善心可倚

More than I realized， Dad has helped me keep my balance.

When I was growing up， I was ashamed to be seen with my father. He was severely disabled and very short， and when we would walk together， his hand on my arm for balance，people would stare. I would inwardly feel uncomfortable at the unwanted attention. If he ever noticed or was bothered， he never showed that he knew.

It was difficult to coordinate (cooperate) our steps—his hesitant， mine impatient —and because of that， we didn’t say much as we went along. But as we started out， he always said， “You set the pace. I will try to follow you.”

Our usual walk was to or from the subway， which was how he got to work. He went to work despite illness and nasty weather. He almost never missed a day， and would make it to the office even if others could not. A matter of pride.

He never talked about himself as an object of pity， nor did he show any envy of the more fortunate or successful. What he looked for in others was a “good heart”， and if he found one， the owner was good enough for him.

Now that I am older， I believe that his idea is a proper standard by which to judge people， even though I still don’t know exactly what a “good heart” is. But I know the times I don’t have one myself.

He has been gone many years now， but I think of him often. I wonder if he sensed I was unwilling to be seen with him during our walks. Now that I am older， I’m sorry that I never told him how sorry I was for my feeling ashamed to be with him in public and how unworthy I felt to be his daughter. I think of him when I complain about trifles (something unimportant)， when I am envious of another’s good fortune， and when I don’t possess a “good tear”.

At such times I put my hand on his arm to regain my balance， and say， “You set the pace， I will try to follow you.”

1. The proper title of this essay is .

A. Have Mercy on the DisabledB. Keep on Working Hard

C. Good Heart to Lean onD. My Regrets

2. From the description we see the father was .

A. willing and confidentB. broad-minded and generous

C. devoted and kind-heartedD. All the A、 B、 C.

3. The last paragraph shows the author .

A. is older and can help her father

B. is learning from her father what a good heart is

C. has a good heart and helps others a lot

D. is making up for her regrets

4. In the first paragraph， “keep my balance” means .

A. to correct what I’m doing

B. to support me to live on

C. to help me out of troubles in life

D. to keep the balance between living and working

?襊參考答案?襍

1. C依據主題:父親尊崇與踐行著 “a good heart”。

2. D依據文章描寫，這些都是父親的精神與品質。

3. B作者最后形象地說，我在學著父親那樣做人。

4. A這兒的 balance 意為“做人不要做歪了”。)

編輯/梁宇清