In a moment of personal crisis, how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver? I began studying this question and found the answers interesting. One morning I got into three different taxis and announced, “Well, it’s my first day back in New York in seven years. I’ve been in prison.” Not a single driver replied, so I tried again. “Yeah, I shot a man in Reno.” I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, but nobody asked. The only response came from a Ghanaian driver, “Reno? That is in Nevada?” Taxi drivers were uniformly sympathetic when I said I’d just been fired. “This is America,” a Haitian driver said. “One door is closed. Another is open.” He argued against my plan to burn down my boss’s house. A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope; he refused to take me to the middle of George Washington Bridge—a $20 trip. “Why you want to go there? Go home and relax. Don’t worry. Take a new job.” One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask and holding a stuffed pillowcase with the word “BANK” on it, I tried calling a taxi five times outside different banks. The driver picked me up every time. My ride with a Haitian driver was typical of the superb assistance I received. “Let’s go across the park.” I said. “I just robbed the bank there. I got $25,000.” “$25,000?” He asked. “Yeah, you think it was wrong to take it?” “No, man. I work 8 hours and I don’t make almost $70. If I can do that, I do it too.” As we approached 86th and Lexington, I pointed to the Chemical Bank. “Hey, there’s another bank,” I said, “Could you wait here a minute while I go inside?” “No, I can’t wait. Pay me now.” His reluctance may have something to do with money—taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low—but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can’t expect unconditional support. 小题1:. From the Ghanaian driver’s response, we can infer that ____.A.he was indifferent to the killing | B.he was afraid of the author | C.he looked down upon the author | D.he thought the author was crazy | 小题2:. Why did the Pakistani driver refuse to take the author to the middle of the George Washington Bridge?A.Because he was able to help the author to find a new job. | B.Because he wanted to go home and relax. | C.Because it was far away from his home. | D.Because he thought that the author would commit suicide. | 小题3:.What is the author’s interpretation of the driver’s reluctance “to wait outside the Chemical bank”?A.The driver thought that the rate for waiting time was too low. | B.The driver thought it wrong to support a taxi rider unconditionally. | C.The driver was frightened and wanted to leave him as soon as possible. | D.The driver did not want to help a suspect to escape from a bank robbery. | 小题4:. Which of the following statements is true about New York taxi drivers?A.They are ready to help you do whatever you want to. | B.they often refuse to pick up those who would kill themselves. | C.They are sympathetic with those who are out of work. | D.They work only for money. | 小题5:. The passage mainly discusses ____.A.how to please taxi drivers. | B.how to deal with taxi drivers | C.the attitudes of taxi drivers towards riders in personal trouble | D.the attitudes of taxi drivers towards troublesome taxi riders |
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