四、阅读理解
It was a grey, windy day, and I walked alone in the nearby woods, my heart as heavy as the sky—I just needed space to sort out my messy thoughts.
I ran into an old man sitting on a stone, who noticed I was down and asked softly, “Son, you look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. What’s eating you?”
I let out a low breath and sat beside him, too tired to hold back my true feelings. “I’m done with school,” I said in a low voice. “I just can’t keep up any more.”
“Done with school?” He raised an eyebrow. “There’s no use running from your problems—slow and steady wins the race, kid.”
I shrugged (耸肩). “I’m not running,” I said. “I’m no good at exams. Every test is full of red crosses. I’ve tried, but nothing works. I guess I’m not smart enough, so what’s the point anyway?”
The old man nodded and pointed to the ferns (蕨草). “I planted these a few years back with bamboo seeds. I watered them daily, and the ferns shot up fast, covering the ground in a month.”
“What about the bamboo?” I asked, looking over the dirt next to the ferns.
“Nothing at first,” he smiled. “My friends told me to give up, but I kept at it—time will tell everything, right?” “You never felt like giving up?” I asked, surprised.
“Sure I did sometimes,” he said, “but I didn’t throw in the towel. The next year, ferns got thicker, but bamboo still didn’t sprout (发芽)—I kept caring.”
“When did it grow?” I asked, drawing close, my sadness dying away.
“In the fifth year,” he said, eyes lighting up. “A tiny sprout poked out, so small that everyone laughed. But six months later, it became a 100-foot-tall bamboo, taller than the trees.”
I stared in wonder. “Why so fast after waiting so long?”
“Those five years weren’t wasted,” he explained, gently touching my arm. “It grew deep, strong roots (根) to get water and nutrients (营养素)—without them, it would’ve never stood tall.”
I sat quietly, letting his words sink in. Maybe I was like the bamboo seed, needing time to “grow my roots” before getting better. When I left, the grey sky didn’t feel so heavy any more.
() 1. What can we infer from the first five paragraphs?
A. The writer hated windy weather very much.
B. The writer felt lost and thought studying was meaningless.
C. The writer went to the woods to enjoy beautiful natural sights.
D. The writer was unwilling to share his true inner feelings with others.
() 2. The underlined phrase “throw in the towel” probably means “”.
A. continue to try one’s best B. keep on doing something difficult
C. give up doing something D. throw a towel to someone in need
() 3. Why did the old man talk about ferns and bamboo?
A. To show his rich planting experience. B. To encourage the boy to grow plants.
C. To introduce different kinds of plants. D. To advise the boy not to lose heart easily.
() 4. What may the writer do next after hearing the old man’s words?
A. He will learn to plant bamboo with the old man.
B. He will return to school and study hard.
C. He will stick to his decision and leave school.
D. He will take a long break before making a final choice.