In 1988, Mary Anderson was at the Miami airport checking in for a flight to Norway to be with her husband when she was told she wouldn’t be able to check her luggage without paying a $100 surcharge (超载) .

Mary had no money as her new husband had left for Norway and she had no one else to call .

 “ I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without ,” says Mary .

As tears ran down her face , a voice behind her said , “That’s okay, I’ll pay for her .”

Rather surprised , Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before . He had a gentle and kind voice that was firm and decisive .

Although this happened twenty years ago , Mary still remembers the authority that radiated (发出)from the man .

Mary was pleased to bring her luggage to Norway and told the stranger she would give his money back . The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper and gave it to Mary . She thanked him repeatedly . When she finally walked off towards the boarding gate, he waved goodbye to her .

That man turned out to be Barack Obama .

Mary paid the money back to Obama the day she joined her husband . At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker in Chicago , and had started his law studies at Harward University .

In the spring of 2006 , Mary’s parents heard Obama was considering a run for President . They wrote a letter saying that they would support him. At the same time , they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier .

And Obama replied , “ I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport . I’m happy I could help her then , and I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway . Please send her my best wishes . Sincerely , Barack Obama,

United States Senator .”

Why did Mary feel completely desperate ?

 A. She had missed the only flight to Norway .

 B. Her new husband abandoned her suddenly .

 C. She didn’t have the money to buy a ticket .

 D. She had no money to pay for the surcharge .

How did Mary feel when someone offered to help her ?

 A. Amazed       B. Puzzled     C. Delighted      D. Annoyed

Mary asked the stranger to leave his name and address _________ .

  A. in order to contact him later              B. so that she could repay him

  C. because he impressed her deeply          D. because she fell in love with him

What’s the passage mainly about ?

  A. A letter from Barack Obama           B. Mary’s parents support Obama

  C. Obama helped a stranger 20 years ago    D. Mary was lucky to get help at the airport

I met the old man at a cafe. “Did you hear the radio news yesterday?” he asked me. “No,” I replied. “Anything exciting?”“Exciting? NO! Something very sad. A group of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend.”?
“Oh, dear!” I cried. “How did it happen?”“He was working on the hillside when the dogs attacked him. When he didn't return, I went to the hillside and found…”“His body?” I asked. The old fellow drank half of his coffee. “No. I told you they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The big bones were lying every where. But they found this.” He pushed open a match box he was holding in his hand. In it was a man's thumb, lying on some white bloody material.?
“This is my friend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him”. The old man began to cry. He finished his coffee quickly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter. “I'll pay the gentleman's bill. His poor friend—how terrible!”“You've heard the news?” The waiter laughed. “Sure. There's a hole in the bottom of the match box. He put his own thumb through the hole. The blood is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?”“But he held the box in his right hand.”“Yes, but listeners look into the box. They just can't take their sight off that terrible thing.”“And when he tells the story, he gets free cup of coffee!” I said, laughing. “Yes, sir, but only from strangers who come to this town, and, of course, he does us no harm!”?
【小题1】 We can learn from this passage ________.?

A.the writer came to the cafe for the first time?
B.the old man made a living by telling jokes in the cafe?
C.the writer had known about the old man before?
D.what had happened to his best friend made the old man mad?
【小题2】 Having heard the old man's story, the writer _______ .?
A.couldn't help laughing immediately?B.showed great mercy upon him?
C.didn't believe him at all?D.bought the old man another cup of coffee?
【小题3】 It turned out that the thumb in the match box was actually __________.?
A.the right thumb of his best friend?
B.the thumb he stole from the dead body of an unknown person?
C.something made of bloody white materials?
D.his own right thumb?
【小题4】The waiter hadn't let out the truth of the old man's story earlier because _______ .
A.he was nobody but the best friend of the old man?
B.the old man wouldn't pay for his coffee if he did ?
C.the waiter hadn't seen through the old man's trick?
D.the old man helped the cafe in some way?
【小题5】 As suggested by the passage, what might happen in the end?      ??
A.The writer refused to pay the old man's bill.?
B.The writer decided to make the trick known to the public.?
C.More strangers would hear the old man's story.?
D.The old man wouldn't visit the cafe any more.

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