Inthemid-1950s,Iwasasomewhatboredearly-adolescentmalestudentwhobelievedthatdoinganymorethannecessarywaswastedeffort.Oneday,thisapproachthrewmeintoembarrassmentInMrs.Totten’seighth-grademathclassatCentralA

　　Inthemid-1950s,Iwasasomewhatboredearly-adolescentmalestudentwhobelievedthatdoinganymorethannecessarywaswastedeffort.Oneday,thisapproachthrewmeintoembarrassment

　　InMrs.Totten’seighth-grademathclassatCentralAvenueSchoolinAnderson,Indiana,wewerelearningtoaddandsubtractdecimals(小数).

　　Ourteachertypicallyassigneddailyhomework,whichwouldberecitedinclassthefollowingday.Onmostdays,ourgradeswerebasedonouroralanswertohomeworkquestions.

　　Mrs.Tottenusuallywalkedupanddowntherowsofdesksrequestinganswersfromstudentafterstudentintheorderthequestionshadappearedonourhomeworksheets.Shewouldstarteitheratthefrontorthebackoftheclassroomandworktowardtheotherend.

　　SinceIwasseatednearthemiddleofabout35students,itwaseasytofigureoutwhichquestionsImighthavetoanswer.Thisparticulartime,Ihadcompletedmyusualtwoorthreeproblemsaccordingtomycalculations.

　　WhatIfailedtoexpectwasthatseveralstudentswereabsent,whichthrewoffmyestimate.AsMrs.Tottenmadeherwayfromthebeginningoftheclass，IdesperatelytriedtodeterminewhichmathproblemIwouldget.Itriedtoworkitoutbeforeshegottome,butIhadbrainfreezeandcouldn’tfunction.

　　WhenMrs.Tottenreachedmydesk，sheaskedwhatanswerI’dgotforproblemNo.14.“I…Ididn’tgetanything,” Ianswered，andmyfacefeltwarm.

　　“Correct,”shesaid.

　　Itturnedoutthatthecorrectanswerwaszero.

　　WhatdidIlearnthatday?First,alwaysdoallyourhomework.Second,inreallifeitisn’talwayswhatyousaybuthowyousayitthatmatters.Third，Iwouldnevermakeitasamathematician.

　　IfIcouldchooseoneschooldaythattaughtmethemost,itwouldbethatone.

　　小题1:WhatdoestheunderlinedpartinParagraph1indicate?A．Itiswisetovalueone’stime.B．ItisimportanttomakeaneffortC．Itisrighttosticktoone’sbelief.D．Itisenoughtodothenecessary.小题2:Usually,Mrs.Tottenaskedherstudentsto_______.A．recitetheirhomeworktogetherB．gradetheirhomeworkthemselvesC．answertheirhomeworkquestionso