Working Christmas Day

It was unusually quiet in the emergency room （急诊室） on December25.

I didn't think there would be any patients, complaining about having to work on. Just then five people showed up at my desk, a pale woman and four small children.

"Are you all sick?" I asked doubtfully.

"Yes," she said weakly and lowered her head.

But when it came to descriptions of their problems, things got a little unclear. Two of the children had headaches, but I couldn't find any normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was hurting. The mother complained of a cough but seemed to work to produce it.

Something was wrong, but I didn't say anything but explained that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her. She replied, "Take your time; it's warm in here."

I checked the form after the admitting clerk had finished her work with the family. No address — they were homeless. The waiting room was warm.

I looked out at the family standing by the Christmas tree. The youngest one was pointing at the television and shouting something to her mother. The oldest one was looking at the colorful Christmas tree.

I went back to the nurses' station and mentioned we had a homeless family in the waiting room. The nurses, complaining about working Christmas, turned to pity for a family just trying to get warm on Christmas. The team went into action, much as we do when there's a medical emergency. But this one was a Christmas emergency.

We were all offered a free meal in the hospital dining hall on Christmas Day, so we prepared a big one for our Christmas guests. We needed presents, too. We put together oranges and apples in a basket. We collected from different departments candies, crayons and other things that could be presents. As seriously as we met the physical needs of the patients that came to us that day, our team worked to meet the needs, and beyond the expectations, of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas Day.

Later, as the family walked to the door to leave, the four-year-old came running back, gave me a hug and whispered, "Thanks for being our angels today."

1.Why did the family come to the hospital?

A. They were sick. B. They were cold and hungry.

C. They wanted to visit friends. D. They got all their money lost.

2.How did the writer and her workmates help the family?

A. They offered a free meal to them.

B. They bought some presents for them.

C. They sent for a doctor for them.

D. They asked them to stay overnight in the hospital.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. The mother was seriously ill.

B. The family were driven out of the hospital.

C. The writer and her workmates always liked to work on Christmas.

D. The family thanked the writer and her workmates for their kindness.

Vanilla is my best friend. She is a lovely girl with two big, beautiful eyes. But she always hides them       a pair of black glasses.

One day, however, I       ended our friendship. I remember that day clearly. We were       in the classroom. The teacher was giving us our re­sults of a Chinese exam. I had done badly. I felt so       that I wouldn't talk to anyone. At lunch-time, I even stayed in the classroom alone. Sudden­ly, I heard a      . It was Vanilla. "You look very unhappy," she said. "What's wrong?" I looked at her for a while, but said       . I knew Vanilla had got a good mark (分数) in the exam. I thought she was       me. I sat silently, but Vanilla didn't go away, she       asking me questions_: “Is it be­cause of the exam? Do you want me to tell you the right      ?" I looked away from her. When I looked up again, Vanilla had gone. And so had my exam paper! I didn't know        to do. I looked for my paper every where, but couldn't find it.

In the afternoon, Vanilla came up to my desk and       me my exam paper back. I looked at it and got a big      . Vanilla had written the right answers next to every one of my mistakes. How       she was! My face turned red. I wanted to hug her, but I only held her hands and said," Thank you. "That afternoon,       Vanilla and I were on the way home, I felt quite happy and thanked her again. We are        best friends.

1.A. behind           B. below             C. among                 D. near

2.A. slowly           B. quickly                C. nearly               D. happily

3.A. singing          B. sitting                  C. dancing              D. playing

4.A. happy           B. sad          C. funny           D. excited

5.A. voice                         B. sound       C. noise                D. cry

6.A. everything       B. something         C. anything            D. nothing

7.A. knocking at    B. shouting at   C. laughing at          D. pointing at

8.A. forgot          B. kept                      C. practiced            D. remembered

9.A. answers        B. exams                       C. results               D. notes

10.A. that                      B. who         C. which        D. what

11.A. gave                      B. turned                  C. carried                D. moved

12.A. pain                       B. interest                  C. surprise                 D. fun

13.A. kind            B. brave                C. healthy              D. careless

14.A. whether               B. when                 C. after         D. unless

15.A. still                       B. yet                  C. also                 D. ever

One day Jack met his good friend Sue in the park. A dog was looking up at the woman beside her.
　  Jack walked up to Sue and said, “Hello, how are you? May I sit and talk with you for a moment?” “Of course, please sit down,” Sue said. Jack sat down next to Sue on the bench, and they talked quietly together. The dog continued to look up at Sue, as if( 似乎) waiting to be given some food.
　 “That's a nice dog, isn't he?” Jack said, pointing at the animal.
　 “Yes, he is. He's handsome. He's strong and healthy.”
“And hungry,” Jack said. “He hasn't taken his eyes off you. He thinks you've got some food for him.”
　 “That's true,” Sue said. “But I haven't.”
　　They both laughed and then Jack said, “Does your dog bite（咬）?”
　　“No, ”Sue said, “ He's never bitten anyone. He's always gentle and friendly.”
　　Hearing this, Jack decided to hold out his hand and touched the animal's head. Suddenly it jumped up and bit him.
　　“Hey!” Jack shouted. “You said your dog didn't bite.”
　　Sue answered in surprise, “Yeah, I did. But this is not my dog. My dog is at home.”
【小题1】Jack and Sue were ________.

One day Jack met his good friend Sue in the park.A dog was looking up at the woman beside her.

　  Jack walked up to Sue and said, “Hello, how are you? May I sit and talk with you for a moment?” “Of course, please sit down,” Sue said.Jack sat down next to Sue on the bench, and they talked quietly together.The dog continued to look up at Sue, as if( 似乎) waiting to be given some food.

　 “That's a nice dog, isn't he?” Jack said, pointing at the animal.

　 “Yes, he is.He's handsome.He's strong and healthy.”

“And hungry,” Jack said.“He hasn't taken his eyes off you.He thinks you've got some food for him.”

　 “That's true,” Sue said.“But I haven't.”

　　They both laughed and then Jack said, “Does your dog bite（咬）?”

　　“No, ”Sue said, “ He's never bitten anyone.He's always gentle and friendly.”

　　Hearing this, Jack decided to hold out his hand and touched the animal's head.Suddenly it jumped up and bit him.

　　“Hey!” Jack shouted.“You said your dog didn't bite.”

　　Sue answered in surprise, “Yeah, I did.But this is not my dog.My dog is at home.”

1.Jack and Sue were ________.

A．friends           B．neighbours        C．classmates         D．brother and sister

2.The dog looked at the woman because _______.

A．the woman wanted to feed him             B．the woman was friendly

C．he was strong and healthy                 D．he was hungry

3.Jack touched the dog because he believed _______.

A．the dog was handsome                   B．Sue's dog was unfriendly

C．the dog belonged to Sue                  D．Sue's dog was at home

4.We can guess from the story that _______.

A．Sue gave a wrong answer                 B．Jack made a mistake（错误）

C．the dog wasn’t dangerous                D．both Jack and Sue liked the dog

5.Which of the Following can be the best title of the passage?

A．A Wrong Question                      B．Sue's Dog

C．A pleasant talk                          D．Sue's Friend