Norah had a cottage on a cliff（悬崖）above a big bay. In winter it could be very unpleasant
because of strong winds and sea waves. In fact, when a gale was blowing,
Norah and her husband got used to sleeping in a small room downstairs, because
their bedroom upstairs, which faced the gales, had a very big window, and they
were afraid that an extra violent wind might break it and blow pieces of broken
glass over them.
Also, the salt wave from the sea put an end to many of
the colorful plants Norah planted in her garden. She tried putting up a fence
to protect them, but the wind just hit it, went up over the top and then down
the other side, so in the end she filled the garden with trees and bushes that
liked salt.
But most of the summer Norah enjoyed her cottage and
garden very much. At weekends she could sit out-of-doors in the sun, looking at
the beautiful view, with interesting ships and boats passing by, and she could
very easily cycle down to the sea for a swim.
Now, Norah and her husband had plenty of friends and
relations. In the summer lots of them used to come to enjoy the beautiful
place, and in the end it really became quite annoying for the couple. When they
were at home, they found friends and relations arriving, expecting to be given
unlimited drinks and meals, and to sit in the sun for hours, talking as if
Norah and her husband had nothing else to do but entertain and listen to them.
This went on for several years. Norah didn’t wish to
appear rude by refusing to let her friends and relations in, but on the other
hand, she was getting tired every summer.
Then one day Norah was complaining about this to her
hairdresser while she was doing her hair. “You’re disturbed by too many
uninvited guests, are you?” said the hairdresser. “Why don’t you try my way of
escaping?”
“What’s that?” asked Norah.
“Well,” the hairdresser answered, “when the bell
rings, I put on my coat and take my shopping bag. If it’s someone I don’t want
to see, I say innocently, ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go out.’ But…”
1.The underlined word “gale” can be replaced by _____.
A．wind B．ship C．sea D．animal
2.We can infer that _____.
A．lots of
friends cam to visit them in winter
B．few friends
came to visit them in winter
C．friends came
to visit them only for drinks and meals
D．Norah was a
good cook
3.How did Norah go to the sea for a swim?
A．She went
there by ship. B．She walked
there.
C．She swam
there. D．She went
there by bicycle.
4.The hairdresser likely to continue to say “_____” in
the end?
A．if I’m tired, I say ‘Sorry, can
you come next time?’
B．if it’s someone I like to see, I say ‘How lucky! I’ve just come
in!’
C．if it is fine
that day, I say, ‘I’m tired of
this, but I’ll show you around the place.’
D．if it’s someone I like to see, I say, ‘How happy to see you! But I was going shopping now .’
5.Which of the following is the best title?
A．A Good Place of
Enjoying the Sea B．A Visit to
Norah
C．A clever Way
of Escaping D．A
Warm-hearted Couple
