I may not be the wisest person on this planet,but I will tell you a little secret to happiness:Help others,and live life.It is that simple.Just help a friend study for a test,or volunteer at a nursing home.I learned this after a long,hard search.

I was feeling really down because my longtime friend had died.Then I started a six-week volunteering at a nursing home all day every Saturday.My routine was to serve the meal and clean up.After that,I would wait for the head nurse to tell me what to do.

One day I was told to go to Room 117 to make sure the patient was all right.In the room I found a boy of eight sitting in his bed watching a movie.I was shocked to see a child in this seemingly forgotten nursing home for the old.He was so small and weak that you had to look closely to find him.He motioned for me to sit down.I grabbed his medical chart from which later I found out he had a terminal illness.

We started to talk,and I found out that his family rarely visited,and all he did every day was watch TV.I wanted to cry for him,and for my lost friend.As we talked,he had a smile on his face,and I asked him why.

“The entire two hours I’ve been here you’ve never lost that smile.With this horrible disease,how do you still manage to stay happy?”

He thought for a moment,and then said that too many people are dead even before they die.

They walk around feeling that God has cursed(诅咒)them and that they have nothing to live for.

The boy said that he would not be like that.He wakes every morning thankful to see another sunrise.He keeps his window open so that he can smell the flowers and feel the heat of the sun.He also said that he has hope.

“Too many people haven’t seen much of that around here,” he said,“ Life is full of hope and we need to live life before it is gone.”

I don’t know what happened to him.I assume he passed away,but his lesson lives on.I now wake up and live each day to the fullest.The key to life is not money or fame,but the lessons we learn from it.

【文章大意】本文是一篇故事类短文,通过讲述作者自己的一段经历来告诉人们快乐的秘密就是要去帮助别人,好好生活。作者在朋友去世后,心情悲痛,于是去养老院做义工。在那期间他遇到了一个身患重病的小男孩,是这个小男孩的快乐和感恩让作者学会了如何去对待生活。

1.The nursing home in the passage is mainly for 　　　. 

A.the elderly B.the homeless

C.the disabled D.the abandoned

解析:细节理解题。根据文章第三段的“I was shocked to see a child in this seemingly forgotten nursing home for the old.”可知这家疗养院是为老年人开办的。

答案:A

2.The boy stayed happy mainly due to　　　. 

A.wonderful TV programs

B.his positive attitude

C.good medical condition

D.others’ encouragement

解析:推理判断题。根据文章倒数第二段和第三段内容可知这个男孩对生活充满了希望,而且充满了感恩之心,这是他快乐的根源。

答案:B

3.The writer participated in the volunteering job in order to 　　　. 

A.find out the secret

B.search for help

C.enrich experiences

D.get out of sadness

解析:推理判断题。从文章第二段“I was feeling really down because my longtime friend had died.Then I started a six-week volunteering at a nursing home all day every Saturday.”可知作者在朋友去世后来到疗养院是为了走出悲痛。

答案:D

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A.A Lesson in Hope

B.The Life of a Sick Boy

C.A Voluntary Job

D.The Meaning of Life

解析:主旨大意题。文章首段作者介绍给人们快乐的秘密就是要帮助别人,好好生活。提到自己学到这一点是通过自己的一段经历,而且在下文中介绍了这段经历,由此可知A选项内容可以概括中心。

答案:A