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts. I now faced another problem. I couldn’t leave the keys in the truck. So I decided to go to the hospital and give him the keys.

     When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting. As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife. I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next. Soon a doctor appeared. He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died.

     For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence. After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they spend a few moments with their son.

     My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their families. When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner. He came over and hugged me and started to cry. My friend’s wife hugged me, too, and said , “Thanks for being here.”

     For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye.

     It’s the most important thing I have ever done. The experience taught me two lessons.

     First: The most important thing I’ve ever done happened when I was completely helpless. None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six years of legal practice were of any use in that situation. Something terrible was happening to people I cared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome. All I could do was standing by and watching it happen. And yet it was critical that I do just that--- just be there when someone needed me.

     Second: The most important thing I’ve done almost didn’t happen because of things I had learned in classroom and professional life. Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organized them. These skills are critical for lawyers. When people come to us for help, they’re often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically. But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel. Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital.

     From that one experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn’t the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve. The most important thing in life is the kids’ team you coach or the poem you write----or the time when you’re just somebody’s friend.

1. When he was asked about the most important thing he had done in life at a presentation, the author _______.

A. felt it was not an interesting question

B. thought for a while and spoke his mind

C. gave an answer from a lawyer’s point of view

D. didn’t give the real answer

2.When he saw his friend rush to the hospital, the author could not decide whether to follow mainly because he thought _______.

A. he had to stay with his family

B. his friend did not need his help.

C. he would not be of much help

D. the baby would be in the doctor’s care

3.What can we infer from the author’s description of the scene at the hospital?

A. He found out that he was in the way.

B. He would have felt guilty if he had not been there.

C. He regretted that he went too late.

D. His friend would have felt better if he had not been there.

4.Which of the following is conveyed in this story?

A. Family and relatives can not take the place of friends.

B. More people are a great comfort when one is in trouble.

C. It is best to be here when someone needs you.

D. You can certainly help a friend if you want to.

5.The author learned from his own experience that_______.

A. what is taught in school is usually of no use.

B. a lawyer cannot learn much in classrooms

C. a lawyer should know people’s feeling first

D. he needs to be able to feel as well as think logically

6. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggests that the author_______.

A. is fond of writing poems

B. is going to coach the kid’s team

C. is determined to make friends with everybody

D. is fully aware of the importance of being helpful to those in need

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.C

5.D

6.D 

【解析】

试题分析：

1.D 推理题。根据第二段第二行I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people说明当时他没有给出真正的答案，本文所讲的故事才是真正的答案。故D正确。

2.C 细节题。根据第5段2，3行There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself. My friend’s son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome.说明他认为自己去医院对他的朋友来说没有什么帮助。故C正确。

3.B 推理题。根据When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner. He came over and hugged me and started to cry. My friend’s wife hugged me, too, and said , “Thanks for being here.”说明朋友和她的妻子都抱着我哭，说明我在场对他们很重要，有了一个发泄的机会和对象，故我们可知如果我不去，我会感觉很遗憾的，故B正确。

4.C  推理题。根据倒数第三段最后两行All I could do was standing by and watching it happen. And yet it was critical that I do just that--- just be there when someone needed me.说明有时候当朋友遇见不好的事情的时候，我们最好陪在他们身边。故C正确。

5.D 推理题。根据文章倒数第二段最后三行When people come to us for help, they’re often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically. But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel. Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital说明他需要按照正常的逻辑那样去思考，故D正确。

6.D 猜测句意题。根据本句. The most important thing in life is the kids’ team you coach or the poem you write----or the time when you’re just somebody’s friend. 说明生活中最重要的事情当做别人的朋友，对别人有帮助，做一个对别人有益的人。故D正确。

考点：考查情感类短文阅读

点评：本文较难，讲述了作者对于在困境中帮助别人的情感方面的论述。对考生的要求较高，考查很全面，其中的56,57,58对考生的细节判断能力要求很高，阅读时要注意区别前后之间观点的差异。