Recently, I experienced a wonderful lesson in how little things still mean a lot. My brother, mother and I live in a very rural district on the Big Island of Hawaii. Our farm is at least a dozen miles from the most basic of services. Consequently, we take weekly trips to COSTCO to procure fuel and supplies. About a month ago, we’d finished loading up the SUV and prepared to leave. As I settled into my seat, I glanced down at the roadside, when a piece of paper caught my eye. I picked it up and read it carefully. Instantly, I was grateful I did.
The form turned out to be a receipt from the State Motor Vehicle Division, documenting the owners’ payment of their Vehicle’s Registration fees. Quickly, I put myself in their shoes and figured: no one would throw this out, especially if it was current. I also looked over the form for contact or any personal data, perhaps a license tag or telephone number. But that seemed impractical. Although the form had been born on the wind, where in the busy, crowded parking lot would I find the owners? Had it been lying there for a few minutes or a week? So I checked the date, the fees paid, noted the names of the owners and pocketed the receipt. Recalling the parable of the Good Samaritan, I concluded that the best and easiest step to take was to put the form in an envelope addressed to the couple and send it to them by post. Further, I imagined how crazy I’d be if I had misplaced my receipt. Much easier to attempt returning it than to leave them angry, upset, etc. over the loss.
By the end of the week, I received a beautiful thank-you letter from a very grateful and happy couple containing a hand written message and a gift card to use at any Starbuck’s. In her note, the wife explained how a gust of wind snatched their receipt from a pocket in her car’s passenger door. They had panicked and searched crazily for quite some time before giving up. It felt great to know I’d helped someone avoid a major loss by doing something that at first glance seemed minor or even unimportant.
小题1:What did the author really mean when he said “Instantly, I was grateful I did.”?
| A．He was lucky to notice the paper on the roadside. |
| B．He was happy to do shopping in the district for it was convenient. |
| C．He was right to pick the paper up because it was important. |
| D．He was thankful to pick up the paper because he found it for a long time. |
小题2:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the short passage?
| A．I rode my car to COSTCO to buy supplies a month ago. |
| B．The receipt was out of date, so the owner threw it away. |
| C．I waited on the roadside for the receipt owner for half a day. |
| D．I called up the owner to take back the receipt. |
小题3:The author decided to give the paper back to the owner because ______.
| A．it was useless for him |
| B．he knew the owner was upset about losing it |
| C．the owner asked him to do so |
| D．he knew the owner would reward him for it |
小题4:Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A．How I helped the couple | B．The loss of an important receipt |
| C．The owner of the receipt | D．Little things still mean a lot |
