Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived there, I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(臨終醫(yī)院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(計價器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a special building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
In the early morning, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I pay you?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I gave her a hug(擁抱). She held on me and said, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
【小題1】The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.

Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived there, I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(臨終醫(yī)院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(計價器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a special building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
In the early morning, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I pay you?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I gave her a hug(擁抱). She held on me and said, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
【小題1】The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.

My Grandpa Will Pay the Bill

   Charlie had to return to his hometown．He   1   all his money in dancing and traveling．He got into trouble and had little money to pay for his   2   ．He wrote a letter to his parents，but they didn’t answer．He   3   some money from his friends and bought a ticket for the train．

    Now the young man knows his father is ill   4   and his mother has to look after him there．They didn’t   5   him at all．Their small shop was，of course，closed．

   “We’ve paid a lot of money for the   6   ，”said Charlie’s father．“I can’t give you any money now．Open our shop tomorrow and it’ll be   7   to you，I think．”

  The young man thought it reasonable(有道理的)and agreed．He   8    four pairs of shoes and got some money on the first day．The next morning，a very   9   girl came in the shop．He watched her carefully while she was   10   a pair of shoes．And then she asked，“How much are they?”

   “A kiss a pair，”   11    the smirking(嬉皮笑臉的)young man．“That’s fair(公平的)，”said the girl．“I’ll   12   two pairs．”

    Charlie brought two pairs of shoes and handed them to her．And then he   13  the counter(柜臺)and came up to the girl．She wasn’t   14   at all．Pointing to an old man who was standing outside，she said．“Wait a minute．My grandpa will pay the   15   ！”

1．A．used               B．made            C．spent            D．planned

2．A．books             B．car               C．drinks           D．food

3．A．borrowed       B．stole             C．lent              D．found

4．A．a(chǎn)t home          B．in hospital    C．a(chǎn)t school        D．in town

5．A．listen to          B．hear from      C．meet with     D．look after

6．A．tickets            B．presents        C．operation      D．wine

7．A．helpful    B．friendly         C．safe              D．useless

8．A．lost               B．broke          C．produced      D．sold

9．A．short              B．pretty                  C．fat                D．healthy

10．A．choosing        B．repairing       C．washing        D．touching

11．A．a(chǎn)sked            B．expected       C．wondered    D．a(chǎn)nswered

12．A．order            B．double          C．take             D．return

13．A．reached          B．left               C．knocked at    D．stood on

14．A．surprised      B．shy               C．pleased         D．a(chǎn)fraid

15．A．bill               B．word            C．menu            D．show