Charlie,a master carpenter(木匠),was very well respected in his community.Everyone knew that if they wanted the best,they would call on him.Of course that meant that Charlie would never be rich.Other carpenters always told him that if he used inferior(劣质的)materials and cheap labor then he could make a lot of money.Charlie would not take their advice.
One day,John,the richest man in town came to Charlie.He said that he had just bought the best piece of land in town. He was going to Europe for 4 months and wanted Charlie to build him the best house in town.“Spare no expense and give me the best.”
Charlie thought about this and decided finally he would make some money.He did not get his usual great carpenters and fine materials from his normal suppliers.He built the house and covered up the flaws(瑕疵).After 4 months he had spent about 50%of what he usually spends on a house.
John came back from Europe and immediately called Charlie and asked him to meet him at the house.When they met,John asked him if he had used the finest materials and spared no expense.Charlie said absolutely(绝对地).John said that he was glad.He paid Charlie,then told him that he wanted to reward Charlie for all of his years of service to the community by giving Charlie this house.
There are many times in our lives where we let down a little bit. When you do,you never know what is going to happen.
小题1:What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A.Charlie was an honest and respected master carpenter. |
B.Charlie was a very foolish master carpenter. |
C.Charlie was a good but stubborn master carpenter. |
D.Charlie was a carpenter who would never be rich. |
小题2:What does the underlined phrase “spare no expense” in the second paragraph mean?
A.to spend no money |
B.to spend all the money necessary |
C.to give not enough money |
D.to waste no money |
小题3:From Paragraph 3 we can learn ___________________ .
A.Charlie did as the rich man told him |
B.the house was well built |
C.Charlie kept some of the money to himself |
D.the house was only half finished after 4 months |
小题4:When Charlie heard that he would be given the house, he must have felt _______ .
A.happy | B.sorry | C.1ucky | D.satisfied |
小题5:What can we learn from the passage?
A.A good carpenter shouldn’t earn money from his labor. |
B.A carpenter shouldn’t earn a rich man’s money. |
C.The richest man often punished carpenters. |
D.One should always be honest. |