阅读理解。
A ship was damaged during a storm at sea and only two of the men aboard were able to swim to a
small island. Not knowing what else to do , the two survivors decided that they should pray to God.
However, to find out whose prayers were more powerful, they agreed to divide the land between
them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a tree on his side of the
island, and he was able to eat its fruit. But the other man's side of land remained barren .
After a week, the first man became lonely and decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was damaged and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these
things were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship so that he and his wife could leave the island, and in the morning he found a ship stopped at his side of the island.
The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. As
the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven, " Why are you leaving your friend
on the island ? "
"My blessings are mine alone since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His
prayers were all unanswered so he doesn't deserve anything."
"You are mistaken !" the voice said. " He had only one prayer, which I answered. He prayed that all
your prayers would be answered."
1. Why didn't the two men stay together on the island ?
A. Because they both wanted to live a quiet life.
B. Because they couldn't get along well with each other.
C. Because they wanted to test the power of their prayers
D. Because they wanted to keep their own life secret from others.
2. The underlined word "barren" is closest in meaning to __________.
A. noisy
B. empty
C. dangerous
D. calm
3. Which of the following words can best describe the first man ?
A. hardworking
B. lucky
C. selfish
D. dishonest
4. What does the author try to express through the story?
A. God helps those who help themselves.
B. A life without a friend is a life without a sun.
C. A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.
D. What we do for others is more important than what we do for ourselves.
