a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle.

　　There on the book's cover was a beagle which looked identical to my dog. I ran my fingers over the picture of the dog on the cover. My eyes ran across the title, Amos, the Beagle with a Plan. Unknowingly, I had read the title. Without opening the book, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.

　　Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very sl owly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated fr om his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book. At the end of the story, my mind continued the final scene of reunion, on and on, until my own lost dog and I were, in my mind, running together.

　　My mother's call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.

　　I never told my mother about my "miraculous" (奇迹般地) experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.

21. The author's mother told him to borrow a book in order to _____.

A. help cure him of his reading problem B. let him spend a meaningful summer

C. encourage him to do more walking D. make him learn more about weapons

22. The book caught the author's eye because _____.

A. it contained pretty pictures of animals B. he found its title easy to understand

C. it reminded him of his own dog D. he liked children's stories very much

23. Why could the author manage to read the book through?

A. He was forced by his mother to read it.

B. He identified with the story in the book.