13.A Special Appointment
Years ago I moved to Woodland Hills to take a job in a small hospital's emergency department.No one wanted to work on Christmas Eve,so the shift (轮班) went to me.I kissed my family goodbye and went off to spend the night in the hospital.It was a thankless job.
At 9pm,the ambulance brought in a man in his 60s who was having a heart attack.His face was pale,and he was frightened.The whole night I did my best to save his life.Before I left in the morning to spend Christmas with my family,I stopped by to see how he was doing.It was still tough,but he had survived the night and was sleeping.
The following year I got Christmas Eve duty again.At 9pm sharp,the ward clerk told me there was a couple who wanted to speak with me.When I approached them,the man introduced himself as Mr.Lee and said,"You probably don't remember me,but last Christmas Eve you saved my life.Thank you for the year you gave me."He and his wife hugged me,handed me a small gift,and left.
The following year a new doctor had joined the group,but I wanted to see if Mr.and Mrs.Lee would return.This time,I volunteered for the shift.I kept an eye on the door.Once again,at exactly 9pm,the Lees appeared,carrying a warmly wrapped bundle.It was their new grandchild.Mr.Lee,his family and I spent 13Christmas Eves together.In the later years the staff all knew about the story and would work to give me time with him in the break room,where we spent a half-hour each Christmas Eve.
The last year I saw him,he brought me a gift.I carefully opened the package and found a crystal (水晶) bell inside.It was engraved (镌刻) with a single word:Friendship.Now,my family,friends and I ring that bell every Christmas Eve at exactly 9pm and offer our best wishes to the man who we won't forget.

28.Working on Christmas Eve was considered"a thankless job"becauseD.
A.most patients were seriously ill
B.patients refused to express thanks
C.doctors had nothing to do on that day
D.doctors couldn't get praise for the hard job
29.When the author left the hospital the next morning,Mr.LeeA.
A.was still in a state of danger
B.was really angry with her
C.got ready to leave the hospital
D.recovered from his heart attack
30.According to the passage,the author formed a habit ofC.
A.celebrating Christmas Eve with her family
B.giving Christmas gifts to the hospital staff
C.spending Christmas Eve with Mr.Lee in hospital
D.ringing the bell for patients in the emergency department
31.Why does the author ring the bell on Christmas Eve?C
A.To honor her working experience.
B.To tell kids the traditional custom.
C.To remember an old friend of hers.
D.To show the beginning of the holiday.
12.Margaret,married with two small children,has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner,cleaning offices in a big building.
She got trained as a nurse,but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill."I would have liked to go back to it,but the shifts(工作班次)are all wrong for me,as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school."
So she works as a cleaner instead,from 9p.m.till 6a.m.five nights a week for just£90,before tax and insurance."It's better than it was last year,but I still think that people who work‘unsocial hours'should get a bit extra."
The hours she's chosen to work mean that she sees plenty of the children,but very little of her husband.However,she doesn't think that puts any pressure on their relationship.
Her work isn't physically very hard,but it's not exactly pleasant,either."I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs.If they realized people like me have to do it,perhaps they'd be a bit more careful."
The fact that she's working all night doesn't worry Margaret at all.Unlike some dark buildings at night,the building where she works is fully lit,and the women work in groups of three."Since I've got to be here,I try to enjoy myself-and I usually do,together with the other girls.We all have a good laugh,so the time never drags."
Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living."They think you're a cleaner because you don't know how to read and write,"said Margaret."I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I'd been doing,but I don't think that way any more.I don't dislike the work though I can't say I'm mad about it."

28.Margaret quit her job as a nurse becauseC.
A.she wanted to earn more money to support her family
B.she had suffered a lot of mental pressure
C.she needed the right time to look after her children
D.she felt tired of taking care of patients
29.Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office becauseD.
A.they never clean their offices           
B.they look down upon cleaners
C.they never do their work carefully     
D.they always make a mess in their offices
30.When at work,Margaret feelsA.
A.light-hearted because of her fellow workers
B.happy because the building is fully lit
C.tired because of the heavy workload
D.bored because time passes slowly
31.The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret's parents wouldD.
A.help care for her children           
B.regret what they had said
C.show sympathy for her              
D.feel disappointed with her.
5.Yes,I admit it.I'm a true,incurable book abuser(施虐人).I like to fold dog ears.I like to break my books open so that their backs crack.
I had a friend,who loved rubbing all the pages.I have another friend who is the exact opposite.She needs to keep her books completely new.I understand her.But once I get to know the book,I can't help but show it some tough love.Because,believe me,although it sounds like I'm an abuser without a heart,that's what it's all about.Not hidden aggressions,or a lack of respect; not at all.Let me explain.
I have one book by my favorite author Diana Gabaldon that looks like rubbish.It's completely wrinkled up from rain,and on its way to falling apart.I brought it like that to have her sign it.I hope she's realized what an honor it is to her as a writer.It means,basically,that I've read the book to bits.I wouldn't bother to mistreat books that don't mean anything to me.Only the best books get read well,carried everywhere,worth intense reading where I'm so caught up with words that I will spill coffee over it.
For my further defense,I would like to call in a witness.I have a cook book.Like almost all my other cook books,it's worn,and there are dirty marks of food in it.The book is called Tex-Mex-Food,Music and the Joy of Life from Texas.Just as the title suggests,this is more than a cook book.
These are the words on the very first page:
Tex-Max hasn't been trendy for over 30 years.Considering it's anything but cheap in calories,it probably never will be,either.Tacos(墨西哥卷) are instead all about such an untrendy things as a love for life.It's something you enjoy while spending time with your loved ones.…
We hope,therefore,that this cook book will soon be as dirty as a really old and used cook book should be.
Oh,how true!How wonderfully put!And it's the same thing for books:whether you're a book preserver or a book abuser,the approach is based on love and a joy for life.Because I believe all who are passionate about books,are passionate people.
 
66.According to the passage,the writer often does the following to his book exceptC.
A.have it dog-eared                       
B.carry it everywhere
C.keep it tidy                                        
D.have dirty marks in it
67.Why does the writer treat his favorite books badly?D
A.To cover up his disrespect for its author.
B.To conceal his aggressions to things around.
C.To express his objection to the book preserver.
D.To show his strong affection for the book.
68.The book Tex-Mex-Food,Music and the Joy of Life from Texas is mentioned by the writer to show thatC.
A.it is really common to have dirty marks in the cook book
B.Tex-Max is not popular mainly because it's low in calories
C.the writer is not alone with the view that books should be abused
D.one must try some food like Tex-Max to experience the love for life
69.What's the main idea of the passage?A
A.The defense of one who treats books badly.
B.The reasons why a certain book is preferred.
C.The book lovers'different habits of reading.
D.The different ways to treat different books.
4.Canadian short story writer Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature.Eighty-two-year-old Munro is only the 13th woman to win the 112-year-old prize.
Munro didn't publish her first collection of short stories until she was 37years old,but her stories have always been well-received.Lots of her stories share similar themes and characters,but each story has its own twists and turns.
Even though she's won Canada's most famous literary award,the Giller Prize twice,winning the Nobel Prize for Literature is the peak of Munro's career."It brings her incredible recognition,both of her and her career,and of the dedication( 投身,奉献 ) to the short story,"said one person.
Along with the well-respected title comes 1.3million dollars.Munro said everything was"so surprising and wonderful"and that she was"dazed by all the attention and affection that has been coming my way."
Munro knew she was in the list--she was named the second-most likely person to win this year's prize,after Haruki Murakami (村上春树)of Japan--but she never thought that she would win.
Munro's win also represents the long way Canadian writers have come."When I began writing there was a very small community of Canadian writers and little attention was paid by the world.Now Canadian writers are read,admired and respected around the globe,"Munro said on Thursday.
She is technically not the first Canadian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature,but many like to think that she is.In 1976Saul Bellow,who was born in Quebec but moved to Chicago when he was still a child,won the prize.Even though he was born in Canada,he is mostly considered to be an American writer.
"This is a win for us all.Canadians,by our very nature,are not very nationalistic,"said Geoffrey Taylor."But things like this suddenly make you want to find a flag."
She wasn't sure if she would keep writing if she won the prize,saying that it would be"nice to go out with a bang.But this may change my mind."
28.What is the feature of Munro's stories?A
A.They have complicated (复杂的)contents.
B.They have similar story backgrounds.
C.They have specific themes for children.
D.They have the same characters in each book.
29.For Munro,the Nobel Prize is an award forB.
A.her love for Canadian culture       
B.her devotion to the short story
C.her special form of writing         
D.her career of editing short stories
30.What can you infer from the sixth paragraph?C
A.Canadian writers paid little attention to the prize.
B.Canadian writers were respected across the globe.
C.Canadian writers have long been ignored.
D.Canadians come a long way to win the prize.
31.What does the passage mainly tell us?C
A.How Alice Munro wins the Nobel Prize
B.An introduction to the Nobel Prize in Literature
C.Alice Munro wins the Nobel Prize in Literature
D.A world famous writer,Alice Munro.
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