than those sad walls. Ballard didn't have cancer herself, but she could sympathize with the patients. "I couldn't imagine how anyone could even think about getting healthy in a room like that," she says. As it happens, Ballard's physician, Stephen Hufford, was ill with cancer himself, so finding time to decorate the rooms was low on his to-do list. So Ballard made it her mission to brighten up the place.

She started by e-mailing 20 local designers. "I wrote, 'You don't know me. But my heart hurts after seeing these rooms," she remembers. She then asked whether they would donate their time and money to transform just one of Dr. Hufford's rooms each.

As it happened, six of them wrote back almost immediately. Six rooms got new paint, light fixtures, artwork, and furniture. Dr. Hufford was delighted. "All the patients feel relieved of the pain because of it," he said. He even noted that his own tone of voice was different in the rooms and that he was better able to connect with his patients.

Ballard was so encouraged by the patients' reactions that she created a nonprofit, Rooms That Rock 4 Chemo, to raise money and decorate more spaces. Since then, she has worked on 20 projects, including one in Pennsylvania. "We were in Philadelphia for a ribbon cutting, and a woman was there on her third battle with cancer," says Ballard. "When she saw what we'd done, she said, 'I'm gonna beat it this time. I thought I wasn't going to, but now I know I'm gonna beat it"

28. What made Ballard decide to help decorate the chemotherapy rooms?

A. Her sympathy for cancer patients.

B. Her passion for room decoration.

C. The good relationship with Hufford.

D. The request of a nurse in San Francisco.

29. What outcome does Ballard's effort bring about?

A. More hospitals will be built,

B. Hufford cured more patients.

C. The cancer patients were feeling better.

D. Hufford's chemotherapy rooms got good fame.

30. Which words best describe Nancy Ballard?

A. Loving and devoted.

B. Talented and energetic.

C. Rich and generous.

D. Ambitious and creative.

31. Which can be a suitable title for the passage?