Pete Richards was the loneliest man in town on the day that little Jean Grace op

Pete Richards was the loneliest man in town on the daythat little Jean Grace opened the door of his shop.

         Pete'sgrandfather had owned the shop until his death. Then the shop became Pete's. Thefront window was full of beautiful old things: jewelry of a hundred years ago,gold and silver boxes, carved figures from China and Japan and other nations.

         Onthis winter afternoon, a child stood there, her face close to the window. Withlarge and serious eyes, she studied each piece in the window. Then, lookingpleased, she stepped back from the window and went into the shop. Pete himselfstood behind the counter. His eyes were cold as he looked at the small girl. “Please,”she began, “would you let me look at the pretty string of blue beads in thewindow?” Pete took the string of blue beads from the window. The beads werebeautiful against his hand as he held the necklace up for her to see.

         “Theyare just right,” said the child as though she were alone with the beads. “Willyou wrap them up in pretty paper for me, please? I've been looking for a reallywonderful Christmas present for my sister.”

         “Howmuch money do you have?” asked Pete.

         Sheput a handful of pennies on the counter. “This is all I have,” she explainedsimply. “I've been saving the money for my sister's present.”

         Petelooked at her, his eyes thoughtful. Then he carefully closed his hand over theprice mark on the necklace so that she could not see it. How could he tell herthe price? The happy look in her big blue eyes struck him like the pain of anold wound.

         “Justa minute,” he said and went to the back of the shop. “What's your name?” hecalled out. He was very busy about something.

         “JeanGrace,” answered the child.

         WhenPete returned to the front of the shop, he held a package in his hand. It waswrapped in pretty Christmas paper.

         “Thereyou are,” he said. “Don't lose it on the way home.”

         Shesmiled happily at him as she ran out of the door. Through the window he watchedher go. He felt more alone than ever.

         Somethingabout Jean Grace and her string of beads had made him feel once more the painof his old grief. The child's hair was as yellow as the sunlight; her eyes wereas blue as the sea. Once upon a time, Pete had loved a girl with hair of thatsame yellow and with eyes just as blue. And the necklace of blue stones hadbeen meant for her.

         Butone rainy night, a car had gone off the road and struck the girl. After shedied, Pete felt that he had nothing left in the world except his grief. Theblue eyes of Jean Grace brought him out of that world of self-pity and made himremember again all that he had lost. The pain of remembering was so great thatPete wanted to run away from the happy Christmas shoppers who came to look athis beautiful old things during the next ten days.

         Whenthe last shopper had gone, late on Christmas Eve, the door opened and a youngwoman came in. Pete could not understand it, but he felt that he had seen herbefore. Her hair was sunlight yellow and her eyes were sea-blue. Withoutspeaking, she put on the counter a package wrapped in pretty Christmas paper. WhenPete opened the package, the string of blue beads lay again before him.

         “Didthis come from your shop?” she asked.

         Petelooked at her with eyes no longer cold. “Yes, it did,” he said.

         “Arethe stones real?”

         “Yes.They aren't the best turquoise(绿松石), but they are real.”

         “Canyou remember to whom you sold them?”

         “Shewas a small girl. Her name was Jean. She wanted them for her sister's Christmaspresent.”

         “Howmuch were they?”

         “Ican't tell you that,” he said. “The seller never tells anyone else what a buyerpays.”

         “ButJean has never had more than a few pennies. How could she pay for them?”

         “Shepaid the biggest price one can ever pay,” he said.

         For amoment there was no sound in the little shop. Then somewhere in the city,church bells began to ring. It was midnight and the beginning of anotherChristmas Day.

         “Butwhy did you do it?” the girl asked.

         Peteput the package into her hands.

         “Thereis no one else to whom I can give a Christmas present,” he said. “It is alreadyChristmas morning. Will you let me take you to your home? I would like to wishyou a Merry Christmas at your door.”

         Andso, to the sound of many bells, Pete Richards and a girl whose name he had notyet learned walked out into the hope and happiness of a new Christmas Day.

1.WhenPete saw Jean Grace, he was ______.

A. very enthusiastic, hoping for some business to bedone

B. cold but he still served the young customer

C. cold, unwilling to serve the young customer

D. very warm to the young customer though he did notwant to sell anything to her

2.Petedid not say the price of the necklace because ______.

A. the seller never tells anyone else what a buyerpays

B. he priced the necklace too high

C. he knew it would disappoint the girl

D. he didn't want to sell the necklace

3.Theeyes of Jean Grace brought Pete out of his world of self-pity and he ______.

A. tried to forget the memory of his sweetheart

B. began to look at the world optimistically

C. remembered his lost love

D. no longer felt the pain in him

4.Ayoung woman came into the shop because ______.

A. she was afraid that there might be some mistake

B. she thought that the stones she had bought were notreal

C. she was not sure if she could get more stones likethose

D. she did not like what she had once bought

5.Bysaying “She paid the biggest price one can ever pay,” Pete meant thatJean Grace     .

A. gave the most money for the necklace

B. gave all she had with her for the necklace

C. appreciated the value of the necklace

D. wanted to have the best thing in the shop

6. Atthe end of the story we see that Pete _____.

A. found another girl that he could trust

B. met someone who truly loved him

C. found a place to go at last

D. regained his ability to love

试题答案

【答案】

1.B

2.C

3.C

4.A

5.B

6.D

【解析】

试题