A
(2020届四川省绵阳市高三诊断性考试)
A few weeks ago, I was heading for the kitchen when I listened to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding man with a golden voice, talking about “a thousand marbles” to someone named “Tom”．
“Well, Tom, it sounds like a young fellow, like you, should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad, you missed your daughter's school talent show. Let me tell you something about how to have a good attitude towards our own priorities (头等大事)．”
“You see, an average person lives about seventyfive years. Then, I multiplied 75 by 52 and I came up with 3，900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. By that time I had lived through over twentyeight hundred Saturdays.According to that, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to three toy stores to round up 1，000 marbles. I put them inside of a plastic container in my workshop. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.”
“By watching the marbles decrease, I focused more on the really important things in life. I take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure I make it because I've spared time to be with my loved ones...”
I had planned to do some work that morning, and then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up. “Honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast.” “What brought this on？” she asked with a smile. “Oh, nothing special，” I said. “It has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to do something special.”
【语篇解读】 作者在偶然间听到一段脱口秀节目，节目中的主持人以玻璃弹子为例，讲了他对与家人相处的独到见解。作者深受启发并决定要效仿这名主持人的做法。
1．According to the passage, “Tom” is ________．
A．a lazy goodfornothing
B．a hardworking breadwinner
C．a wealthy talk show host
D．a lonely senior citizen
解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第二段第一句“Well, Tom, it sounds like a young fellow, like you, should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet.”可推知，Tom是一个勤奋工作养家糊口的人。故选B。
2．How old was the talk show host when he bought a thousand marbles?
A．About 3. B．About 28.
C．About 53. D．About 75.
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据第三段第二、三句“Then, I multiplied 75 by 52 and I came up with 3，900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. By that time I had lived through over twentyeight hundred Saturdays.”可知，这名脱口秀主持人当时已度过了2 800多个星期六，通过计算(2 800×7÷365)可知，这名脱口秀主持人买了一千颗(玻璃)弹子的时候大约是53岁。故选C。
3．Why does the author want to stop at a toy store while they are out?
A．To buy a certain number of marbles.
B．To pick up his kids for breakfast.
C．To meet the talk show host.
D．To buy some toys for his kids.
解析：选A 推理判断题。根据第三段倒数第三句“So I went to three toy stores to round up 1，000 marbles.”和最后一段后两句“Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to do something special.”可知，作者外出的时候想顺道去玩具店，应该是为了买一些(玻璃)弹子。故选A。
4．What can be a suitable title for this passage?
A．Health Outweighs Wealth B．Tom's First Talk Show
C．Never Waste Your Time D．A Thousand Marbles
解析：选D 标题归纳题。通读全文可知，本文讲述了作者听到一个脱口秀主持人讲述用(玻璃)弹子代表每个星期六，每过一个星期六，就扔掉一个弹子的故事。这让他深受启发，决定多陪伴家人。所以“A Thousand Marbles”是合适的标题。故选D。
