A
(2019·绵阳第一次诊断)David Rees runs a truly distinctive business. He charges customers $15 to sharpen their pencils to perfection, using a variety of tools.
I know what you’re thinking—is this a joke? The 39yearold gets asked that question a lot. To clarify everything, he even created a special section on his website telling everyone he’s actually providing a real service.
You can supply your own pencil or you can have Rees sharpen one of his own favorite 2B pencils. After that, he mails it to you in a display tube with the shavings in a separate bag, and an authentic certificate which just happens to mention the pencil is so sharp as to be a dangerous object.
To achieve the desired result, the master sharpener uses all kinds of tools, including general sandpaper, pocket knives and even a special $450 sharpening machine. “It depends on what the customer wants to use his/her pencil for，” he says. That determines the most appropriate pencilsharpening technique. Some customers buy pencils as inspirational symbols while others buy them because of their special memories of classic 2B pencils.
$15 to have a pencil sharpened is a bit expensive though, right? You’re not the only one who feels that way, and David’s unique business has really angered lots of people, who talk of inequality in America, saying it is so insane for the wealthy to pay $15 to sharpen a pencil. But others will say, “This is just our urge to put an end to the welfare state because new ideas arise along with the business．”
David admits his trade is sort of unusual. But there are those who actually value his service, as is proven by the over 500 orders he has gotten.
【解题导语】 本文主要介绍了一个人提供为他人削铅笔的独特服务。
1．How could David make money by sharpening pencils?
A．He invented new tools for the job.
B．He promoted his skill on his website.
C．He saved lots of time for other people.
D．He provided quality service for his customers.
D 解析：推理判断题。根据第四段第一句“To achieve the desired result, the master sharpener uses...even a special $450 sharpening machine．”可推知，David Rees给客户提供高质量的削铅笔服务，故选D。
2．From his words, we can infer that David Rees ________.
A．knows all kinds of pencil users
B．provides personalized services
C．values ideas behind the pencils
D．always writes in pencil
B 解析：细节理解题。根据第四段中的“It depends on what the customer wants to use his/her pencil for”可知，David Rees会给客户提供个性化的服务，故选B。
3．What does the underlined word “insane”(in Paragraph 5) mean?
A．Deliberate． B．Rewarding.
C．Unreasonable. D．Irresponsible.
C 解析：词义猜测题。根据第五段第一句“$15 to have a pencil sharpened is a bit expensive though, right？”，并结合第二段第一句“I know what you’re thinking—is this a joke？”可推知，此处的insane意为“十分愚蠢的，疯狂的”，故选C。deliberate“故意的”；rewarding“值得做的”；irresponsible“不负责任的”。
4．What seems to be the author’s attitude to David Rees’ trade?
A．It’s a fancy service.
B．It has a good reputation.
C．It’s awfully expensive.
D．It wastes time and money.
A 解析：观点态度题。根据全文的整体内容可知，作者认为David Rees所提供的削铅笔服务是与众不同的、别致的，故选A。
