The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me ,eager to sell his bunches(串)of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known he bitterness of life.“Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.”He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 that for the fruit and nuts, When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change. So I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents bad raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.
I pulled over and rolled down my window, He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’t up?”asked him.
“I…I don’t have money to buy books for school.”I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills.“Will this help?”I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year.“Thank you, sir.”he said.“Thank you very much!”
When driving home. I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a cheat(骗子)?And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I wondered why I did it, Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out For a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
“Oh, gosh! Long time.”
“Are you in school now?”I asked.
He nodded.
“That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted.“Here,”I held out a 500 naira bill.“Take this.”He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt.“What’s wrong?” I asked.“It’s a gift.”
He shook his head again and brought his had form behind his back. His face shone with sweat(汗水). He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said,“I’ve been waiting to give these to you .”
1.What was the author’s first impression of the boy?
A. He seemed to be poor and greedy.
B. He seemed to have his age.
C. He seemed younger than his age.
D. He seemed good at bargaining.
2.The second time the author met the boy, the boy .
A. told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts
B. wanted to express his thanks
C. asked him for money for his schoolbooks
D. tried to take advantage of him
3.Why did the author give his money to the boy?
A. Because he had enough money to do that.
B. Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.
C. Because he held a higher position in the society.
D. Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.
4.Which of the following best describes the boy?
A. Brave and polite.
B. Kind and smart.
C. Honest and thankful.
D. Shy and nervous.
1.B 2.A 3.B 4.C
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025