A
The Most Beautiful Heart
One day a young man declared that he had the most beautiful heart in the world. A large crowd flocked to admire his heart for it was perfect. There was not a flaw (瑕疵) in it.
Suddenly, an old man appeared and said，“Why, your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.”
The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was full of scars.It had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right, and there were several jagged (锯齿状的) edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges (孔洞) where whole pieces were missing.
The young man laughed，“Comparing your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars.”
“Yes，” said the old man. “Yours looks perfect, but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart that fits into the empty place in my heart.
But because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared.
Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his or her heart to me. These are the empty gouges — giving love is taking a chance.
Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for those people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have been waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is？”
The young man walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man.
The old man placed it in his heart, then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.
The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his.
They embraced and walked away side by side.
1．The young man laughed at the old man in the beginning because he thought ________.
A．his own heart was perfect while the old man's heart was ugly
B．the old man was silly enough to misunderstand him
C．young people should have a more beautiful heart
D．he could command instant respect from the crowd
解析：选A 细节理解题。由前面的描述及第四段内容可知，年轻人的心脏是完美的，而老人的心脏则到处都是伤疤，所以显得很丑陋。
2．Why wouldn't the old man trade his heart with the young man's?
A．He had exchanged his heart with somebody else.
B．The young man refused to help people in need.
C．He had a heart full of love shared with others.
D．The young man was too vain to gain his trust.
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据第五段内容可知，老人的心脏上每一道伤疤都代表着一次爱心，因此这是一颗充满爱心的心脏。
3．The missing pieces in the old man's heart meant ________.
A．some people helped by the old man forgot to pay him
B．giving love sometimes involved risks and hurt
C．people who shared love should be grateful
D．loving a person without hurting yourself
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据第七段内容可推知正确答案。
4．What made the young man feel his heart more beautiful than ever in the end?
A．The moving story told by the old man.
B．His fresh understanding of true beauty.
C．Making good friends with the old man at last.
D．The flowing love from the old man's heart into his.
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段内容可知正确答案。
