A
The trouble started at 9:30 p.m. last New Year’s Eve, in Newmark. When the fire engines (消防车) arrived at the fire, a very old woman was sitting in a third floor window. The firefighters placed a ladder (梯子) against the wooden house, and 26-year-old Marcus Reddick climbed 35 feet to the third floor.
The woman, 60 years old and very fat, was sitting with both feet out of the window. When Marcus reached the top of the ladder, the woman, afraid and nervous, put her two legs around him. Suddenly Marcus fell backwards off the ladder, with the large woman sitting on him. Marcus landed first — hitting a wall beside the front stairs — and broke the woman’s fall. She fell no more, but he fell another ten feet down the stairs. When the fire officer reached him, Marcus was unconscious.
Within an hour, a doctor told the men that Marcus was nearly brain dead, and would only get worse. Doctors talked of turning off the life-saving machine and asked if the family would like to give away his heart. The answer was “yes”.
On January 6, firefighters lifted Marcus’ coffin (棺材) — covered with an American flag — onto a yellow fire engine. Hundreds of firefighters from all over the state joined the procession (行列) through Newmark streets. Children watched silently from school windows. The day Marcus died, his heart was given away to a young girl. His family said that it was the second life Marcus had saved.
21. After reaching the top of the ladder, Marcus _____.
A. was very afraid and nervous B. couldn’t see anything clearly
C. found it difficult to get down D. was knocked off and got hurt
22. The underlined word “unconscious” in Paragraph 2 means “_____”.
A. homeless B. senseless C. breathless D. helpless
23. We can infer from the end of the text that Marcus’ family might feel _____.
A. sad but proud B. shy but excited
C. angry and doubtful D. worried and surprised
