12．I had my doubts about hiring Stevie at my truckstop diner．He had Down syndrome（唐氏综合症），and I wasn't sure how my truker customers would react to him．
I shouldn't have worried．Stevie took pride in doing his job exactly right，and you had to love how hard he tried to please each person he met．The truckers loved him．
Over time，we learned that he lived with his mother，a widow（寡妇） who was disabled after repeated surgeries（手术） for cancer．They didn't have much money to live on．
Then for the first morning in three years，Steve missed work．He was getting a new valve（心脏瓣膜） or something put in his heart．His social worker said that this wasn't unexpected，and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery and be back at work in a few months．
The staff were excited later that morning when they heard he was out of surgery，in recovery and doing fine．Frannie，my head waitress，did a little dance．
Belle Ringer，one of our regular trucker customers，grinned（咧嘴而笑）．"OK，Frannie，what was that all about？"he asked．"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay，"she replied．"But I don't know how he and his mom are going to pay all the bills．"Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully，and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables．
Stevie was thinner and paler when he came back to work，but couldn't stop grinning as he came in．I led him and his mother toward the back of the room．
We stopped in front of a bit table．Its surface was covered with coffee cups，saucers and dinner plates，all sitting on folded paper napkins （餐巾）．
"First thing you have to do，Steve，is clean up this mess，"I said．I tried to sound stern．
Stevie looked at me．And then at his mother，then pulled out one of the napkins．It had"something for Stevie"printed on the outside．As he picked it up，two 10billsfellontothetable．Steviestaredatallthenapkinsbeneaththetableware，eachwithhisnameonit．Iturnedtohismother．"There'smorethan10，000in cash and checks on that table，all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems．"
While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other，Stevie，with a big smile on his face，was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table．Best worker I ever hired．
24．How did the author feel when he first hired Stevie？C
A．He was afraid that Stevie would not work hard．
B．He was confident that his customers would love Stevie．
C．He wasn't sure if Stevie would get on well with the truckers．
D．He was worried that Stevie would often have to ask for leave for physical checkups．
25．When Frannie learned that Stevie was out of surgery and going to be okay，sheB．
A．passed on the good news to all the truckers in the diner
B．felt excited but also worried if he could afford the bills
C．wanted to invite the other staff to visit him in the hospital
D．tried to persuade Belle Ringer to donate some money for Stevie
26．The first day Stevie came back to work，B．
A．the author asked him to clean up all the mess at the truckstop
B．the staff prepared a great surprise for him
C．he was still weak and not in a good mood
D．many truckers came to welcome him back
27．The underlined word"stern"in Paragraph 9is closest in meaning toA．
A．strict B．angry C．cheerful D．surprised．
分析 本文是一篇记叙文．老板雇佣了患有唐氏综合症的病人Stevie来打扫卫生，起初担心有精神问题的他不能胜任这份工作，但是实践证明，这份担心是多余的．Stevie深受员工和顾客的喜欢，后来Stevie去做心脏手术，大家为其捐款，帮助其解决经济困难．
解答 24．答案C 推理判断题 根据He had Down syndrome（唐氏综合症），and I wasn't sure how my truker customers would react to him．可知，他有唐氏综合征，我不确定我的顾客会对他有何种反应，故答案为C
25．答案B 细节理解题 根据 Frannie说的 But I don't know how he and his mom are going to pay all the bills．可知，她不清楚Stevie 和他妈妈能否支付医药费．故答案为B
26．答案B 根据It had"something for Stevie"printed on the outside．As he picked it up，two 10billsfellontothetable．可知，大家给他准备了一个大大的惊喜，故答案为B
27．答案A 推理判断题 根据下文说大家给他准备了一个大大的惊喜，此处应该是努力使自己的声音保持作为老板的严厉，以免露馅，故答案为A
点评 本文属于故事类文章，此类文章是英语高考中常考的一种文体．所谓故事类，顾名思义就是以叙事为主要内容的文章．一个故事，有开头，发展和结尾，层次非常清晰，语言通俗易懂，事情的来龙去脉完整地展现在试卷上．故事类阅读通常出现在高考阅读理解中的第一篇或第二篇，且文章难度和题目的难度不会太大．文章内容通常也都比较贴近学生的生活和社会背景．
