Many years ago in a small village, an old man was hired to clear the spring (泉水) up on the mountain. He patrolled (巡逻) the spring every day, and swept away all the leaves and other things that would dirty the fresh flow of water. Soon, beautiful swans (天鹅) came to the clear spring, and the village became a popular attraction for visitors.
Years passed. One evening the town leaders held a meeting. As they looked at the salary list, one of them said, “Why do we keep this old man on year after year? I don’t think we need him or his work.” Later, the old man was asked to leave.
For several weeks, nothing changed. By early autumn, the leaves began to fall off the trees, and the spring was covered with leaves. A few days later, the water was much darker. Only a few months after the old man left, all the swans left, as did the tourists. Disease reached deeply into the village.
Quickly, the leaders held a special meeting. Realizing their mistake, they rehired the old man. Then within a few weeks, the spring began to clear up. Soon new life returned to the village.
So, my friends, do you see? No matter how small your work or your life seems to be, never overlook it. Anything we can do will make a difference.
小题1:The leaders decided to ask the old man to leave because they thought ______.
A．his work was unnecessary
B．he did his work carelessly
C．he was too old to do the job
D．he could do other better jobs小题2:How did the leaders feel a few months after the old man left?
A．Regretful.
B．Moved.
C．Excited.
D．Calm.小题3:What does the underlined word “overlook” mean in the last paragraph?
A．Believe.
B．Ignore(忽略).
C．Praise.
D．Punish.小题4:With this story, the writer wants to tell us that ______.
A．even a small job can be important
B．work can bring old people happiness
C．everyone should always respect others
D．everyone can be his own master
小题1:A
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:A
题目分析：本文叙述了一位老人被安排到山上去清理垃圾以保持泉水的清洁，由于老人的辛勤劳动，给天鹅和旅行者都带来了快乐，他们都愿意去山上游玩，这时，领导者一看这么和谐的情况认为没有必要再让老人了在这里工作了，可是他们没有想到的是，几个月后这里很快变脏了，并且给村民也带来了疾病，这时领导人认识到了自己的错误，再小的事也会给我们的生活带来很大的影响。
小题1:这是细节理解题。根据I don’t think we need him or his work.”故选A。
小题2:这是细节理解题。根据Realizing their mistake, they rehired the old man. 故选A。
小题3:这是细节理解题。根据No matter how small your work or your life seems to be 和Anything we can do will make a difference 任何事情不管它多小，做小事它也有一定的意义，故选B。
小题4:这是写作意图题。根据Anything we can do will make a difference.最后一句总结了这个故事给予我们的道理。故选A。
点评：在历年高考阅读题中，不同文体与三种写作意图类型的大致对应关系，这有助于做好此类试题。第一种写作意图（to entertain readers）常见于故事类的文章。第二种写作意图（to persuade readers，to sell a product or a service），或是要通过对旅游景点﹑报刊杂志﹑影片﹑电视节目等的介绍来达到他的写作目的：吸引更多的游客﹑读者或订户﹑观众等（to attract more visitors / readers / audience）。第三种写作意图（to inform readers）多见于科普类﹑新闻报道类﹑文化类或社会类的文章，了解这类文章的写作目的有赖于对文章主题的正确把握，阅读时有必要找准文章的主题句，或较好地对主题加以归纳。