2003/02（追試）
George was a piano tuner. As he walked along the street, his head was held high and his eyes were smiling. He whistled softly to himself, a constant stream of thoughts running through his mind. He was a tall, thin man who was always cheerful. No matter how busy he was, he always made time to talk to other people, even if it was only a few words of greeting. In his right hand he carried a heavy, square, painted toolbox. As the sun set behind the hills and George marched down the middle of the street, he came across a child sitting on the edge of the road.
“Are you a carpenter, sir?” the boy asked, looking up at the old man’s face. George stopped and turned toward the boy to answer.
“No, I’m not a carpenter.”
“But you’ve got a carpenter’s toolbox.”
George smiled at the boy.
“It looks like a carpenter’s toolbox, doesn’t it? But I don’t make things out of wood. I’m a piano tuner. If you look inside this box, you’ll see that the contents are completely different. Do you want to see?”
“Yes, please
George sat down on the sidewalk and opened the box. The boy sat down beside him. He was very interested in the contents of the box and asked many questions: “What does a piano tuner do?” “What’s this for?” “How does this work?” George answered all the child’s questions in great detail. He described how the piano worked, with its little hammers striking the strings to produce sounds. He told stories about famous pianists and their lives. He hummed well-known parts of classical music and tapped out different rhythms on his box. He tried to teach the boy the notes of the scale using a piece of stone on the sidewalk. His explanations and gestures thrilled the boy and made him laugh.
The two sat side by side on the sidewalk. George had his long legs drawn up to his chin and was waving his arms as he explained things to the boy. The boy was listening to the man with all his attention, his eyes wide open and curious. Neither the man nor the boy paid any attention to what was happening around them in the street. They were clearly enjoying each other’s company. and everybody who walked past them smiled to see such a happy pair.
Then George looked into his box again and took out a small flute. He lifted it to his mouth and played a short, soft tune, and the birds in the nearby trees sang back joyfully. The boy watched with admiration, and then George handed him the flute.
“Do you want to try?”
“I don’t know how to play it.”
“Just try. Like this….” George showed the boy where to place his fingers and how to make the sounds. The boy tried, lie could not play well at first, but he kept trying and was excited when he started to produce the right notes.
“You see,” said George with a broad smile. “You can do it!”
The look of pure delight in the boy’s eyes encouraged George to continue.
“You can keep the flute if you like.”
“Really, sir? Really? Oh, thank you.”
Time passed quickly and it was soon time to say good-bye. The young boy, his face glowing with happiness, spoke up in a loud voice.
“When I grow up, Fm going to be like you.”
The piano tuner put his hand on the child’s head. He felt proud and satisfied that he had managed to give the boy such a good impression of his job.
“Then you’re going to he a piano tuner?”
“No,” said the little boy confidently. “I’m going to talk with children.”
- What kind of person is George?
① quiet and shy
② lonely and thoughtless
③ outgoing and kind
④ unfriendly and cold - At the beginning of the story, what did the boy think George did for a living?
① He thought he made and repaired wooden objects.
② He thought he painted pictures or houses.
③ He thought he grew plants and flowers.
④ He thought he fixed musical instruments. - Why did the piano tuner show the contents of his toolbox to the boy?
① He wanted to teach the boy how to play the flute.
② The boy wanted to know about famous pianists.
③ He wanted to explain his job to the boy.
④ The boy wanted to learn classical music. - Why did the passers-by smile when they saw George and the boy?
① George and the boy were having fun.
② George and the boy were talking loudly.
③ George and the boy were acting strangely.
④ George and the boy were playing music. - How did the boy feel after meeting George?
① He wished that he could be a piano tuner, too.
② He felt confident in his ability to play the flute.
③ He was happy that he met a carpenter.
④ He was pleased to have talked to him.
