Sam, an unemployed piano tuner, said it was only the second thing he had ever won in his life. The first thing was an Afghan blanket at a church raffle when he was 25 years old. But this was much bigger: it was $120，000! He had won the Big Cube, a state lottery game. To win, a contestant must first guess which number a spinning cube will stop on. The cube has six numbers on it: 1X, 10X, 50X, 100X, 500X, and 1000X. If he is correct, the contestant must then guess which of the two selected variables is going to be greater. So, just guessing which number appears on the cube does not guarantee that you will win any money. Sam correctly guessed 1000X, but he still had to choose between two variables. One variable was the number of cars that would run the stop sign at Hill Street and Lake Avenue in six hours. The other variable was the number of times that a teenage boy would change TV channels in a three-hour period. This was a tough decision.
Finally, Sam flipped a coin. It came up heads, so Sam picked the teenager. He picked right. The stop sign was run only 76 times, but the teen clicked 120 times. Sixty-year-old Sam jumped for joy, for he had just won 1000 times 120, or $ 120，000. Sam dreamily left the lottery studio. Talking excitedly on his cellphone while crossing the street, he got hit by a little sports car.
Sam is slowly getting better. He was in hospital for a month. His hospital bill was $110，000. And the insurance company for the little sports car's owner sued Sam for $9，000 worth of repairs. Also, Sam still has to pay federal taxes on his winnings. Sam doesn't play the state lottery any more. He says it's better to be unlucky.
16.When Sam won the second thing that he'd won in his life, he was ________.
A.25 years old B.6 years old
C.76 years old D.60 years old
17.To win the game, the contestants had to make ________ guesses.
A.three B.two C.six D.four
18.Sam won the lottery because ________.
A.he was lucky
B.he was good at maths
C.he was smart
D.he was tough
19.Sam's experience shows that ________.
A.everything has its time and that time must be watched
B. he who risks nothing, gains nothing
C. everything comes to him who waits
D. he who laughs on Friday will weep on Sunday
【文章大意】 本文是一篇记叙文，主要讲述了一个失业的调钢琴师中彩票以及之后的离奇经历。
16.D 细节理解题。根据文章第一段的第二句“The first thing was an Afghan blanket at a church raffle when he was 25 years old.”和第二段第五句“Sixty-year-old Sam jumped for joy, for he had just won 1000 times 120, or $120，000.”可知D项正确。
17.B 细节理解题。根据文章的第一段的第五至七句“To win, a contestant must first guess which number a spinning cube will stop on. The cube has six numbers on it: 1X, 10X, 50X, 100X, 500X, and 1000X. If he is correct, the contestant must then guess which of the two selected variables is going to be greater.”可知要猜两次。故选B项。
18.A 推理判断题。根据文章第一段的最后一句“This was a tough decision.” 和文章的最后一句“He says it's better to be unlucky.”可推知Sam中彩票完全是靠运气。故选A项。
19.D 主旨大意题。根据文章的整体内容可知，Sam因福得祸，正应了中国人所说的：福兮祸所依。故D(乐极生悲)符合文意。Everything has its time and that time must be watched.机不可失，失不再来。He who risks nothing, gains nothing.富贵险中求。Everything comes to him who waits.皇天不负苦心人。此三项均不符合文意，故排除。
