A man who sometimes held his coat together with safety pins and had a long-time habit of searching for firewood also had a skill for picking stocks — a talent that became public after his death when he donated all his money to his local library and hospital.

The investments made by Ronald Read, a former gas station employee who died in June at age 92, said his attorney Laurie Rowell. Read, who was known for his blue shirt and baseball cap, gave no hint of the size of his fortune. “He was very frugal,” Rowell said Wednesday. When Read visited her office, “sometimes he parked so far away so he wouldn't have to pay the meter.”

The bequest of $4.8 million to the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and $1.2 million to the town's Brooks Memorial Library were the largest each institution has ever received. “It's pretty incredible. This is not something that happens on a regular basis,” said the hospital's development director, Gina Pattison. Besides cash, Read had an antique Edison phonograph with dozens of recording drums that he left to the Dummerston Historical Society, Rowell said. “It's really a beautiful machine,” said the society's president, Muriel Taylor.

Read was born in the small town of Dummerston in 1921. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school, walking about 4 miles from his home to school in Brattleboro. After military service during World War II, he returned to Brattleboro and worked at a service station. In 1960, he married a woman he met at the service station. She died in 1970.

Stepson Phillip Brown said he visited Read every few months, more often as Read's health declined. The only indication Brown had of Read's investments was his regular reading of the Wall Street Journal. “I was greatly surprised,” Brown said of Read’s hidden wealth. “He was a hard worker, but I don't think anybody had an idea that he was a multimillionaire.”

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1.How do other people think of M. Read before his donation?

A He lived an ordinary and poor life.

B He was generous to the poor people.

C He had an ambition to donate money.

D He worked hard and never fell alone.

解析：选A。A。推理判断题。从文章第一段第一句的who sometimes held his coat together with safety pins and had a long-time habit of searching for firewood可知他衣着一般并且捡拾木柴，可以推知他生活看起来平淡并且贫穷。

2.What does the underlined word “frugal” in the second paragraph mean?

A Rich.

B Clever.

C Economical.

D Strong.

解析：选C。C。词意推测题。根据第二段最后一句的sometimes he parked so far away so he wouldn't have to pay the meter可知他为了省钱要把车停很远，据此可以推知他很“节约”，故该词的意思为“节约的”，而四个选项中表示节约意思的词语只有Economical，故选C。

3.How much did Read donate in all?

A $1.2 million.

B $4.8 million.

C $6 million.

D $6.2 million.

解析：选C。C。细节理解题。根据第三段第一句的The bequest of $4.8 million to the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and $1.2 million to the town's Brooks Memorial Library可知他共捐出了六百万美元。

4.How old was Read when he got married?

A 21 years old.

B 39 years old.

C 50 years old.

D 55 years old.

解析：选B。B。细节理解题。根据第四段第一句的Read was born in the small town of Dummerston in 1921可知，他出生于1921年；结合第四段第四句的In 1960, he married a woman可知他是在1960年结婚；因此他结婚的时候是39岁。

5.How can people tell Read was rich?

A His coat together with safety pins.

B His habit of searching for firewood.

C His reading the Wall Street Journal.

D His military service during World War II.

解析：选C。C。推理判断题。根据文章最后一段第二句的the only indication Brown had of Read's investments was his regular reading of the Wall Street Journal可知，从他经常读《华尔街日报》可以断定他有投资。