15．The story began on a downtown Brooklyn street corner．An elderly man had collapsed while crossing the street，and an ambulance rushed him to Kings County Hospital．There，when he came to now and again，the man repeatedly called for his son．
From a worn letter located in his pocket，an emergency room nurse learned that his son was a marine stationed in North Carolina．Apparently there were no other relatives．
Someone at the hospital called the Red Cross office in Brooklyn，and a request for the boy to rush to Brooklyn was sent to the Red Cross director of the North Carolina Marine Corps camp．Because time was short---the patient was dying---the Red Cross man and an officer set out in an army vehicle．They found the young man walking through some marshes （沼泽） in a military exercise．He was rushed to the airport in time to catch the only plane that might enable him to reach his dying father．
It was dusk when the young marine walked into the entrance lobby of Kings County Hospital．A nurse took the tired，anxious serviceman to the bedside．
"Your son is here，"she said to the old man．She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened．The medicine he had been given for the pain from his heart attack made his eyes weak and he could only see the shadow of the young man in Marine Corps uniform standing outside the oxygen tent．He reached out his hand．The marine wrapped his strong fingers around the old man's weak ones，squeezing a message of love and encouragement．The nurse brought a chair，so the marine could sit by the bed．
Nights are long in hospitals，but all through the night the young marine sat there in the dimly lit ward （病房），holding the old man's hand and offering words of hope and strength．Occasionally，the nurse urged the marine to rest for a while．He refused．
Whenever the nurse came into the ward，the marine was there，but he paid no attention to her and the night noises of the hospital---the banging of an oxygen tank，the laughter of the night staff exchanging greetings，the cries and breathing of other patients．Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words．The dying man said nothing，only held tightly to his son through most of the night．
It was nearly dawn when the patient died．The marine placed the lifeless hand he had been holding on the bed，and went to inform the nurse．While she did what she had to do，he smoked a cigarette，his first since he got to the hospital．
Finally，she returned to the nurse's station，where he was waiting．She started to offer words of sympathy，but the marine interrupted her．"Who was that man？"he asked．
"He was your father，"she answered，shocked．
"No，he wasn't，"the marine replied．"I never saw him before in my life．"
"Why didn't you say something when I took you to him？"the nurse asked．
"I knew immediately there'd been a mistake，but I also knew he needed his son，and his son just wasn't here．When I realized he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son，I guessed he really needed me．So I stayed．"
With that，the marine turned and left the hospital．Two days later a message came in from the North Carolina Marine Corps base informing the Brooklyn Red Cross that the real son was on his way to Brooklyn for his father's funeral．It turned out there had been two marines with the same name and similar numbers in the camp．Someone in the personnel office had pulled out the wrong record．
But the wrong marine had become the right son at the right time．And he proved，in a very human way，that there are people who care what happens to their fellow men．
50．An emergency room nurse found out that the old man's son was a marineC．
A．by calling the Red Cross office in Brooklyn
B．because the old man repeatedly called for his son
C．from a letter found in the old man's pocket
D．form the old man's relatives
51．When the marine was found，B．
A．he was setting out in an army vehicle with an officer．
B．he was participating in a military exercise
C．he and his fellow soldiers were stuck in marshes
D．he was already with the old man
52．In the hospital，C．
A．the nurse stayed by the old man's bed most of the night
B．the dying man said a few words to the young man
C．the young marine offered him comfort in the last few hours of the old man's life
D．the night was cold and long，with people coming and going all night
53．The young marine told the nurse that he was not the real son of the old manA．
A．after the old man died
B．when the nurse sensed something strange
C．before the marine came to the nurse's station
D．as soon as he arrived
54．The mistake was due toB．
A．the fact that the two marines had the same name and looked alike
B．carelessness on the part of someone in the personnel office
C．the wrong records kept in the North Carolina Marine Corps base
D．the wrong information provided by the Brooklyn Red Cross
55．The sentence"the wrong marine had become the right son at the right time"in the last paragraph means thatD．
A．the marine was wrong in fooling the dying man
B．the marine did not tell the truth at the hospital until some time later
C．the marine told the real story about him and the old man
D．the marine made the right decision about what he should do．
分析 本文主要讲述了一位海军假扮将死的老人的儿子，陪他度过了生命的最后一段时光．老人过世后，他才说自己不是老人真正的儿子，原来是医院里的人弄错了．但海军的做法是对的，他满足了老人最后的心愿．作者通过这篇文章告诉我们，有时候善意的谎言是必要的．
解答 50．C细节理解题．根据第二段From a worn letter located in his pocket，an emergency room nurse learned that his son was a marine stationed in North Carolina．可知一位急诊室的护士根据老人口袋里的一封信发现他的儿子是一个海军．故选C．
51．B细节理解题．根据第三段They found the young man walking through some marshes （沼泽） in a military exercise．可知这个海军被发现的时候，他正在参加一次军事演习．故选B．
52．C推理判断题．根据第四、五段的内容可知，这位"儿子"一直陪伴着老人度过最后的时光．故选C．
53．A推理判断题．根据第八段It was nearly dawn when the patient died．The marine placed the lifeless hand he had been holding on the bed，and went to inform the nurse．及下文他与护士的对话，可知是在老人过世后，他才说自己不是老人真正的儿子的．故选A．
54．B细节理解题．根据倒数第二段Someone in the personnel office had pulled out the wrong record．可知弄错的原因是人事办公室的人的粗心大意．故选B．
55．D推理判断题．根据最后一段And he proved，in a very human way，that there are people who care what happens to their fellow men．可知这位士兵的做法是正确的．故选B．
点评 本文考察学生的理解推断能力以及细心程度，只要抓住文章的关键词，采用寻读的方法查找细节，就能找到正确答案．
