14．I took the bus to work for many years．No one knew each other； the passengers all sat there sleepily in the morning．The bus was cheerless and silent． One of the passengers was a small gray-haired man who took the bus to the center for senior citizens every morning．No one ever paid very much attention to him． One July morning he said good morning to the driver and smiled．The driver nodded guardedly（戒备地）．The rest of us were silent． The next day，the old man boarded with a big smile and said in a loud voice："A very good morning to you all!"Some of us looked up，amazed，and murmured"Good Morning"in reply． The following weeks，our friend was dressed in a nice old suit and tie．His thin hair had been carefully combed．He said good morning to us every day and we gradually began to nod and talk to each other． One morning he even had a bunch of wild flowers in his hand．The driver turned around smiling and asked："Have you got yourself a girlfriend，Charlie？"We never got to know if his name really was"Charlie"，but he nodded shyly and said yes．The other passengers whistled and clapped at him．Charlie waved the flowers before he sat down on his seat． Every morning after that Charlie always brought flowers．Some passengers also brought flowers for him．The bus became a happy place． Then，one morning，as autumn was closing in，Charlie wasn't waiting at his usual stop．When he wasn't there the next day and the day after that，we started wondering if he was sick or-hopefully-on holiday somewhere． When we came nearer to the center for senior citizens，one of the passengers asked the driver to wait．We all held our breaths when he went to the door． The old gentle man was fine，but one of his close friends had died over the weekend．How silent we were the rest of the way to work． The next Monday Charlie was waiting at the stop，stooping （弯腰） a bit more，a little bit more gray，and without a tie．Inside the bus was silent．Even though no one had talked about it，all of us sat there silently，our eyes filled with tears and a bunch of wild flowers in our hands． 56．From the passage，we can infer thatC A．people always cared about each other on the bus B．people were unhappy and sleepy on the bus because they were tired C．smiles can shorten the distance between people D．people are not good at communicating in the country 57．What are we sure about the old man？D A．His name was Charlie． B．He worked at the center for senior citizens． C．He got sick over the weekend． D．He was in great sorrow when we saw him the next Monday． 58．Which of the following is not true？A A．The atmosphere on the bus was cheerful and lively at first． B．People were surprised at the old man's first greeting． C．People were worried about the old man's absence． D．People on the bus at last shared happiness and sorrow together． 59 Which would be the best title for the passage？B A．How to Shorten the Distance between People B．Smiles Make a Bus Feel Like Home C．Charlie，A Smiling Gentle Man D．The Key to Friendship-Communication．
13．Bend over，take a deep breath and drink some water！This is just one of hundreds of tips you might get if you have the hiccups（打嗝）．Hiccups are so mysterious．We really don‘t know why they start and why they stop． Everyone has a favorite cure for a case of the hiccups．Some people think that a good scare is necessary to get well．Others eat a teaspoon of sugar．Still others drink a glass of water with a knife in it． An American man named Jack O'Leary said he once had hiccupped 160million times over a period of eight years．He tried 60，000cures，but none of them worked．Finally he prayed to Saint Jude，the saint of Hopeless cases，and his hiccupping stopped immediately． It took a British plumber（水管工） eight months to cure his hiccups．People from all over the world wrote him letters with suggestions for getting well．He tried them all，but the hiccups continued．Finally，he drank a"secret"mixture someone had sent him．By that evening his hiccups were gone． Why did these cures work for these two men？No one really knows．But people who have studied many cases of hiccups have an idea．Hiccups usually go away if you believe in the cure． 21．C might be the best cure for hiccups． A．Special pills B．A spoonful of salt C．Some water D．A knife 22．The plumber spentC in stopping his hiccups． A.4hours B.2days C.8months D.8years 23．According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE？D A．We know why the hiccups start，but we don't know how to stop them． B．Saint Jude is an expert in curing the hiccups． C．The British plumber drank a secret mixture given by an experienced doctor and then became well． D．Some people think that a good scare is a cure for hiccups． 24．What is the main idea of this passage？A A．Different ways to stop hiccups B．What makes hiccups happen C．How to get hiccups D．Jack O'Leary's hiccups．
