A boy walked along Carver Street, singing a sad song. He walked with his head down. Once he looked up and noticed the sign across the empty street, painted on the side of an old house. On the sign a big woman with yellow hair and a five-mile smile held out a big bottle. “Coca-Cola. Drink Coca-Cola,” the sign said.
“Boy!” the silence was cut by a sudden cry. He turned around quickly to see who had called.
An old woman was standing at her door.
“You boy! Come here this minute!”
Slowly the boy ___1___ onto the cold flat stones leading to the old woman’s house. When he arrived at her house, she ___2___ out her hand and wrapped(缠住) her ___3___ old fingers around his arm.
“Help me inside, boy”, she said, “Help me ___4___ to my bed. What’s your name?”
“Joseph,” he said.
The old woman on the bed tried to ___5___ up, raising herself on her elbow(肘). Water ___6___ from her eyes and mouth. The sight of her made Joseph feel ___7___.
“I am dying, Joseph. You can see that, can’t you? I want you to write a ___8___ for me. There’s paper and pencil on the table there.”
Joseph looked down at the ___9___, and then looked out the window. He saw the sign again: “Coca-Cola. Drink Coca-cola.”
“I want my silver pin to ___10___ to my daughter.”
Joseph bent his small body over the table and ___11___ the pencil slowly across the paper.
“There’s my Bible(圣经),” the old woman said. “That’s for my daughter, too. I want a ___12__ Christian burial(基督葬礼) with lots of singing. Write that down, too. That’s the last ___13__ of a poor old woman.”
The boy labored over the paper. Again he looked out the window.
“Here. Bring it here so I can ___14___ it.”
Joseph found the Bible, and ___15___the paper inside, laid it next to the bed.
“___16___ me now, boy,” she sighed. “I’m tired.”
He ran out of the house.
A cold wind blew through the ___17___ window, but the old woman on the bed ___18___ nothing. She was dead. The paper in the Bible moved back and forth in the wind. ___19___ on the paper were some childish letters. They ___20___ the words “Coca-Cola. Drink Coca-cola.”
1. A. rushed    B. struggled    C. hurried       D. stepped
2. A. reached  B. let      C. pushed       D. pointed
3. A. firm       B. smooth       C. dry     D. fresh
4. A. back       B. over    C. away   D. ahead
5. A. sit   B. get      C. stand   D. wake
6. A. rolled     B. burnt  C. burst   D. ran
7. A. ill   B. sick    C. unpleasant  D. funny
8. A. letter      B. note    C. will    D. message
9. A. table      B. pen     C. paper  D. woman
10. A. send     B. go      C. belong       D. come
11. A. moved  B. drew   C. used    D. pulled
12. A. great    B. merry C. splendid     D. real
13. A. hope     B. chance       C. opinion      D. wish
14. A. sign      B. read    C. remember   D. copy
15. A. setting  B. hiding C. placing       D. laying
16. A. Hold    B. Leave  C. Excuse       D. Pardon
17. A. large    B. open   C. small  D. pretty
18. A. did       B. saw     C. felt     D. knew
19. A. Described    B. Printed       C. Recorded    D. Written
20. A. formed B. spelled       C. organized   D. repeated