I was an unlucky nurse who had to work on Christmas Day. It was always quiet in the emergency(急诊室) room on this day, so I was not expecting any patients. When I was complaining about working on such a beautiful festival, a pale woman and four small children showed up at my desk.
“Are you all sick?” I asked suspiciously because they seemed all right.
“Yes,” the woman answered in a low voice and lowered her head.
But when it comes to their problems, things got a little strange. Two of the children had headaches, but they didn’t hold the head. Two children had earaches, but neither of them could tell me which ear was in pain. The mother complained of a cough, but she seemed to be pretending(假装).
Something was wrong. I didn’t say anything but explained that it might take a while before a doctor could meet them. “Take your time, please,” the mother answered. I checked their charts(记录) — no address. Suddenly I knew, they were homeless and the hospital was warm.
I looked out at the family, sitting together under the Christmas tree, smiling and chatting with each other sweetly. Quietly, I went back to the nurses’ station and told them that they had a homeless family in the waiting room. The nurses’ station suddenly came back to life. All the nurses came into action, just as we did when there was a real medical emergency. But this one was a “Christmas emergency.”
We took out our meals for our Christmas “patients”. We also put together oranges and apples as presents. Usually we just tried to meet the physical needs of our patients. But today, we worked hard to exceed(超出) the needs of a family who only wanted a warm place on Christmas Day.
Later, when the family was leaving, the four-year-old girl ran back and gave me a kiss. “Thanks for being our angel(天使) today,” she whispered(耳语) in my ear.
根据短文内容,选择最佳答案。
41. The writer felt _________ when she had to work on Christmas Day.
A.excited | B.unhappy | C.surprised | D.interested |
42. How many people came to the emergency room?
A.five. | B.four. | C.three. | D.six. |
43. The family came to the emergency room because _________.
A.the mother was coughing. |
B.there was something wrong with two children’s heads. |
C.two children had earaches. |
D.they were homeless and the hospital was warm. |
44. What does the underlined word “suspiciously” mean in the second paragraph?
A.Noticing there was something interesting. |
B.Feeling there was something frightening. |
C.Feeling there was something strange. |
D.Noticing there was something dangerous. |
45. What do you think is the best title for the passage?
A.A poor family | B.A sick mother and her children |
C.A working Christmas | D.Nurses at Christmas |