2013年职称英语卫生类阅读理解模拟题(5)

A Desert Between Paul and Clara

　　Paul had long promised to marry Clara．But at thirty-three he met and married Alice．Clara was driven mad．

　　Paul was taken to court．The judge ordered him to pay Clara$600 because of the broken promise．Paul had to borrow the money from a moneylender．He agreed to pay back$5 a month—for twenty years．His wages at the time were$16 a month．

　　Paul and Alice were poor but not unhappy．They had little enough food，certainly，even before the children began to arrive．Each month Paul paid$5 to the moneylender．He worked hard, never taking a holiday．In time，there were seven mouths to feed．

　　Illness was always with them．It grew serious when the oldest child was eight．The years of hunger weakened the family, because each month Paul paid$5．The details of the sickness were ugly, but the result was this：after twelve years of family life，Paul was alone in the world.

　　He lived alone．except for memories．Work was not now a god for him：it was a pain-killer．Each month he paid，and in time the twenty years ended．From that moment his wages were his own．

　　One day, It was a holiday went to the seaside．He sat down on a seat by the sea．A middle．aged woman came and sat down near him．They recognized each other at once.

　　The woman said．“The$600 has been in the bank since the day it was paid to me．It is now $6，000，and I have kept it for you．Will you let me share it with you?”

　　“No，”said Paul，gently．“Each thousand is a lost life in a desert between us. It can never bring any happiness．”

　　1．Paul was ordered to pay Clara$600 because

　　A．he had borrowed $600 from her．

　　B．he had broken his word to marry her．

　　C．he had promised to give her$600．

　　D．he had spent a lot of her money．

　　2．How many children did Paul and Alice have?

　　A．Two.

　　B．Four.

　　C．Five.

　　D．Eight.

　　3． Twelve years after his marriage，Paul was

　　A ．poor but not sad．

　　B． very sick．