A
Recently the sewer line(污水管道)under our house didn’t work．My first response was to call a repairman．I made the call，expecting the man at the other end of the line to complain about such an awful job．Instead，he simply asked，“The address?”
An hour later Steve arrived in his truck．He looked exactly as I had imagined he might：broad and bearlike，in well worn clothing．“Can you fix it?” I asked with a mixture of doubt and hope．Steve looked at me as if responding to my lack of faith．With a cheerful shrug that suggested my crisis was all in a day’s work for him，he said，“Sure．”
After a short while，Steve told me that he had to get a tool and tear up the street to the main sewer line．He would first have to get permission from the town. I registered appropriate panic．“How long will all this take?” Again，a shrug. “I should have it done by evening．”
I did not want to watch the digging of my property unfold and went into town to visit some friends．I felt somewhat guilty upon driving off in my clean vehicle，leaving Steve to such a disagreeable task．Finally，when I went home，a sweeter sight I never saw：a period of newly paved street and all was tidy and relatively dry．
I need to say，in my own defense，that I am not a weak father of two children. I’ve traveled all over the world，served in the United States Navy and earned a PhD．But the broken sewer line was my limit．Then I thought about Steve. Big，rough，and how people might judge him，if not for his appearance then for his work．And I was taken by the very idea that，no matter what crisis occurs，there is somebody somewhere，who has the appropriate tools and settles it．
36．What do we know about Steve?
A．He wears neat and new clothes．
B．He is quite confident of his skills．
C．He always complains about his job．
D．He hesitates to accept the repair work．
37．What did Steve think of the author’s crisis?
A．It’s a great challenge．
B．It’s beyond his ability．
C．It’s a part of his routine．
D．It’s none of his business．
38．Why did the author leave home during the repairs?
A．He liked to take his time riding outside．
B．He drove to turn to his friends for help．
C．He was afraid of being looked down upon．
D．He was unwilling to face the embarrassing situation．
39．What can be inferred from the text?
A．Action speaks louder than words．
B．God helps those who help themselves．
C．Every profession produces its top experts．
D．Hope for the best，but prepare for the worst．
