Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. One family between us and the ticket counter made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The children were standing in line, two-by- two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns（小丑）, elephants and other acts they would see that night.

The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, "Please let me buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus."

The ticket lady told him the price. The wife's head dropped, and the man leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?"

The ticket lady again told him the price.

The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for money but certainly appreciated the help in a difficult, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, and he replied, "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn't go to the circus that night, but we didn't go without.

56.   The underlined word “jabbering”( in Para 1) can be best replaced by “        ” .

A. imagining     B. talking     C. expecting     D. asking

57.   When the ticket lady told the price, the wife        .

A. hardly hear    B. hardly understand    C. was disappointed    D. was relaxed

58.   Which of the following words can be best used to describe the writer’s father?

A. Honest.        B. Kind.        C. Wise.        D. Faithful.

59.   We can infer from the last paragraph that?

A. The author and his father returned home with regret.

B. The author and his father were unhappy about missing the circus.

C. The author and his father were very happy with helping a man in a circus.

D. The author and his father returned home with another kind of joy and comfort.

An eight year old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. When she heard her daddy say to her  1   mother, " 2  a miracle（奇迹）can save him now", the little girl went to her bedroom and took out her piggy bank. She  3  all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Then she  4  her way six blocks to the drugstore（药店）.

"And what do you want?" asked the shopkeeper. "It’s  5  my little brother," the girl answered back. "He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a  6 . His name is Andrew and he has something  7  growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him." "We don’t  8  miracles here, child. I’m sorry," the chemist said, smiling  9 at the little girl.

In the shop was a  10  customer. He stooped （蹲） down and asked the little girl, "What kind of miracle does your brother  11 ?" "I don’t know," she replied. "He’s really sick and mommy says he needs  12. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought my 13 ." "How much do you have?" asked the man. "One dollar and eleven cents,  14  I can try and get some more," she answered quietly. "Well, what a coincidence（巧合）," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents — the  15  price of a miracle for little brothers.  16 me to where you live. I want to see your brother and  17  your parents."

That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a doctor. The operation was completed without any  18  and it wasn’t long before Andrew was 19  again from hospital and doing well. The little girl was happy. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... also the  20  of a little child.

1．A．tearful                  B．hopeful                C．helpless               D．kind

2．A．Almost                  B．Just                    C．Only                  D．More than

3．A．drew                     B．pulled                     C．put                    D．poured

4．A．went                     B．made                  C．took                  D．found

5．A．to                      B．as                       C．for                    D．on

6．A．hope                     B．doctor                C．favor                 D．miracle

7．A．bad                       B．small                  C．extra                 D．impossible

8．A．create                    B．offer                   C．sell                    D．store

9．A．quickly                  B．sadly                  C．strangely               D．coldly

10．A．well-dressed           B．kind-hearted           C．well-done               D．good-looking

11．A．have                    B．need                   C．care                 D．like

12．A．a doctor               B．a nurse                  C．an operation            D．a kindness

13．A．change                B．wish                  C．idea                     D．dream

14．A．since                   B．as                       C．after                 D．but

15．A．same                   B．exact                  C．proper                 D．necessary

16．A．Bring            B．Help                  C．Take                    D．Follow

17．A．thank                   B．encourage             C．persuade               D．meet

18．A．difficulty                 B．trouble                C．pay                   D．result

19．A．happy                  B．well                   C．home                  D．grateful

20．A．cleverness               B．confidence             C．request               D．devotion

Last Christmas was a very difficult time for me. My family and all of my close friends were back home in Florida, and I was all alone in a rather cold California. I was working too many hours and became very sick.
I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, it was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. There were a few of us working and very few customers waiting to be helped. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a cane. He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worried. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, “She said I have to go to New Orleans.”
After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the curb on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.
Immediately, I told him we would get it all straightened out, and our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. We gave him the senior citizen’s fare, which gave him some extra money for travelling. About this time he started to look very tired, and when I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.
I called for a wheelchair. When the wheelchair came, we all stepped around to help him in, and I noticed a small amount of blood on his bandage. I asked how he hurt his leg, and he said that he had just had bypass surgery and an artery was taken from his leg. Can you imagine? This man had had heart surgery, and then shortly afterward, was dropped off at the curb to buy a ticket with no reservation to fly to New Orleans, alone!
I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn’t sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast. When I came back out, we got his plastic bag of clothes and cane together and gave the porter a tip to take him downstairs to wait for the airport shuttle. I bent down to explain the hotel, food and itinerary (行程) again to Mr. MacDonald, and then patted him on the arm and told him everything would be just fine.
As he left he said, “Thank you,” bent his head and started to cry. I cried too. When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, “I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man.”
【小题1】Last Christmas the writer had a miserable time because ______.

Last Christmas was a very difficult time for me. My family and all of my close friends were back home in Florida, and I was all alone in a rather cold California. I was working too many hours and became very sick.

I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, it was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. There were a few of us working and very few customers waiting to be helped. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a cane. He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worried. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, “She said I have to go to New Orleans.”

After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the curb on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.

Immediately, I told him we would get it all straightened out, and our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. We gave him the senior citizen’s fare, which gave him some extra money for travelling. About this time he started to look very tired, and when I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.

I called for a wheelchair. When the wheelchair came, we all stepped around to help him in, and I noticed a small amount of blood on his bandage. I asked how he hurt his leg, and he said that he had just had bypass surgery and an artery was taken from his leg. Can you imagine? This man had had heart surgery, and then shortly afterward, was dropped off at the curb to buy a ticket with no reservation to fly to New Orleans, alone!

I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn’t sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast. When I came back out, we got his plastic bag of clothes and cane together and gave the porter a tip to take him downstairs to wait for the airport shuttle. I bent down to explain the hotel, food and itinerary (行程) again to Mr. MacDonald, and then patted him on the arm and told him everything would be just fine.

As he left he said, “Thank you,” bent his head and started to cry. I cried too. When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, “I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man.”

1.Last Christmas the writer had a miserable time because ______.

A．there were more customers than usual waiting to be helped

B．it was freezing cold in California at Christmas time

C．she was working all alone at the ticket counter

D．she was far away from her family and friends

2.The writer’s first impression of the old man was that he was ______.

A．gentle-looking and weak                  B．tired out and worried

C．confused and very sick                   D．sad and anxious

3.The old man wanted to fly to New Orleans to ______.

A．see his friends there

B．spend the Christmas with his family

C．visit his sister-in-law

D．undergo heart surgery

4.On hearing the old man say that he would wait at the airport the whole night, the writer felt a bit ashamed. This is because ______.

A．she felt sorry that she couldn’t do the old man a favor

B．she realized that someone was even more miserable than she felt

C．it took her a long time to find out how helpless the old man was

D．the old man was like an angel in the writer’s eyes

5.The writer called for a wheelchair for the old man because ______.

A．the old man had broken his leg when he was dropped off at the curb

B．the old man could spend the whole night on it at the airport

C．the old man was carrying a whole lot of clothes

D．the old man had had surgery just before and was very weak by then

6. By calling the old man the writer’s Christmas Man, the writer’s supervisor implied that ______.

A．the old man had told the writer a love story on Christmas

B．the old man had caused a lot of trouble for the writer on Christmas

C．the old man was the best gift the writer could have received on Christmas

D．the old man was the only customer the writer had served on Christmas

Last Christmas was a very difficult time for me. My family and all of my close friends were back home in Florida, and I was all alone in a rather cold California. I was working too many hours and became very sick.
I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, it was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. There were a few of us working and very few customers waiting to be helped. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a cane. He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worried. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, “She said I have to go to New Orleans.”
After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the curb on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.
Immediately, I told him we would get it all straightened out, and our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. We gave him the senior citizen’s fare, which gave him some extra money for travelling. About this time he started to look very tired, and when I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.
I called for a wheelchair. When the wheelchair came, we all stepped around to help him in, and I noticed a small amount of blood on his bandage. I asked how he hurt his leg, and he said that he had just had bypass surgery and an artery was taken from his leg. Can you imagine? This man had had heart surgery, and then shortly afterward, was dropped off at the curb to buy a ticket with no reservation to fly to New Orleans, alone!
I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn’t sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast. When I came back out, we got his plastic bag of clothes and cane together and gave the porter a tip to take him downstairs to wait for the airport shuttle. I bent down to explain the hotel, food and itinerary (行程) again to Mr. MacDonald, and then patted him on the arm and told him everything would be just fine.
As he left he said, “Thank you,” bent his head and started to cry. I cried too. When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, “I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man.”

1. 1.

   Last Christmas the writer had a miserable time because ______.

   1. A.
      there were more customers than usual waiting to be helped
   2. B.
      it was freezing cold in California at Christmas time
   3. C.
      she was working all alone at the ticket counter
   4. D.
      she was far away from her family and friends
2. 2.

   The writer’s first impression of the old man was that he was ______.

   1. A.
      gentle-looking and weak
   2. B.
      tired out and worried
   3. C.
      confused and very sick
   4. D.
      sad and anxious
3. 3.

   The old man wanted to fly to New Orleans to ______.

   1. A.
      see his friends there
   2. B.
      spend the Christmas with his family
   3. C.
      visit his sister-in-law
   4. D.
      undergo heart surgery
4. 4.

   On hearing the old man say that he would wait at the airport the whole night, the writer felt a bit ashamed. This is because ______.

   1. A.
      she felt sorry that she couldn’t do the old man a favor
   2. B.
      she realized that someone was even more miserable than she felt
   3. C.
      it took her a long time to find out how helpless the old man was
   4. D.
      the old man was like an angel in the writer’s eyes
5. 5.

   The writer called for a wheelchair for the old man because ______.

   1. A.
      the old man had broken his leg when he was dropped off at the curb
   2. B.
      the old man could spend the whole night on it at the airport
   3. C.
      the old man was carrying a whole lot of clothes
   4. D.
      the old man had had surgery just before and was very weak by then
6. 6.

   By calling the old man the writer’s Christmas Man, the writer’s supervisor implied that ______.

   1. A.
      the old man had told the writer a love story on Christmas
   2. B.
      the old man had caused a lot of trouble for the writer on Christmas
   3. C.
      the old man was the best gift the writer could have received on Christmas
   4. D.
      the old man was the only customer the writer had served on Christmas