Tess was eight years old. Her little brother Andrew was very sick and their parents were completely out of money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother, “Only a miracle can save him now.”

Tess took her money and made her way six blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store.

“And what do you want?” the chemist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen for ages.”

“Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really sick. He has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the chemist said, softening a little.

“Listen, I can help you.” The chemist’s brother was a well-dressed man. He asked Tess, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?”

“I don’t know,” Tess replied. “Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”

“How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago. “One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered. “And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more, if I need to.”

“Well，what a coincidence (巧合),” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents － the exact price of a miracle for your little brother. Take me to where you live. Let’s see if 1 have the kind of miracle you need.”

That man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon in neurosurgery (神经外科). The operation was completed without charge and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well．

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost… one dollar and eleven  cents… plus the faith of a little child.

1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?

2.Why did the chemist get annoyed first？

3.What can we learn about Dr. Carlton Armstrong?

4.What can be the best title？

Many trees in the Brackham area were brought down in the terrible storms that March. The town itself lost two great lime trees from the former market square. The disappearance of such striking features had changed the appearance of the town center entirely, to the annoyance of its more conservative inhabitants(居民).
Among the annoyed, under more normal circumstances, would have been Chief Inspector Douglas Pelham, head of the local police force. But at the height of that week's storm, when the wind brought down even the mature walnut tree in his garden, Pelham had in fact been in no fit state to notice. A large and healthy man, he had for the first time in his life been seriously ill with an attack of bronchitis.
When he first complained of an aching head and tightness in his chest, his wife, Molly, had tried to persuade him to go to the doctor. Convinced that the police force could not do without him, he had, as usual, ignored her and attempted to carry on working. Predictably, though he wouldn't have listened to anyone who tried to tell him so, this had the effect of fogging his memory and shortening his temper.
It was only when his colleague, Sergeant Lloyd, took the initiative (主动) and drove him to the doctor's door that he finally gave in. By that time, he didn't have the strength left to argue with her. In no time at all, she was taking him along to the chemist's to get his medicine and then home to his unsurprised wife who sent him straight to bed.
When Molly told him, on the Thursday morning, that the walnut tree had been brought down during the night, Pelham hadn’t been able to take it in. On Thursday evening, he had asked weakly about damage to the house, groaned (含糊不清地说) thankfully when he heard there was none, and pulled the sheets over his head.
It wasn't until Saturday, when the medicine took effect, his temperature dropped and he got up, that he realized with a shock that the loss of the walnut tree had made a permanent difference to the appearance of the living-room. The Pelhams’ large house stood in a sizable garden. It had not come cheap, but even so Pelham had no regrets about buying it. The leafy garden had created an impression of privacy. Now, though, the storm had changed his outlook.
Previously, the view from the living-room had featured the handsome walnut tree. This had not darkened the room because there was also a window on the opposite wall, but it had provided interesting patterns of light and shade that hid the true state of the worn furniture that the family had brought with them from their previous house.
With the tree gone, the room seemed cruelly bright, its worn furnishings exposed in all their shabbiness. And the view from the window didn’t bear looking at. The tall house next door, previously hidden by the tree, was now there, dominating the outlook with its unattractive purple bricks and external pipes. It seemed to have a great many upstairs windows, all of them watching the Pelhams' every movement.
“Doesn’t it look terrible?” Pelham whispered to his wife. But Molly, standing in the doorway, sounded more pleased than dismayed. “That's what I’ve been telling you ever since we came here. We have to buy a new sofa, whatever it costs.”
【小题1】Why were some people in Brackham annoyed after the storm?

第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1. 5分，满分30分）

请阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36～55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D中），选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。

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 36    mother with whispered desperation（绝望）, “  37   a miracle（奇迹） can save him now”, the little girl went to her bedroom and took out her piggy bank. She  38   all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Then she  39    her way six blocks to the local drugstore（药店）.

“And what do you want?” asked the chemist.

“It’s   40   my little brother,” the girl answered back. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a   41  . His name is Andrew and he has something   42   growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. ”

“We don’t   43    miracles here, child. I’m sorry,” the chemist said, smiling  44   at the little girl.

In the shop was a   45   customer. He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of miracle does your brother   46  ?”

“I don’t know, ”she replied. “He’s really sick and mommy says he needs   47   . But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought my   48   . ”

“How much do you have?” asked the man.

“One dollar and eleven cents,   49    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  50        price of a miracle for little brothers.   51    me to where you live. I want to see your brother and   52    your parents. ”

That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon（外科医生）. The operation was completed without   53   and it wasn’t long before Andrew was   54   again and doing well.

The little girl was happy. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the   55   of a little child.

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

37. A. Simply              B. Just                         C. Only                D. More than

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

39. A. followed           B. made                 C. took                 D. found

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

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

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

43. A. have                  B. offer                 C. sell                   D. store

44. A. gently                       B. sadly                 C. strangely           D. coldly

45. A. well-dressed    B. kind-hearted        C. well-behaved     D. good-looking

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

47. A. a doctor             B. a surgeon         C. an operation      D. a kindness

48. A. savings              B. wishes               C. ideas                D. suggestions

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

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

51. A. Show                        B. Help                 C. Take                 D. Follow

52. A. help                   B. encourage          C. persuade           D. meet

53. A. difficulty          B. delay                 C. charge              D. result

54. A. happy                       B. well                  C. strong               D. home

55. A. cleverness          B. faith                        C. courage           D. devotion

第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1. 5分，满分30分）
请阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36～55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D中），选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
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 36    mother with whispered desperation（绝望）, “  37   a miracle（奇迹） can save him now”, the little girl went to her bedroom and took out her piggy bank. She 38   all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Then she  39    her way six blocks to the local drugstore（药店）.
“And what do you want?” asked the chemist.
“It’s   40   my little brother,” the girl answered back. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a   41  . His name is Andrew and he has something   42   growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. ”
“We don’t   43    miracles here, child. I’m sorry,” the chemist said, smiling  44   at the little girl.
In the shop was a   45   customer. He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of miracle does your brother   46  ?”
“I don’t know, ”she replied. “He’s really sick and mommy says he needs   47   . But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought my   48   . ”
“How much do you have?” asked the man.
“One dollar and eleven cents,   49   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  50        price of a miracle for little brothers.   51    me to where you live. I want to see your brother and   52   your parents. ”
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon（外科医生）. The operation was completed without   53   and it wasn’t long before Andrew was   54   again and doing well.
The little girl was happy. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the   55   of a little child.
36. A. tearful                B. hopeful             C. helpless            D. kind
37. A. Simply             B. Just                      C. Only              D. More than
38. A. drew                  B. pulled             C. put                  D. poured
39. A. followed           B. made               C. took               D. found
40. A. to                     B. as                   C. for                  D. on
41. A. hope                  B. doctor             C. favor              D. miracle
42. A. bad                   B. small               C. extra              D. impossible
43. A. have                  B. offer               C. sell                 D. store
44. A. gently                      B. sadly               C. strangely         D. coldly
45. A. well-dressed    B. kind-hearted      C. well-behaved     D. good-looking
46. A. have                 B. need                C. care                D. like
47. A. a doctor            B. a surgeon       C. an operation      D. a kindness
48. A. savings             B. wishes             C. ideas              D. suggestions
49. A. since                 B. as                   C. after               D. but
50. A. same                 B. exact               C. proper            D. necessary
51. A. Show                       B. Help               C. Take               D. Follow
52. A. help                  B. encourage        C. persuade         D. meet
53. A. difficulty         B. delay               C. charge            D. result
54. A. happy                      B. well                C. strong             D. home
55. A. cleverness          B. faith                     C. courage         D. devotion

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 with whispered desperation（绝望）, “  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 local drugstore（药店）.

“And what do you want?” asked the chemist.

“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 (弯腰) 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 surgeon（外科医生）. The operation was completed without   18  and it wasn’t long before Andrew was   19  again and doing well.

The little girl was happy. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the   20  of a little child.

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

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

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

4．  A．followed      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．have         B．offer           C．sell             D．store

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

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

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

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

13．A．savings        B．wishes          C．ideas            D．suggestions

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

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

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

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

18．A．difficulty      B．delay            C．charge          D．result

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

20． A．cleverness   B．faith            C．courage         D．devotion