20．As evening was falling，Jane Grace and her husband，Petty，were trucking through northern Kentucky transportation auto parts from Louisville to Detroit for a goods company at dusk，"Petty，wake up!"she shouted．"There's a truck on fire!"
Inside the burning truck，Ronnie Sanders，38，was fighting for his life．He'd been running a heavy load of tractors and forklifts from Georgia to Indianapolis when a van in front of him stopped suddenly in traffic on the icy road．As Ronnie bore down，he could see children in the backseat．The truck's mass would probably protect him from the worst of the impact，but the force of 23tons would likely crush everyone inside the van．
"I figured instead of killing other people，I'd just put the truck in the ditch．"At the bottom，rocks cut a fuel tank，which caught fire．A tree branch destroyed the windshield and knocked Ronnie unconscious．He came to life a couple of minutes later to find the cabin flames and his legs on fire．
Petty dashed to Ronnie，who was hanging headfirst from the passenger door．Ronnie had used his pocket knife to cut himself free from the driver's side seat belt only to get his boot trapped in another one．Petty climbed into the burning cab to free him．
He tried three times to pull Ronnie out before finally freeing him．But Ronnie's legs were still burning，so Petty laid him on the ground，ripped off his own shirt，and beat the flames with it．He'd managed to drag him about 20yards when one of the truck's 150gallon fuel tanks exploded．
Both Petty and Ronnie paid a price for risking their lives for strangers．Ronnie spent two months in the hospital and received skin grafts（移植） on both of his legs．Petty suffered smoke breathing and minor burns，and shrapnel from the fuel tank explosion broke a tooth．
In February，the Graces received a Hero of the Highway award from the Open Road Foundation for rescuing an injured driver．Petty insists Ronnie is the real hero："If he hadn't gone into the ditch，he would have hit that van．It was his decision to drive off the road．"
"I feel pretty good about it，"says Ronnie．"A lot of people could have been hurt．"
56．According to the passage，Ronnie put the truck in the ditch because ofC．
A．the icy road
B．the poor driving skill of the van
C．his concern for others'lives
D．his concern for his own safety
57．When Petty rushed to help，RonnieD．
A．was trapped in his seat B．was still unconscious
C．was climbing out of the cab D．was rescuing himself
58．How did Petty put out the flames in Ronnie's legs？D
A．He put out the fire with a tank of water．
B．He put out the fire with a bag of sand．
C．He beat the flames with Ronnie's shirt．
D．He beat the flames with his own shirt．
59．What does the underlined word"shrapnel"in Paragraph 6probably mean？B
A．A wave of the explosion．
B．A small piece of metal．
C．The heat of the explosion．
D．A branch of a tree．
60．Which of the following can be the best title of this passage？C
A．The importance of modesty
B．Important tips of saving people
C．Heroes：Roadside Flames
D．Accidents on the Icy Road．
分析 本文主要講述一名卡車司機Ronnie為了救他人的生命，將卡車開進溝里引發了卡車燃燒，自己也被陷在燃燒的卡車里，身上也著火了，而Petty不顧自身安危去營救他，也使自己受傷了．
解答 56-60 CDDBC
56．C 細節題解題．根據第三段I figured instead of killing other people，I'd just put the truck in the ditch可知，Ronnie為了他人的生命，將卡車開進溝里．故選C．
57．D 細節理解題．根據第二段Inside the burning truck，Ronnie Sanders，38，was fighting for his life和第四段可知，當Petty去救Ronnie時，Ronnie正在自救．故選D．
58．D 細節理解題．根據第五段But Ronnie's legs were still burning，so Petty laid him on the ground，ripped off his own shirt，and beat the flames with it可知，撕下自己的襯衫來撲滅Ronnie雙腿上的火焰．故選D．
59．B 詞義猜測題．根據下文from the fuel tank explosion broke a tooth可知，能打碎牙齒的應是金屬片．故選B．
60．C 主旨大意題．A、B、D三項不夠全面，C項則表明了事故，也表明了事故中竭力營救他人的英雄．故選C．
點評 人物故事類閱讀理解文章是高考英語常考材料之一．這類文章一般可分為人物傳記和短篇故事兩類．這兩類閱讀材料一般較長，即詞數多，而且命題也較多，特別是推理判斷題和事實細節題多．在做此類閱讀理解題時往往是材料看得懂，題目不好做的感覺．因此，在閱讀材料時要重點放在事情發展的過程和結果上，注意把握事件的發展進程及人物之間的關系，細節與主題的關系，用以說明人物性格特點的事實、作者的態度等，這些內容往往是推理判斷題的命題點．至于事實細節題的解答，同學們切忌想當然或者憑印象，一定要找到文章中的原句，和題干進行比較，再做出正確選擇．
