1 . “If you could have any three things, what would you want?”
Eleven-year-old Ruby Kate Chitsey loves asking that question, but it’s not a game she plays at recess（课间）. She asks it at nursing homes in the Harrison, Arkansas, where she lives. Even more amazing, she then sets out to make the residents’ wishes come true.
Ruby Kate often tags along with her mother, Amanda, who works at nursing home in the summer. “I’ve never found them scary at all, so I’m able to just go up to them and ask if they need anything,” she says.
Last May, Ruby K ate noticed a resident named Pearl staring out a window. She seemed sad. “What are you looking at?” Ruby Kate asked. Pearl said she was watching her dog being led away by his new owner after a visit. Pearl didn’t know when she would see her dog again. Pearl was a medicaid recipient, who got only $40 a month to spend on personal items. Ruby Kate and Amanda asked around and discovered that many residents are unable to afford even the smallest luxuries. So Ruby Kate decided to do something about it.
She started by asking residents what three things they wanted most. “That’s a lot simpler than going, ‘Hey, what do you want?’” she explains. “They can understand you better.” Amanda worried that people would ask for things an 11-year-old wouldn’t be able to provide. Instead, they asked for chocolate bars, McDonald’s fries, and even just a prayer.
“It broke me as a human,” Amanda says. “We left the nursing home that day and went straight to a store and bought as many items as we could.”
Using their own money, the Chitseys granted the wishes of about 100 people in three months. Then they started asking for donations. The good people of Harrison responded enthusiastically, and they raised $20,000 in 24 hours and more than $250,000 in five months.
1. Why does Ruby often ask the same question?| A．She likes hearing everyone’s stories. |
| B．It makes her famous in the community. |
| C．She finds it amusing to repeat the question. |
| D．She wants to help residents in nursing homes. |
| A．Pearl was in good health. | B．Pearl couldn’t afford to keep her dog. |
| C．Pearl was too old to raise a dog. | D．Pearl sold her dog for small luxuries. |
| A．The residents’ gratitude for Amanda’s assistance. |
| B．The popularity Ruby achieved for her good deeds. |
| C．The simplicity and sincerity of the residents’ requests. |
| D．The residents’ enthusiasm and optimism in difficult times. |
| A．Action speak louder than words. | B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Kindness is the language of the heart. | D．Nothing is difficult to a willing heart. |
