From my father I have learned a lot. And I’m very thankful to him. I remember when I was a child my father always got up very early, quietly putting on his clothes and going off to work. To arrive in time to open his tiny store at 8:30, he needed to leave our apartment at 6:30. After all, he had to take a bus and then the subway. The last journey was a long walk through a neighborhood much of which was full of the smell of rubbish. I learned: it is very important to work. No excuse.
When I was 12, I would, on some Saturdays, go to my father’s store to help out. After helping set up the outside clothing display, for the rest of the day, I’d watch to make sure no one stole anything. When I noticed someone looking unusual or strange, I would look the person in the eye, smile and say, “May I help you?” Usually that worked, but sometimes, someone would run off with something. The first time, I ran after the thief but my father shouted, “Martin, stop! There is no need to do that.” It’s true that safety is more important than money.
After 10 years of hard work, he saved up enough money to buy his first car, a cheap one—he wouldn’t buy one until he could afford to pay for it without borrowing money. I learned: buy only what you can afford. Buying necessary food and clothing won’t make us go in debt(債務). The unnecessary things won’t give us happiness, which comes from achievement only.
小題1: What shop did the author’s father own?
| A．A bookshop. | B．A coffee shop. |
| C．A clothing shop. | D．A food shop. |
小題2: Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The author ran after thieves many times. |
| B．The author thanked his father a lot. |
| C．The author’s father worked very hard. |
| D．The author’s father made some money. |
小題3: All the following are talked about in the passage EXCEPT
.
| A．the importance of working |
| B．the good ways to keep healthy |
| C．that safety comes before money |
| D．that it’s bad to spend more than you make |
小題4: According to the author, what usually makes people go in debt?
| A．To rent a house for the family. |
| B．To send their children to school. |
| C．To enjoy something unnecessary. |
| D．To buy enough food for the family. |
小題5: What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to live a happy life. |
| B．What makes a person successful. |
| C．The help the author got from his father. |
| D．What the author learned from his father. |
