It was New Year’s Night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky, where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of a clear calm lake. Then he cast them on the earth, where few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal --- the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the stages leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads --- one leading to a peaceful, sunny place, covered with flowers, fruits and filled with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.
He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, “O youth, return! O my father, place me once more at the entrance to life, and I’ll choose the better way!” But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness. These were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall down from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself. His regret, which was like a sharp arrow, struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered on life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honored and happy on this New Year’s Night.
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents’ early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With shame and grief he dared no longer look towards that heaven where his father lived. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort, he burst out a cry: “Come back, my early days! Come back!”
And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year’s Night. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the deep, dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.
Those who still wander on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain: “O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!”
小题1:We can learn from the passage that ____.
A．the man returned from a long journey and regretted what he had done
B．the man didn’t enter the deep, dark cave when he was young
C．the man was deserted by his parents when he was only a child
D．the man found it no use crying over the spilt milk小题2:Why does the author set his story on New Year’s Night?
A．He wants to tell people it’s time to recall the past
B．he suggests the aged man will have a bright future
C．He tries to stress the man’s sad feeling
D．He expects people to share the man’s emotion小题3:The aged man in the passage can be described as ________.
A．sorrowful, fearful and regretful
B．hopeful, cheerful and peaceful
C．regretful, painful and disappointed
D．disappointed, regretful and hopeful小题4:The author writes the passage mainly to ________.
A．encourage young people to take the right road
B．help the old man to pick up his confidence
C．describe the old man’s unsuccessful experience
D．show his compassion for the aged man
小题1:D
小题2:C
小题3:C
小题4:A
题目分析：本文主要讲了在新年之夜，别人都在欢庆新年之际，一位后悔、痛苦又绝望的老人即将走向生命的尽头，他非常后悔自己在年轻时没有听从父亲的劝告，走正确的人生道路，然而时光不再，他永远本可能回到年轻时候了。
小题1: 根据Those who still wander on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain: “O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!”故选D。
小题2:新年之夜本来应该是一个欢喜和充满希望的夜晚，而作者把这个故事的背景设定在这一时刻，更强调了这个人极度悲伤的感情，故选C。
小题3: 通过阅读整篇文章，可以看出这位老人后悔、痛苦又绝望，故选C。
小题4:根据And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year’s Night. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the deep, dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.可知这篇文章的作者鼓励年轻人一定要选择正确的道路，故选A。
点评：这篇文章非常简单，先看问题，再带着问题仔细阅读短文，理解了全文内容，很容易选出正确答案。阅读短文时，常常会遇到一些生词。这时，要沉着，冷静，细心思考。首先要把整段、整篇文章看完。通过对全篇短文的理解，就很有可能猜测出生词的大意。另外，还可以从含有生词句子的上下文，以及句子和段落之间的关系来判断、理解生词以求获得其真正含义。猜测生词的另一种方法是，根据构词法推测。遇到生词后，可从构词法角度分析判断生词。