One bitterly cold day, a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood, quickly set out with my best friend, Bruce, to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of dangers.
When I chose a big 23-meter-tall tree and prepared to cut it down, my best friend suddenly warned me, “Don’t cut down that tree! It’s too close to the power line!” I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell, there was no longer any doubt whether my friend was right.
The tree caught the power line, bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all, electricity can’t travel through wood, so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree, pain ran up my arm and through my head. I had been shocked!
After I returned home and told my mother what happened, she quickly called the power company. Workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree, and when I told him I had, his face turned pale.
“You should have been killed,” he said.
So why am I still alive? It was my boots that saved my life.
Within two hours, the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.
Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt, my mother was still serious with me. After all, I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.
Through this experience, I learned it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. Taking the time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the “shock of my life.”
1．The underlined word “disregard” in the second paragraph means“ .”
A．pay no attention to B．take notice of
C．consider D．follow
2．In spite of Bruce’s warning, the author still cut the tree because .
A．he was sure there would be nothing to happen
B．he wasn’t sure if Bruce was right and was anxious to go home
C．he didn’t hear his friend’s warning at all because of the blowing wind
D．he know electricity can’t travel through wood
3．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A．But for his boots, the writer would have died.
B．The writer regretted having brushed off his friend’s warning
C．The writer knew nothing about electricity.
D．When the tree was cut down, the writer realized his friend was right.
4．The Underlined sentence “the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother” means“ ”.
A．my mother was still angry with me for not listening to my friend’s warning
B．my mother was still in fear of the terrible accident
C．my mother was still comforting me
D．my mother was still worried about my safety
5．The author wrote the passage mainly to .
A．give an account of one of his terrible experiences
B．make us know it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective through his experience
C．tell us not to cut trees down any more
D．remind us to be careful while working