There was once an old wise man living on the top of a mountain. Whenever the villagers had a problem, they would climb up the mountain and ask the old man for advice.
One day a young man arrived. “Wise man,” he asked, “What makes a man truly great?”
The old man said, “Do you sincerely want to know?”
“Yes, yes!” the young man replied.
“Well,” the wise old man said to him, “Let me tell you in the form of a story.”
There was once a Greek man who suffered from a deadly disease. Knowing that he would die soon, he was the first to join the army when his country was in a battle with the enemy. Hoping to die in battle, he would fight in the front line, risking himself without any worry for his life. Finally they won the battle and he was still alive. His general (将军) was so impressed with his bravery which contributed much to the victory.
The general decided to promote him and award him with medals of bravery and honor. On the day of presentation (授予仪式), he was looking very down and sad. Curiously, the general asked him why he was so sad on a day he should be so proud. The soldier told him of his deadly disease. “How could I let such a brave soldier die?” the general thought. So the general hired the best physician and finally cured the soldier. But from that day on, the once valiant soldier was no longer seen at the front. He would always avoid danger and tried his best to protect his life.
“Young man,” the wise man said, “if you want to be truly great, you must not be afraid of dying, you must be daring.”
29．The reason why the young man went to see the old man was that .
A. he enjoyed the scenery of the great mountain
B. the old man was very good at telling stories
C. there was a difficult problem troubling him
D. he was not sure who the greatest man was
30．The general decided to award the Greek man .
A. after he realized the man’s serious illness
B. because the man fought bravely in battle
C. though he knew the man would die soon
D. so that he could find the man a good doctor
31．The underlined word “valiant” is closest in meaning to .
A. brave B. polite C. curious D. proud
32．What the old man really wanted the young man to do was .
A. trying to be kind to the people in trouble
B. mastering the skills of telling
C. joining the army to fight for his country
D. learning a lesson from the Greek man