After her husband had gone to work, Mrs. Richards sent her children to school and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was too _26_ to do any housework that morning, _27_ in the evening she was going to an interesting fancy dress party with her husband. What she __28_ was a terrible genie（妖怪）and as she had made that special dress of hers the night before, she was anxious to try it on. __29__ the dress was just a big piece of old cloth which was red, green, black and white, it would be very effective to make her like a red genie. After putting it on, Mrs. Richards went downstairs happily. She wanted to find out __30__ it would be comfortable to wear.

　　Just as Mrs. Richards was entering the dining-room there was a __31_ at the door. She thought that it __32 be the baker. She had told him to come straight in if she _33__ to open the door and leave the bread on the kitchen table. Now not wanting to _34__ the poor man, Mrs. Richards quickly __35_ in the small storeroom under the stairs. She heard the front door open and a man came in. When Mrs. Richards  _36_ that it was the man from the electricity board（供电局）who had come to read the meter, she walked out of the hiding-place on a sudden and tried to explain the matter, saying with a smile, “It's only __37_! It is not __38_ for you to be __39_ !” But it was too late. The man let out a sharp cry and jumped back several paces. Then he ran away, __40__ the door behind him with great force and noise.

1.A. angry   B. ready    C. frightened     D. excited  

2. A. for      B. but       C. so              D. and  

3.A. wanted to see       B. wanted to play 

       C. was afraid to see   D. was afraid to play  

4. A. Though     B. But       C. And             D. If  

5.A. that         B. how       C. whether       D. when  

6. A. knock      B. voice      C. man            D. baker 

7. A. may        B. must       C. wouldn't       D. couldn't  

8. A. not         B. had        C. tried            D. failed  

9. A. see         B. frighten    C. help            D. scold  

10.A. went        B. lay         C. appeared       D. hid  

11. A. thought     B. wondered  C. imagined      D. realized  

12. A. me          B. you         C. game           D. play 

13. A. good        B. necessary   C. late           D. early  

14. A. off          B. here        C. afraid         D. sorry  

15.A. pushed      B. locking     C. knocking     D. shutting 

"Tammy! Come here, please! Mother needs your help in the kitchen." Her father called out to her.
Tammy was in her room, getting ready to do her homework. "Yes, Daddy!" she replied. "I'll be right there."
She hurried out of her bedroom and down the hallway. She was only nine years old. Her elder sister, Ella, had just moved away to go to a performing arts high school in another city. Her brother, Harry, was in middle school and always got home late. With Ella leaving home, Tammy was expected to do a lot more than she had ever done before, especially now, because her mother was ill.
Her father was in the kitchen. "Tammy, I know you usually do your homework right now, but with things being different, we all have to change a little bit. I'll help you and Harry with your homework later on, OK?"
Her father had an apron（围裙） on over his clothes, and he looked kind of funny. He was doing the dishes and he always splashed（溅出） water all over when he did that. After helping her father with the dishes, Tammy helped set the table.
After supper, her father helped her and Harry with their homework, and then they played a board game so that their mother could lie down for a while.
The next morning, Tammy got up early on her own because she wanted to help her mother with breakfast. She made orange juice and even put bread in the toaster and got out the butter so that her mother could sleep for a few more minutes.
When her mother got up half an hour later, she was very surprised and moved to see the breakfast on the dining table. She gave Tammy a big hug.
"Thank you, Tammy. You really are mother's little helper now, aren't you?"
【小题1】Why did Tammy's sister move out of their home?