Recently, I experienced a wonderful lesson in how little things still mean a lot. My brother, mother and I live in a very rural district on the Big Island of Hawaii. Our farm is at least a dozen miles from the most basic of services. Consequently, we take weekly trips to COSTCO to procure fuel and supplies. About a month ago, we’d finished loading up the SUV and prepared to leave. As I settled into my seat, I glanced down at the roadside, when a piece of paper caught my eye. I picked it up and read it carefully. Instantly, I was grateful I did.
The form turned out to be a receipt from the State Motor Vehicle Division, documenting the owners’ payment of their Vehicle’s Registration fees. Quickly, I put myself in their shoes and figured: no one would throw this out, especially if it was current. I also looked over the form for contact or any personal data, perhaps a license tag or telephone number. But that seemed impractical. Although the form had been born on the wind, where in the busy, crowded parking lot would I find the owners? Had it been lying there for a few minutes or a week? So I checked the date, the fees paid, noted the names of the owners and pocketed the receipt. Recalling the parable of the Good Samaritan, I concluded that the best and easiest step to take was to put the form in an envelope addressed to the couple and send it to them by post. Further, I imagined how crazy I’d be if I had misplaced my receipt. Much easier to attempt returning it than to leave them angry, upset, etc. over the loss.
By the end of the week, I received a beautiful thank-you letter from a very grateful and happy couple containing a hand written message and a gift card to use at any Starbuck’s. In her note, the wife explained how a gust of wind snatched their receipt from a pocket in her car’s passenger door. They had panicked and searched crazily for quite some time before giving up. It felt great to know I’d helped someone avoid a major loss by doing something that at first glance seemed minor or even unimportant.
小题1:What did the author really mean when he said “Instantly, I was grateful I did.”?
A．He was lucky to notice the paper on the roadside.
B．He was happy to do shopping in the district for it was convenient.
C．He was right to pick the paper up because it was important.
D．He was thankful to pick up the paper because he found it for a long time.小题2:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the short passage?
A．I rode my car to COSTCO to buy supplies a month ago.
B．The receipt was out of date, so the owner threw it away.
C．I waited on the roadside for the receipt owner for half a day.
D．I called up the owner to take back the receipt.小题3:The author decided to give the paper back to the owner because ______.
A．it was useless for him
B．he knew the owner was upset about losing it
C．the owner asked him to do so
D．he knew the owner would reward him for it小题4:Which would be the best title for this passage?
A．How I helped the couple
B．The loss of an important receipt
C．The owner of the receipt
D．Little things still mean a lot
小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:D
题目分析：文章通过讲述作者归还收据给一对夫妇的故事，说明虽然是很小的事情，但是意味着很多。
小题1:推理题;从第二段的句子：The form turned out to be a receipt from the State Motor Vehicle Division, documenting the owners’ payment of their Vehicle’s Registration fees.可知作者认为自己捡起这张纸是对的，因为它很重要。选C
小题2:细节题：从第一段的句子：Consequently, we take weekly trips to COSTCO to procure fuel and supplies. About a month ago, we’d finished loading up the SUV and prepared to leave.可知一个月前，作者去COSTCO 购买一些日用品。选A
小题3:细节题：从第二段的句子：Quickly, I put myself in their shoes and figured: no one would throw this out, especially if it was current.可知作者认为失主肯定是很难过的，选B
小题4:主旨题：从文章的最后一段的句子：It felt great to know I’d helped someone avoid a major loss by doing something that at first glance seemed minor or even unimportant.可知作者做的是很小的事情，但是意味着很多。选D
点评：本文以细节题的考查为主，细节题是针对文中某个细节、某句话或某部分具体内容设置问题，正确答案的根据一定可以在原文中找到，即原文的改写往往成为正确选项。通常细节题的正确选项有以下特征：对原文句子中的关键词进行替换。把原文中的一些词换成意义相近的词，成为正确选项。词性或者语态的变化。把原文中的一些词变换一下词性，或者改变原文句子的语态，给考生制造障碍。语言简化。把原文中的复杂语言现象进行简化，成为正确答案。正话反说。把原文中的意思反过来表达而成为正确选项(适用于寻找错误选项的题目)。