Two weeks later, when I arrived home, my son handed me a letter from Plum. He was to phone Plum's secretary for an interview.

　　Robbie got the job. The white coat he wore made him feel more important than he really was. As high school graduation neared, Plum was kind enough to write letters of recommendation for universities. To our delight, Robbie was admitted to New York Medical College.

　　It never occurred to me that a stranger should transform my son's future.

　　语篇解读：一名出租车司机向他的乘客求助，希望对方能为自己上高中的儿子提供一份暑期工作。正是这位陌生人的帮忙改变了出租车司机儿子的未来。

　　1．Who does the underlined phrase "a well­dressed man" in the first paragraph refer to?

　　A．The author.　　　　　　B．Plum.

　　C．Robbie. D．A patient.

　　解析：选B　推理判断题。由第一、二段可知，这位穿着体面的人上了作者的出租车，作者想请他帮个忙；由第三、四段可知，该乘客同意帮忙并留下了自己的名片，名片上的名字为Fred Plum，由此推知，这个穿着体面的人就是Plum。

　　2．The author threatened to cut off Robbie's allowance probably because __________．

　　A．he was tired after a day's work

　　B．he didn't earn enough money

　　C．Robbie was unwilling to work

　　D．Robbie doubted what he said

　　解析：选D　细节理解题。根据第四段中的"'Is this a joke？' he said in disbelief. After I yelled and threatened to cut off his allowance, Robbie promised to send off his grades the next morning"可知，作者威胁儿子Robbie说要断了他的零花钱，是因为Robbie不相信作者所说的话。

　　3．It can be inferred from the passage that Plum is __________．

　　A．patient and selfless

　　B．generous and respectful

　　C．kind and helpful

　　D．wealthy and handsome

　　解析：选C　推理判断题。Plum愿意帮助一个陌生人，给Robbie提供了一份暑期工作，又为Robbie写了推荐信，由此可推知，Plum心地善良且乐于助人，应选择C项。

　　4．What message does the passage convey?

A．A stranger may change your life.