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. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, “Only a miracle can save him now,” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.
She hurried to a drugstore (藥店) with the money in her hand.
“And what do you want?” asked the salesman. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon?” said the salesman.
“My brother Andrew has something bad growing in?side his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell a miracle here, child. I’m sorry,” the salesman said with a smile.
“Listen, if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”
A well-dressed man heard it and asked, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an opera?tion. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought all my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man. “$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered.
“Well, what luck,” smiled the man. “$ 1.11, the price of a miracle for little brothers.”
He took up the girl’s hand and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again.
How much did the miracle cost?
根據以上短文內容，然后從每題所給的四個選項中選擇最佳選項。
1. What was the trouble in the little girl’s family?
A. Her brother was seriously ill.
B. They had no money.
C. Nothing could save her brother.
D. Both A and B.
2. In the eye of the little girl, a miracle might be _______.
A. something interesting
B. something beautiful
C. some wonderful medicine
D. some good food
3. The little girl said again and again “...I can try and get some more.” That shows _______.
A. she had still kept some money
B. she hoped not to be refused
C. There was no need to worry about money
D. she thought money was easy to get
4. What made the miracle happen?
A. The girl’s love for her brother.
B. The girl’s money.
C. The medicine from the drugstore.
D. Nobody can tell.
5. From the passage we can infer (推斷) that _______.
A. The doctor didn’t ask for any pay
B. A miracle is sure to happen if you keep on
C. The little girl is lovely but not so clever
D. Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought
【答案及解析】
1. 選 D。根據第1段中的All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money可知答案。
2. 選 C。由于這個小女孩的家很窮，而她的兄弟又病得那樣重，所以她的父親說Only a miracle can save him now，小女孩聽了之后便翻出她所有的“積蓄”去藥店購買miracle，由此可見，小女孩可能認為miracle是一種什么很神奇的藥。注：miracle的實際意思是“奇跡”，Only a miracle can save him now的意思是“只有出現奇跡才可能救得了他” (from www.zkenglish.com)。
3. 選 D。The urchin 要Paul把車停在他家門前后，立即扶著他殘疾的弟弟出來，讓他看看Paul的車，然后告訴弟弟他想為他做的事，所以他只是想告訴他弟弟他的愿望。
4. 選 C。The urchin在坐過Paul的車后沒有忘記弟弟，并且承諾也要給弟弟買一輛車，可見他對弟弟有著一份深深的愛。答案選C，而A、B、D三項與文章不符。
5. 選 C。通讀全文，我們不得不為The urchin 的行為所感動，他是一個好哥哥。文章就是講述了他這樣的一位好哥哥，C選項最合適。
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