Mario drove from his home to his mother’s house with his 14-year-old dog, Zoe. On the way, Mario struck some rocks and the car got stuck, so he and Zoe got out to try to find help nearby. Mario had planned to celebrate his 54th birthday with his mother. Instead, he spent the next few days in the desert. The sun was hot and temperatures reached 40℃ every day.

Mario says he was “at the verge(濒于) of death,” until he could find another watering hole to keep them going for a few more hours. On the sixth day, he had resigned(只好接受) himself to dying out there in the desert.

“I felt like it was my last day,” Mario said. “I felt like it was my dog’s last day, too. We just stayed under a tree and I was making an SOS sign with fire.” Mario had only finished half of the S when he spotted a white car.

The white car belonged to Frank Martinez. When Frank first saw Mario, he could tell the man wasn’t doing well. Frank gave them something to eat and drink and brought them to a hotel so they could rest. The next day, Frank returned to check on him and then helped him get his car from the desert. Frank even offered to fix the car for him!

“We both almost died if it hadn’t been for him,” said Mario.

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1.Why did Mario go to his mother’s house?

A To have a birthday party for his mother.

B To move house and live with his mother.

C To ask his mother to look after Zoe.

D To spend his birthday with his mother.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第一段第三句“Mario had planned to celebrate his 54th birthday with his mother.”可知，Mario想和母亲一起过自己的生日，因此他开车去母亲家。故选D。

2. How many days did Mario stay in the desert?

A Four days.

B Six days.

C Seven days.

D Nine days.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据第二段最后一句的“On the sixth day”和后文内容可知，在第六天的时候，Mario绝望了，他觉得那是自己人生中的最后一天，就在那时，他遇见了Frank并最终获救。故选B。

3.What does the underlined word “spotted” mean?

A Compared.

B Found.

C Invented.

D Reported.

解析：选B。B词义猜测题。根据划线单词后文提到的白车主人Frank停下来帮助他们，可以推测出就在他写到S的一半时，他看见了一辆白车。故选B。

4.What didn’t Frank do to help Mario?

A Provided him with food and water.

B Brought him to a hotel.

C Helped him fix his car.

D Drove him to his mother’s house.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第四段第三句的“Frank gave them something to eat and drink and brought them to a hotel so they could rest.”和最后一句“Frank even offered to fix the car for him!”可知，Frank给Mario食物和水，带他去酒店休息，还帮他修了车。故选D。

5.What can we learn from Mario’s journey in the desert?

A Kindness can be found everywhere.

B It is never too old to learn.

C A wise head makes a close mouth.

D No one is born wise or learned.

解析：选A。A主旨大意题。Mario被困在沙漠六天，就在他绝望地以为自己会死去的时候，Frank出现了并向他伸出了援手，因此“善良无处不在”符合题意。故选A。