A man had two sons. They were twins. They were born at almost the same time and looked exactly alike. But in one important way they were very different. One was an optimist(乐观者),while the other one was a pessimist(悲观者).
The man was worried about his sons. There are good and bad things in life, he knew. He did not want them to be too pessimistic or too optimistic. He took his problem to a friend, Sally.
“How can I cure(治愈)them of their foolish optimism and pessimist?” he asked his friend .
Sally was thoughtful. Then she said, “When is their next birthday?”
“It’s on Wednesday,” the father replied. “They’ll be twelve years old.”
“Excellent,” Sally said. “Here’s what you should do. Give your pessimist son a really wonderful present. Give your optimistic son a really poor present. That should cure them of their optimism and pessimisms.”
The father did as his friend told him.
On Wednesday morning the boys looked at their birthday presents.
The pessimist looked at his first. It was a beautiful and very expensive gold watch, but he was not pleased with it.
“Huh,” he said, “I don’t like this very much .I’m sure it won’t keep good time. It will always be fast or slow and it will probably break many times, and I’ll have to spend lots of money to get it repaired(修理).”
Then the optimist looked at his present. He was really pleased. “Look! Dad’s given me a shoelace (鞋带).” he said. He held up the shoelace.
“I haven’t found the shoes yet, but I’m sure they are here somewhere.”
What was the difference between the man’s two sons?
A.They were born at different time. |
B.They liked different presents. |
C.One was an optimist, while the other one was a pessimist. |
D.They didn’t have the same looks. |
Who did the father take his problem to?
A.Optimist |
B.Pessimist |
C.His friend Sally |
D.Himself |
How did the pessimistic son feel about his present?
A.He wasn’t pleased with it. |
B.He was pleased with it. |
C.He was angry with it. |
D.He was interested in it. |
What present did the man send to the optimist?
A.A gold watch. |
B.A gold shoelace. |
C.A pair of shows |
D.A shoelace. |
Why was the man worried about his sons?
A.Because he knew there are good and bad things in life. |
B.Because their sons were too pessimistic. |
C.Because their sons were too optimistic. |
D.Because their sons’ birthday was coming, he has no money to buy presents for them. |