Two years ago, I bought my girlfriend Nicole a pair of fur earmuffs (耳套). She loved the gift --she has worn the earmuffs for two winters now.
Last week, Nicole was on her way home from work, riding the New York City subway. The train stopped at Union Square and Nicole got out. As she stepped through the subway doors, the earmuffs fell from her head, and dropped on the rails below. Nicole was upset. “Don’t go down to the rail,” somebody warned her. Good advice. Union Square is a busy station, with trains running past nearly every minute, and the platforms are curved in places, making it hard to see if the next train is coming; besides, there’s the deadly electricity running through one of the rails.
Nicole walked to the exit and explained what had happened to a subway worker, but the worker explained that he couldn’t leave his post. “Maybe you could use a stick or something to fish it out,” the worker suggested. Where would she get something like that at the subway station? Disappointed, Nicole walked back to the platform. A homeless man was sitting right near where the earmuffs fell. Nicole hadn’t noticed him there earlier. Next to the man was a small cart, full of various junk he had collected. “Excuse me,” Nicole said, “but you don’t have a stick by any chance, do you? My earmuffs fell ...”
The man looked at his things and pulled out a long wooden stick. He went to the edge of the platform and used the stick to reach down to the earmuffs. He hooked the earmuffs onto the end and brought them back up to Nicole.
Nicole was grateful. She thanked the man and promised to give the man a reward for helping her. But the man said there was no need to do so. When Nicole was finding her wallet, the man walked away quickly, along with his cart of belongings. Then he disappeared around the corner before she could catch him. I am thankful for the man who helped Nicole and saved my gift for her.
51. What had happened to Nicole according to the passage?
A. She didn’t catch the subway to go home.
B. Her earmuffs fell on the rails.
C. A homeless man took her earmuffs away.
D. She got in trouble but no one helped her.
52. Why didn’t Nicole go down to the rails?
A. A stranger had done so instead of her.
B. The next train had already come.
C. It was too dangerous to do so.
D. A rule said passengers shouldn’t do so.
53. Nicole walked to the exit in order to ____.
A. ask for some good advice
B. see whether the train was coming
C. get help from the subway worker
D. get a stick to fish her earmuffs out
54. How did Nicole get her earmuffs again?
A. Nicole herself went down to get the earmuffs.
B. A homeless man hooked the earmuffs with a wooden stick.
C. A subway worker fished the earmuffs out with a long stick.
D. The author bought her a pair of new earmuffs.
55. The homeless man walked away quickly because ____.
A. he was asked to leave the station
B. he had something important to do
C. he didn’t want to be troubled again
D. he didn’t want to accept the reward