21. Why doesn’t the wife want to let the tiger eat their cows?

A. Because the wife wants the tiger to eat their bulls.

B. Because the wife is in favor of her husband.

C. Because the husband is afraid of the tiger.

D. Because the wife thinks the cows are more important.

20. Who are brave enough among the characters?

A. The farmer and his wife.　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. The tiger and the jackal.

C. The jackal and the wife.　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. The tiger and the farmer.

19. From the passage, we can infer that ______.

A. the Hargers made up and started over again　 B. Mr. Harger gave in to Mrs. Harger

C. Paul succeeded helping the Hargers　　　　 D. Mr. Harger might be killed by the woman

E

To this the tiger agreed, and, taking the oxen with him, the farmer went sadly home and　 explained how he had met the tiger, and how to save the bulls he had promised the milk cow in exchange. At this the wife began to cry, saying, "A likely story, indeed!--saving your stupid old bulls at the expense of my beautiful cow! Where will the children get milk? and how can I cook my pottage and collops(薄肉片) without butter?"

"All very fine, wife," responded the farmer, "but how can we make bread without corn? and how can you have corn without bulls to plough the fields? Pottage is very nice, but it is better to do without milk and butter than without bread, so make haste and untie the cow."

"You great fool!" wept the wife, "if you had an ounce of sense in your brain you'd think of some plan to get out of the scrape!"

"Think yourself!" cried the husband, in a rage.

"Very well!" returned the wife; Go back to the tiger, and tell him the cow wouldn't come along with you, but that your wife is bringing it."

The farmer had to go back empty-handed to the tiger, still sharpening his teeth and claws for hunger. When the tiger heard he had to wait still longer for his dinner, he began to prowl about, and lash his tail, and curl his whiskers, in a most terrible manner, causing the poor farmer's knees to knock together with terror.

Soon after the farmer left, his wife put on her husband's best clothes,went to the stable, saddled(装以马鞍) the horse, bestrode it, and　 set off to the field where the tiger was.

She rode along bravely, till she came to where the road turned into the field, and then she called out, as bold as brass, "Now, please　 God! I may find a tiger in this place; for I haven't tasted tiger's meat since yesterday, when, as luck would have it, I ate three for breakfast."

Hearing these words, and seeing the speaker ride boldly at him, the tiger became so alarmed that he turned tail, and slid into the forest, at such a headlong pace that he nearly overturned his own jackal(走狗); for tigers always have a jackal of their own, who, as it were, waits at table and clears away the bones.

"My lord! My lord!" cried the jackal, "where away so fast?"

"Run! run!" panted the tiger, "there's the very devil of a horseman in the distant fields, who thinks nothing of eating three tigers for breakfast!"

At this the jackal smiled in his sleeve. "My dear lord," said he, "the sun has dazzled your eyes! That was no horseman, but only the farmer's wife dressed up as a man!"

"Are you quite sure?" asked the tiger, pausing.

"Quite sure, my lord," repeated the jackal, "and if your lordship's eyes had not been dazzled by--the sun, your lordship would have seen her pigtail hanging down behind."

"But you may be mistaken!" persisted the cowardly tiger, "it was the very devil of a horseman to look at!"　 "Who's afraid?" replied the brave jackal. "Come! Don't give up your dinner because of a woman!"

"But you may be bribed to betray me!" argued the tiger, who, like all cowards, was suspicious.

"Let us go together, then!" returned the jackal.

"Nay! But you may take me there and then run away!" insisted the tiger cunningly.

"In that case, let us tie our tails together, and then I can't!" The jackal, you see, was determined not to be done out of his bones.

To this the tiger agreed, and having tied their tails together in a reef-knot, the pair set off arm-in-arm.　 ( 670 / 744 words)

18. The radio was mentioned repeatedly to______.

A. show Paul was very interested in the music　 B. tell readers what the Hargers were doing

C. suggest the end of the story was associated with it

D. to cater to readers’ curiosity about music

17. The Leonards left their son Paul at home alone because ______.

A. the boy was old enough to stay home alone　　 B. the Hargers lived just next door

C. their son didn’t want to go with them at all D. Paul offered to help the Hargers stop fighting

16. The story probably happened on ______.

A. a winter evening　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. a rainy Saturday

C. a summer evening　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a hot Friday

15. What can we conclude from this passage?

A. In fact Jennifer’s mother had been sick for days.

B. As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.

C. When she found the garden deserted, she realized she got cross.

D. Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was really warm and safe for her.

D

The old house was divided into two dwellings by a thin wall that passed on. On the north were the Leonards, on the south were the Hargers.

The Leonards husband, wife, and 8-year-old son had just moved in. And aware of the wall they argued in a friendly way as to whether or not the boy, Paul, was old enough to be left alone for the evening while his parents went to a “certain” movie.

“I’ll be all right, “said Paul. “What could happen to me here? I’ll be fine.”

Pause

Soon after Paul’s parents left, the radio in the Harger’s apartment went on. It was on softly at first-so softly that Paul couldn’t make out the announcer’s words. The music was frail and dissonant-unidentifiable.

Paul tried to listen to the music rather than to the man and woman who were fighting.

The voices of the man and woman were getting louder, drowning out the radio. All at once it was all quiet next door-except for the radio.

Now the fighting was beginning again-louder and louder, crazy and cruel. The woman shouted again, a high, ragged, poisonous shout.

Paul stood, shaking, wanting to shout in terror. It had to stop. Whatever it was had to stop!

Paul heard the clicking of the woman’s heels across the floor. The radio volume swelled until the boom of the bass made Paul feel like he was trapped in a drum.

“And now,” bellowed the radio, “Remember if you have a dedication, call Milton 9-3000 and ask for All-Night Sam, the record man.”

The music picked up the house and shook it.

A door slammed next door and someone hammered on the door. A prickling sensation spread over Paul’s skin: he faced the truth that the man and woman would kill each other if he didn’t stop them.

He beat his fists on the wall. “Mr. Harger! Stop it!” he cried, “Mrs. Harger! Stop it!”

Next door, crockery smashed, filling a split second of radio silence. And then a tidal wave of music drowned out everything again.

Paul stood by the wall, trembling in his helplessness. “Mr. Harger! Mrs. Harger! Please!”

“Remember the number!” said All-Night Sam. “Milton 9-3000!”

Dazed, Paul went to the phone and dialed the number.

“I wonder if I could make a dedication,” said Paul. “From Mr. Lemual K. Harger to Mrs. Harger, the message is ‘I love you, let’s make up and start over again.’”

The woman’s voice was so shrill that it cut through the sound of the radio.

Paul dropped the phone into its cradle. The music stopped and Paul’s hair stood on end.

“Folks! I’ve been asked to bring a man and his wife back together again,” said Sam. “I guess there’s no sense in kidding ourselves about marriage! It isn’t any bowl of cherries! There are ups and downs, and sometimes folks don’t see how they can go on.”

“…And now, for Mrs. Lemual K. Harger, from Mr. Harger-I love you! Let’s make up and start all over again.” Sam choked up.

The radio went off next door. The world lay still.

There was movement next door. Slow, foot-dragging movement.

“So,” said the woman, “you want your wife back? All right, I won’t get in her way. She can have you.”

There were three gunshots.

Paul jumped into bed, and pulled the covers up over his head. In the hot, dark cave of the bed, he cried...

14. The underlined word “snug” in the last paragraph means _______.

A. clean and tidy　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. warm and comfortable

C. beautiful and expensive　 　　　　　　　　 D. small and old

13. How did Jennifer probably feel when she came back home?

a. worried　 b. crazy　 c. tired　 d. disappointed　 e. shocked　 f. excited

A. a, b, c　　　　 　　 B. a, c, e　　 　　　　 C. b, c, e　 　　　　　 D. d, e, f

12. Her father didn’t take care of the garden because _______.

A. he was busy looking for her　　　　　　　　　　　 B. he had to look after his wife

C. he was not strict in his job　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. he no longer enjoyed working there