For Rachael and Leigh Badman, there is only one wish on their Christmas list this year__ that their sick daughter survives until December 25.
Fifteen –year-old Paige suffers from a rare brain condition. The disease affects as few as 12 people in the world, and can kill her any day without warning. And her condition has deteriorated in recent months. Each time she closes her eyes, she may never wake up. Rachael and Leigh Badman are worried that she couldn’t live through Christmas. They filled their house with Christmas decorations on November1, so she could enjoy her favorite day of the year in advance.
Paige was diagnosed with the condition four years ago. Mrs. Badman described the condition as “being on death row” as she never knows if she will wake up and still have a daughter. She said, “ Paige always loves Christmas and it’s heartbreaking to see her suffering like this.”
In the last months, Paige has been unable to eat and has never walked or spoken. But she loves music, and enjoys watching pop stars’ DVDs. And in May she also went on holiday to Florida with her parents and little brother, Kefton. The family , who have already organized parts of Paige’s funeral, also saw the teenager swimming with dolphins during the trip. Since then, however, her condition has worsened.
Mrs Badman, who is separated from her husband and works as Paige’s full-time carer, said, “Now she can’t eat or drink anymore, and her brain is shrinking.(萎缩) With all her problems, we just thought, ‘Let’s get the Christmas tree up as soon as possible.’ We’re praying she lives to see Christmas Day.”
小题1:Paige’s parents got the Christmas tree up on November 1 to ____.
A．let her enjoy the great time with visitors
B．let her understand her parents’ love
C．let her enjoy Christmas early before her death
D．let her receive more good wishes from others小题2:Mrs Badman described Paige as “ being on death row” because ______.
A．Paige could die at any time without warning
B．she found Paige struggling painfully
C．she had organized Paige’s funeral
D．Paige lost the abilities to walk and speak小题3:The underlined word can be replaced by “_____”.
A．proved satisfying
B．grown stronger
C．got improved
D．become worse小题4:What can be learned from the passage?
A．Christmas is Paige’s favorite festival.
B．12% of children in the world suffer from the disease.
C．Paige enjoyed watching pop stars’ DVDs on a trip.
D．Paige travelled with her family before suffering the disease.
