When I was about 12, I had an enemy (敵人), a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings (缺點). Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn’t a good student; I talked too much; I was too proud (驕傲), and so on. I tried to hear all these as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly. Then he asked, “Are the thing she said true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever think about what you are really like? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could --- and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a very clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He wouldn’t like to take it. “That is just for you,” he said, “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you will find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do the right thing.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important periods. In my life, I have never had a better piece of advice.
小題1:Which do you think would be the best title (標題) for this passage?
| A．Not An Enemy, But the Best Friend | B．The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had |
| C．My Father | D．My Childhood |
小題2:Why did the writer’s father listen to her quietly? Because__________.
| A．he believed that most of what his daughter’s “enemy” said was true. |
| B．he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping quiet for some time |
| C．he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment |
| D．he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth |
小題3:What did the father do after he had heard his daughter’s complaint?
| A．He told her not to pay any attention to what her “enemy” had said. |
| B．He criticized(批評) her and told her to overcome (克服) her shortcomings. |
| C．He told her to write down all that her “enemy” had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true. |
| D．He wouldn’t like to take the list and have a look at it. |
小題4:What does “I got a very clear picture of myself” mean?
| A．I had my picture taken and this time it was a very clear one. |
| B．I asked someone to draw a very clear picture of myself. |
| C．The picture I got this time was clearer than those I had got before. |
| D．I came to know myself very clearly this time. |
