第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项
My father was driving us to our
grandparents’ house for our annual Christmas dinner. The closer we got to the
turnoff (岔道) for my
grandparents’ house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in
the middle of the road and said: “I can’t stand it!”
“What?” asked my mother.
“It’s those people back there at the Pan
Am, standing in the rain. They’ve got children. It’s Christmas. I can’t stand
it.”
When my father pulled into the service
station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children –
two girls and a small boy.
My father rolled down his window. “Merry
Christmas,” he said.
“Howdy (您好),” the man replied. He was very tall and had to
stoop (弯腰) slightly
to peer into the car.
My sisters Jill, Sharon, and I stared at
the children, and they stared back at us.
“You’re getting wet standing here. Just a
couple miles up the road there’s a shed (小棚) with a cover there, and some benches,” my father said. “Why don’t
you all get in the car?”
The man thought about it for a moment, and
then he waved to his family. They climbed into the car.
Once they settled in, my father looked back
over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three
unhappy faces gave him the answer.
“Well, I didn’t think so,” my father said,
winking at my mother, “because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that
he was having trouble finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys
at my house. We’ll just go to get them before I take you to the bus stop.”
All at once, the three children’s faces lit
up, and they began to bounce around in the back seat, laughing and chattering.
When we got out of the car at our house,
the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that
were spread out under our Christmas tree. One of the girls spied Jill’s doll
and hugged it to her breast. The little boy grabbed Sharon’s ball. And the
other girl picked up something of mine.
We left them there at the bus stop in
Winborn. As we drove away, I watched out the window as long as I could, looking
back at the little girl hugging her new doll.
That was the Christmas when my sisters and
I learned the joy of making others happy.
56. The writer’s father U-turned in the
middle of the road because ______.
A. he could not stand the people at the
service station
B. he could not bear the thought of leaving
the people behind
C. he wanted to do something special for
his parents
D. he wanted to help the family standing in
the rain
57. The reason the father asked the kids if
Santa had found them was probably that _____.
A. he knew the mention of Santa would lift
their spirits
B. he once promised to receive them as
guests in his house
C. he wanted to avoid embarrassing the
family
D. he had met Santa and got the presents
for the kids
58. How did the author feel at the end of
the story?
A. She was pleased that they had been able
to give the kids presents and make them happy.
B. She was unhappy remembering that they
had been late for the Christmas dinner.
C. She was angry because she realized that
she didn’t receive a Christmas gift that year.
D. She was puzzled by why her father had
done this on Christmas.
59. What is the article mainly about?
A. How my family found the lost Santa.
B. The people at the service station.
C. The art of celebrating Christmas.
D. The joy of making others happy.
