A
I was 14 when Mr. Ingram knocked on our farmhouse door in Sacred Heart， Okla. The old farmer lived about a mile down the road and needed help cutting grass. It was the first time I was actually paid for work- about 12 cents an hour， not bad when you consider it was 1939， a time when there was little business activity.
Mr. Ingram liked the job I did and ended up hiring me to dig potatoes. I even helped when a baby cow was being born.
One day he found an old truck that was stuck in the soft， sandy soil of the melon(瓜)field. It was full of melons that someone had tried to steal before their truck got stuck.
Mr. Ingram explained that the truck's owner would be returning soon， and he wanted me to watch and lean. It wasn't long before a man from a nearby village， who had a terrible reputation(名声)for fighting and stealing， showed up with his two full-grown sons. They looked very angry.
Calmly Mr. Ingram said，"Well，I see you want to buy some watermelons."
There was a long silence before the man answered，"Yeah，I guess so. What are you getting for them?"
"Twenty-five cents each."
"Well. I guess that would be fair enough if you help me get my truck out of here."
It turned out to be our biggest sale of the summer，and an unpleasant，perhaps unfortunate，incident had been prevented. After they left，Mr. Ingram smiled and said to me，"Son，if you don't forgive(原谅)your enemies， you're going to run out of friends." Mr. Ingram died a few years later，but I have never forgotten him or what he taught me on my first job.
( )56. Which of the following best explains "ended up" as is used in the passage ?
A. enjoyed B. finished C. got into D. went on
( )57. The truck owners were angry because .
A. they failed to get the melons away without being seen
B. they forgot to have their truck checked before they started
C. they had got too many melons on the truck
D. they knew they had a bad reputation
( )58. Why didn't the truck owners fight to get away the melons.
A. The old farmer was a strong enemy. B.The price offered for the melons was very low.
C.It was hard to start a fight against friendly people.
D.It was necessary to get the truck out before anything
B
You get all sorts of demands， and the mark of a good hotel is to supply whatever is asked for without sounding surprised. If a guest asks for rubber glover(手套)， you don't ask why. You say， "No problem. What colour do you want?"
There have been some demands which， much as I would have liked to fill， I couldn't. A Japanese businessman， for example， thought the manager of a hotel was like the captain of a ship so he asked me to marry him and the woman he loved. There was one time， however， we did help out. A young man thought that if he asked his girlfriend to marry him at the Ritz she would say yes. He asked us to pt the ring in a cake， and she accepted.
Top hotels are used more and more to impress. They are used for doing business. If you've got something to sell， take your clients(客户) to the best hotel where the surroundings are quite helpful. A friend of mine working at Savoy Hotel tells the story about a man who gave him 5 pounds to say " good morning， Mr. Smith" when he walked through the door with two other men. This he did ， and could hear Mr. Smith saying， "I do wish they would leave me alone at this place."
According to Julian Payne， the most powerful people in any hotel are the porters， who carry bags for hotel guests. "Porters can do almost anything. They can get you tables at the best restaurants r tickets for a popular concert. Don't ask me how they do it or what their deal is because I don't know. Most of them have been there for years. They know more about the history of the hotel and the guests than anyone else. They are invaluable. A head porter will come in even on his day off so he can say hello to someone he remembers visiting the hotel years ago."
( )59. When guests ask for something strange， the manager of a good hotel would think_________.
A. how he can meet their needs B. why they have such demands
C.what problems the hotel has D. who is the best person to go to
( )60. Which of the following examples explains "we did help out"?
A. The hotel bought a ring for a young lady. B.A Japanese married the woman he loved.
C.The manager once acted as a captain. D.A young lady agreed to marry her boyfriend.
( )61. By saying "I do wish they would leave me alone at this place， " Mr. Smith .
A. showed that he disliked such people at the hotel
B. gave the impression that he was a constant guest
C. tried to make his clients feel sorry for him
D. sounded as if he was tired of such greetings
( )62. Why are the porters considered the most powerful people in expensive hotels?
A. they sell tickets for converts. B. they can complete difficult tasks.
C.they know the history of hotels. D.They usually work in a hotel for a long time.
所属频道：英语
责任编辑：邓老师
