4．At the top of a three-story brick building，Sue and Johnsy had their studio．One of the girls was from Maine； the other from California．They had met in an Eighth Street restaurant，and found their tastes in art，chicory salad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted．That was in May．
In November，a cold，unseen stranger，whom the doctors called"pneumonia"，stalked about the district，touching one here and there with his icy fingers．Johnsy was among his victims．
One morning the busy doctor invited Sue into the hallway with a bushy，gray eyebrow．
"She has one chance in ten，"he said．"And that chance is for her to want to live．Your little lady has made up her mind that she's not going to get well．Has she anything on her mind？"
"She wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day，"said Sue．
"Paint？Bosh!Has she anything on her mind worth thinking about twice？A man，for instance？"
"No，doctor； there is nothing of the kind．"
"Well，"said the doctor．"I will do all that science can accomplish．But whenever my patient begins to count the carriage in her funeral procession，I subtract 50 per cent from the power of medicines．"After the doctor had gone，Sue cried．
Johnsy lay，scarcely making a movement under the bedclothes，with her face toward the window．She was looking out and counting-counting backward．
"Twelve，"she said，and a little later"eleven，"and then"ten，"and"nine，"and then"eight，'and"seven，"almost together．
Sue looked out of the window．What was there to count？There was only a bare，dreary yard to be seen，and an old，old ivy vine climbed half way up the brick wall of the brick house．The cold breath of autumn had blown away its leaves，leaving it almost bare．
"Six，'said Johnsy，in almost a whisper．"They're falling faster now．Three days ago there were almost a hundred．It made my head ache to count them．But now it's easy．There goes another one．There are only five left now．"
"Five what，dear？"
"Leaves，on the ivy vine．When the last one falls I must go，too．I've known that for three days．Didn't the doctor tell you？"
"Oh，I've never heard of such nonsense．Don't be so silly．Why，the doctor told me this morning that your chances for getting well soon were ten to one!Try to take some soup now，and let Sue go and buy pork chops for her sick child．"
56．What do you know about Sue and Johnsy from the first paragraph？A
A．They had a lot in common with each other．
B．They are from the same state in the United States．
C．They set up their studio on the third floor in order to see the ivy vine outside．
D．They both began wearing clothes with bishop sleeves only after they set up their studio．
57．Which of the following statements best describes the underlined word"pneumonia"？B
A．It was a stranger with magic power and was invisible to others．
B．It was a disease which resulted in many symptoms （癥狀），or even death．
C．It was a person who was moving around the district touching people with icy fingers．
D．It was someone who carried deadly bacteria and passed them to people without being noticed．
58．What can we learn from the passage？D
A．Johnsy had a bad temper and couldn't control her emotions very well．
B．Johnsy made up her mind to die because she had no confidence in science．
C．Johnsy counted the ivy vine leaves because she admired them and got inspiration from them．
D．The doctor believed that medicine would lose half of its power on the patient who did not want to live．
59．What may Sue do for her friend next？A
A．To go and buy pork chops for Johnsy
B．To prepare the funeral quickly．
C．To ask Johnsy to paint the Bay of Naples
D．To find Johnsy a boyfriend immediately．
分析 本文屬于記敘文閱讀，作者通過(guò)這篇文章主要向我們描述了Johnsy患了肺炎，認(rèn)為自己像窗外的常春藤一樣已經(jīng)失去生的希望，等著常春藤的樹(shù)葉落完就一起離世，醫(yī)生說(shuō)她沒(méi)有求生欲導(dǎo)致藥石無(wú)靈，Sue十分擔(dān)心她．
解答 56．A．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)文章第一段"They had met in an Eighth Street restaurant，and found their tastes in art，chicory salad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted"可知Sue and Johnsy在藝術(shù)上有許多的共同喜好；故選A．
57．B．詞義推斷題．根據(jù)文章第二段"Johnsy was among his victims"Johnsy成了pneumonia的受害人之一，可知pneumonia應(yīng)該是一種疾病，根據(jù)后文可知這會(huì)出現(xiàn)很多癥狀甚至導(dǎo)致死亡；故選B．
58．D．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)文章第七段"But whenever my patient begins to count the carriage in her funeral procession，I subtract 50 per cent from the power of medicines"但每當(dāng)我的病人開(kāi)始計(jì)數(shù)她的葬禮上的馬車(chē)時(shí)，我認(rèn)為藥物的力量失去了50個(gè)百分點(diǎn)；可知醫(yī)生認(rèn)為，藥物將失去它的一半的威力對(duì)不想活的病人；故選D．
59．A．推理判斷題．根據(jù)文章最后一段"Try to take some soup now，and let Sue go and buy pork chops for her sick child"現(xiàn)在試著喝點(diǎn)湯吧，讓蘇去給她生病的孩子買(mǎi)排骨，可知Sue接下來(lái)會(huì)為她的朋友買(mǎi)排骨煲湯；故選A．
點(diǎn)評(píng) 考察學(xué)生的細(xì)節(jié)理解和推理判斷能力，做細(xì)節(jié)理解題時(shí)一定要找到文章中的原句，和題干進(jìn)行比較，再做出正確的選擇．在做推理判斷題不要以個(gè)人的主觀想象代替文章的事實(shí)，要根據(jù)文章事實(shí)進(jìn)行合乎邏輯的推理判斷．
