A
A new pastor(牧师) named John reopened a church that had been abandoned in a suburb. He found it broken, and in need of a lot of repair work. His goal was to have everything done in time for his first service on Christmas Eve.
He worked hard. However, when John went to the church on Dec. 21, his heart sank: a large area of plaster (石膏) had fallen off the front wall due to a terrible storm the night before. John headed home, and on the way he stopped at a market selling items for charity.
One of the items was an exquisite handmade tablecloth. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. It started to snow. An old woman had missed her bus, and he invited her to wait in the warm church for the next one. As John put up the tablecloth the woman asked him to check the corner for the initials(名字首字母). They were her initials: she had made this tablecloth 35 years before. Then the war broke out, and forced her to get separated from her husband.
John wanted to give her the tablecloth, but she asked him to keep it for the church. John insisted on driving her home which he thought was the least he could do.
What a wonderful service he had on Christmas Eve! John noticed one old man staring at the tablecloth on the front wall. The man said it was similar to one that his wife had made many years before.
John brought the old man to the house where he had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped him climb the three flights of stairs to her apartment, and saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever have imagined.
21. What did John decide to do according to paragraph 1?
A. Do some work for the local people.
B. Help people affected by a terrible storm
C. Buy goods for charity in the neighborhood
D. Repair the abandoned church before his first service
22. Why did John drive the old woman home?
A. Because she lost her way.
B. Because she missed the last bus.
C. Because he was willing to help her.
D. Because she asked him to give her a hand.
23. Why did the tablecloth draw the old man's attention?
A. Because he loved its colors.
B. Because he had seen it in a church.
C. Because it was like the one his wife had made.
D. Because it looked a bit strange hanging on a wall.
24. What can we learn from the text?
A. John’s service on Christmas Eve was disappointing.
B. Everyone was surprised by the beauty of the tablecloth.
C. The woman’s husband had to leave her because of a war.
D. The woman was excited to find the tablecloth and took it home.
25. What is the passage mainly about?
A. A new pastor who gave his first service with a couple’s help.
B. A tablecloth made 35 years ago being discovered by a pastor.
C. A kind pastor who had difficulty repairing an ancient church.
D. An old couple being reunited on Christmas Eve through a tablecloth.
