参考答案Answers for reference

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

▇  （Para. 1）

Q:What was the former belief of the author and his wife?

A: They used to feel that it was virtually impossible to be a true friend to someonewhose name they didn’t know.

Q:What have changed their thinking?

A:Years of Sunday-morning bus trip through the city with the same “nameless” people havechanged their thinking.

 

▇  （Paras. 2-4）

Q:What does the author tell us about the regular bus driver?

A: He is adutiful bus driver. Judging by his walrus moustache which is white at the edgesand his well-worn face, we may know that he is not young. He is a very kindperson and always smiles benignly at his passengers. He is a very carefuldriver. He keeps the bus clean and expects every passenger to obey the writtenand unwritten rules that govern the trip. He knows his regular passengers welland regards it his responsibility to remember where each regular passenger should get off the bus.

Q:Why is teamwork far more important than knowing names in the author’sopinion?

A: Because to ensure a pleasant bus ride, everyone should cooperate as if in a team. The driver should perform his duties well and the passengers should obey the written and unwritten rules. There should be no smoking, no littering, and everyone should behave in a polite and decent manner. Under such circumstances, names are no longer important.

 

▇  （Paras. 5-6）

Q:What do they usually do before the bus leaves the station?

A: They all look around and check in their minds if every regular passenger is on the bus.

Q:What do you know about the silent woman?

A: She sits up front and never responds to others’ greetings. Her worn clothing suggests that she doesn’t have much spare money. However, she is always considerate enough to get a cup of coffee for the driver.

Q:Why does the factory security guard close his eyes during his bus trip?

A:He must be very tired after working a long night shift. But he can open his eyes at the precise moment when the driver approaches his stop and then gets off the bus.

 

▇ （Paras. 7-9）

Q:What happened to the rotund gentleman one morning?

A: One morning, as he moved forward to board the bus, he fell down on the sidewalk and was badly hurt. The others all tried to help. They cradled his head until an ambulance arrived. They were all very sad and prayed for him in silence.

Q:Why did the passengers feel a little pride when they think of the new-born baby of the Mexican couple?

A: By taking the same bus together for a long time, they care about each other as if they are of one big family. They have observed how the loving Mexican couple were expecting their baby and now that the baby was born, they all feel happy for the young Mexican couple.

Q:Why does the author say that they hate to leave the meeting point without the Haitians?

A: Because the Haitian friends have such a sense of fun that the passengers feel happy when they are aboard. So, although they are always late because of their tricky bus route, the passengers are willing to wait for them.

 

▇  （Paras. 10-11）

Q:What is the only thing that the author and his wife feel sad about during their Sunday-morning bus trip for many months?

A: They can’t develop a friendly relationship with the silent woman at the front of the bus. She never responds to their cheery greetings. They feel sad about it.

Q:What was the response of the silent woman when they greeted her in the fish restaurant?

A: When the couple greeted her with the friendly familiarity they had shown all year, she showed her happy recognition this time and responded with a shy smile.

Q:Why was the woman silent on the bus?

A:As the author and his wife later found out, the woman had a speech impediment. She was silent because talking was hard for her.

 

▇   （Paras. 12-16）

Q: What do you know about the family life of the silent woman?

A: She was a single mother with a disabled son who was receiving special care away from home. She lived alone and felt lonely. The bus ride was the best thing she did all week, and an occasional visit to the fish restaurant was almost as good as the second best thing. She missed her son very much.

Q:Why did she ride the bus on Sunday mornings?

A: She rode the bus on Sunday mornings simply for the companionship of the driver whose name she didn’t know, but who appreciated the hot coffee she brought.

Q:How did the author and his wife feel about the dinner with the silent woman?

A:They all had a wonderful time. For the silent woman, an occasional visit to the fish restaurant was a pleasant experience and this time, it was even better with the companionship of her friends—the author and his wife. The author and his wife also enjoyed the dinner and they felt that the fish had never tasted better.

Q:What happened when they left the restaurant?

A: When they left the restaurant, they were already friends with each other. And they shared their names.