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.
【小题1】What can we learn from the first paragraph?

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.

56. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. Tess’s brother would recover because there was a miracle.

B. Tess’s brother would die because his family had no money to treat his illness.

C. Tess’s family would look for a miracle to treat Andrew’s illness.

D. Andrew should go to hospital for a miracle.

57. Why did the chemist get annoyed first？

A. Because he was a nervous man．

B. Because Tess didn’t buy his medicine.

C. Because Tess had bothered him and his brother.

D. Because Tess was poorly dressed.

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

A. He was a stone－hearted man.

B. He cared for only a little money.

C. He never helped others unless given a lot of money．      

D. He was a kind gentleman and ready to help others.

59. What can be the best title？

A. A dying boy and her sister                               B. A miracle of $ 1.10

C. A kind doctor and his brother                                  D. A poor girl and a doctor

When I was eight, I saw a movie about an island that had an erupting volcano and jungles filled with wild animals．The island was ruled by a beautiful woman called Tondalaya, the Fire Goddess of the Volcano．It was a low budget movie, but to me, it represented the perfect life．But through the years, Tondalaya was forgotten．
The week I turned 50, my marriage came to a sudden end．My house, furniture and everything I'd owned was sold to pay debts that I didn't even know existed．In a week I had lost my husband, my home and my parents who had refused to accept a divorce in the family．
I'd lost everything except my four teenage children．I used every penny I had to buy five plane tickets from Missouri to Hawaii．Everyone said I was crazy to think I could just run off to an island and survive．I was afraid they were right．
I worked 18 hours a day and lost 30 pounds because I lived on one meal a day．One night as I walked alone on the beach, I saw the red orange lava（火山岩） pouring out of Kilauea Volcano in the distance．It was time to live my imagination!
The next day, I quit my job, bought some art supplies and began doing what I loved．I hadn't painted a picture in 15 years．I wondered if 1 could still paint．My hands trembled the first time I picked up a brush．But after an hour had passed, I was lost in the colors spreading across the canvas（画布） in front of me．And as soon as I started believing in myself, other people started believing in me, too．The first painting sold for $ 1500．
The past six years have been filled with adventures．My children and I have gone swimming with dolphins, watched whales and hiked around the crater rim （火山口边缘） of the volcano．We wake up every morning with the ocean in front of us and the volcano behind us．
The dream I had more than 40 years ago is now reality．I'm living freely and happily ever after．
【小题1】Why did the writer go to Hawaii?

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.

What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. Tess’s brother would recover because there was a miracle.

B. Tess’s brother would die because his family had no money to treat his illness.

C. Tess’s family would look for a miracle to treat Andrew’s illness.

D. Andrew should go to hospital for a miracle.

Why did the chemist get annoyed first？

A. Because he was a nervous man．

B. Because Tess didn’t buy his medicine.

C. Because Tess had bothered him and his brother.

D. Because Tess was poorly dressed.

What can we learn about Dr. Carlton Armstrong?

A. He was a stone－hearted man.

B. He cared for only a little money.

C. He never helped others unless given a lot of money．      

D. He was a kind gentleman and ready to help others.

What can be the best title？

A. A dying boy and her sister                      B. A miracle of $ 1.10

C. A kind doctor and his brother                        D. A poor girl and a doctor

There’s a guy like me in every state and federal prison in America，I guess—I’m the guy who can get these for you：cigarettes，a bag of cigar，if you want that，a bottle of wine to celebrate your son or daughter’s high school graduation，or almost anything else．．．within reason，that is．It wasn’t always that way．

I came to Shawshank when I was just twenty，and I am one of the few people in the prison who is willing to admit what he did．I committed murder．I put a large insurance policy on my wife，who was three years older than 1 was，and then I fixed the brakes of the car her father had given us as a wedding present．It worked out exactly as I had planned，except I hadn’t planned on her stopping to pick up the neighbour woman and the woman’s son on the way down Castle Hill and into town．The brakes let go and the car crashed through the bushes，gathering speed．Bystanders said it must have been doing fifty or better when it hit the base of the Civil War statue in the town arid burst into flames．

I also hadn’t planned on getting caught，but caught 1 was．I got a pass into this place．My state has no death penalty(死刑)，but I was tried for all three deaths and given three life sentences，to run one after the other．That fixed up any chance of parole(假释)I might have，for a long，long time．The judge called what I had done‘an extremely evil crime’, and it was ,but it is also in the past now．

Have I transformed myself，you ask ?I don’t know what that word means，at least as far as prisons and corrections go．I think it’s a politician’s word．It may have some other meaning，and it may be that 1 will have a chance to find out，but that is the future．．．

I was young，good—looking，and from the poor side of town．I met a pretty，headstrong girl who lived in one of the fine old houses on Carbine Street．She got pregnant later．Her father was agreeable to the marriage if 1 would take a job in the company he owned and ‘work my way up’．I found out that what he really had in mind was keeping me in his house and under his thumb，like a disagreeable pet that has not quite been housebroken and which may bite．Enough hate eventually piled up to cause me to do what I did．

?? Given a second chance 1 would not do it again，but I'm not sure that means I am transformed．

1.What do we know about the man from the passage?

A．He is treated unfairly in the prison．

B．He is in charge of the federal prison．

C．He is quite an able person as a prisoner．

D．He is the most powerful man in the prison．

2.By saying that“I got a pass into this place”(in Para．3)，the man means that________.

A．he has got to stay in prison

B．he was allowed to go home

C．he was caught by the police without a pass

D．he has stayed in the federal prison before

3.The man committed such an evil crime because__________.

A．he had made a secret deal with an insurance company

B．he had been angry for a long time with his father—in—law

C．his wife’s family members had disapproved of their marriage

D．his wife had looked on him as a pet and he didn’t feel respected

4.Which of the following is TRUE about the man?

A．He regrets having committed the crime．

B．He will be out of prison in the near future．

C．He thinks the trial a mistake and is unfair．

D．He has found out the