It was a cold night in September. The rain was drumming on the car roof as George and Marie Winston drove through the empty country roads towards the house of their friends, the Harrisons, where they were going to attend a party to celebrate the engagement of the Harrisons' daughter, Lisa. As they drove, they listened to the local radio station, which was playing classical music.

Suddenly the music on the radio was interrupted by a news announcement: "The Cheshire police have issued a serious warning after a man escaped from Colford Mental Hospital earlier this evening. The man, John Downey, is a murderer who killed six people before he was captured two years ago. He is described as large, very strong and extremely dangerous. People in the Cheshire' area are warned to keep their doors and windows locked, and to call the police immediately if they see anyone acting strangely.”

Marie shivered. "A crazy killer. And he's out there somewhere. That's scary.”

"Don't worry about it,” said her husband. "We're nearly there now. But this car is losing power for some reason.”

As he spoke, the car began to slow down. Finally they rolled to a halt, as the engine died completely. Just as they stopped, George pulled the car off the road, and it came to rest under a large tree,

"Blast!” said George angrily. "Now we'll have to walk in the rain.”

"But that'll take us an hour at least,” said Marie, "And I have my high-heeled shoes and my nice clothes on. They'll be ruined!”

"Well, you'll have to wait while I run to the nearest house and call the Harrisons. Someone can come out and pick us up," said George.

"But George! Have you forgotten what the radio said?"

"You'll have to hide in the back of the car. Lock all the doors and lie on the floor in the back, under this blanket. No one will see you. When I come back, I'll knock three times on the door. Then you can get up and open it. Don't open it unless you hear three knocks," George opened the door and, slipped out into the rain. He quickly disappeared into the blackness.

Marie quickly locked the door and settled down under the blanket in the back for a long wait.

Suddenly she heard three slow knocks, one after the other, also on the roof of the car. Was it her husband? Should she open the door? Then she heard another knock, and another. This was not her husband. It was somebody or something else. She was shaking with fear, but she forced herself to lie still. The knocking continued----bump, bump, bump, bump.

Many hours later, as the sun rose, she was still lying there. The knocking had never stopped all night long. She did not know what to do. Where was George? Why had he not come for her?

Suddenly, she heard the sound of three or four vehicles, racing quickly down the road. Someone had come! Marie sat up quickly and looked out of the window.

The three vehicles were all police cars. Several policemen leapt out. One of them rushed towards the car as Marie opened the door. He took her by the hand.

"Get out of the car and walk with me to the police vehicle. Miss! You're safe now. Look straight ahead. Keep looking at the police car. Don't look back. Just don't look back.”

Something in the way he spoke filled Marie with cold horror. She could not help herself. About ten yards from the police car, she stopped, turned and looked back at the empty vehicle.

George was hanging from the tree above the car, a rope tied around his neck. As the wind blew his body back and forth, his feet were bumping gently on the roof of the car-bump, bump, bump, bump.

1．What was the reason for the news announcement on the radio?

A．Some people had been seen acting strangely in the Cheshire area.

B．The police were warning of accidents on the roads in the bad weather.

C．Six people, including John Downey, had been murdered.

D．A dangerous prisoner had escaped.

2．Why did Marie stay in the car when George left?

  A．She was afraid to go out in the dark.   

  B．So no-one would steal the car.

  C．Her clothes weren't suitable for the rain.  

  D．She wanted to get some sleep.

3．Why did the policeman tell her not to look back when he brought her out of the car?

  A．The killer was waiting behind her.

  B．He wanted her to forget everything that had happened during the night.

  C．He didn't want her to see the damage done to the car.

       D．He didn't want her to see the body of her husband.

The Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, was crowded. People were waiting in long lines at checkout counters to pay for small things that would be next-morning treasures under someone’s Christmas tree.
The woman standing in cashier Jeffrey Kandt’s line seemed to be living on the edge of subsistence（生计）. Her clothes were worn and her hands were those of a person who’d worked hard for what she had. She held a single item in her arms as she patiently waited to move to the front of the line — a Sony CD player. She had saved all year for this. With tax, the total would be close to $ 220.
As the woman got close to the cashier, she suddenly shouted, “Where’s my money? All of my money fro my son’s gift! Oh no!”
“Why my line?” Kandt thought as he watched the poor woman searching through her clothes. He was going to have to call his manager to avoid the sale but it would mean a long wait for the customers behind her. “I am going to go home late tonight,” Kandt thought.
Then an amazing thing happened. At the back of the line, a man took out his wallet, pulled out $100 and passed it forward. As the cash moved up the line, a twen5ty-dollar bill was added here, and a ten-dollar bill was added there. When the collection finally reached the registewr, Kandt counted $ 220.
Strangers had fulfilled a poor woman’s Christmas wish.
The poor in his line at the Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, had come together on Christmas Eve, 2002.

1. 1.

   According to the passage, the woman’s Christmas wish was to ______.

   1. A.
      collect $ 220 for her family
   2. B.
      buy her son a CD player as a gift
   3. C.
      buy enough food for her family
   4. D.
      organize a big party for her son
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements is TRUE about Jeffrey Kandt when the woman couldn’t find her money?

   1. A.
      He was impatient and wanted to go home.
   2. B.
      He wanted to see whether the woman had money or not.
   3. C.
      He wanted the woman to stand in another line.
   4. D.
      He didn’t think about the customers waiting behind the woman.
3. 3.

   What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?

   1. A.
      a description of a man standing in the line
   2. B.
      the cashier, Jeffery Kandt
   3. C.
      the collection of $ 220
   4. D.
      a reason why the strangers collected he money
4. 4.

   What can we learn from the passage?

   1. A.
      The woman collected money by herself.
   2. B.
      The woman seemed to be poor, but in fact had lots of money.
   3. C.
      Strangers in the line volunteered to help the woman.
   4. D.
      The woman had never ay money.

The Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, was crowded. People were waiting in long lines at checkout counters to pay for small things that would be next-morning treasures under someone’s Christmas tree.

       The woman standing in cashier Jeffrey Kandt’s line seemed to be living on the edge of subsistence（生计）. Her clothes were worn and her hands were those of a person who’d worked hard for what she had. She held a single item in her arms as she patiently waited to move to the front of the line — a Sony CD player. She had saved all year for this. With tax, the total would be close to $ 220.

       As the woman got close to the cashier, she suddenly shouted, “Where’s my money? All of my money fro my son’s gift! Oh no!”

       “Why my line?” Kandt thought as he watched the poor woman searching through her clothes. He was going to have to call his manager to avoid the sale but it would mean a long wait for the customers behind her. “I am going to go home late tonight,” Kandt thought.

       Then an amazing thing happened. At the back of the line, a man took out his wallet, pulled out $100 and passed it forward. As the cash moved up the line, a twen5ty-dollar bill was added here, and a ten-dollar bill was added there. When the collection finally reached the registewr, Kandt counted $ 220.

       Strangers had fulfilled a poor woman’s Christmas wish.

       The poor in his line at the Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, had come together on Christmas Eve, 2002.

According to the passage, the woman’s Christmas wish was to ______.

       A．collect $ 220 for her family    B．buy her son a CD player as a gift

       C．buy enough food for her family     D．organize a big party for her son

Which of the following statements is TRUE about Jeffrey Kandt when the woman couldn’t find her money?

       A．He was impatient and wanted to go home.

       B．He wanted to see whether the woman had money or not.

       C．He wanted the woman to stand in another line.

       D．He didn’t think about the customers waiting behind the woman.

What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?

       A．a description of a man standing in the line           

       B．the cashier, Jeffery Kandt

       C．the collection of $ 220

       D．a reason why the strangers collected he money

What can we learn from the passage?

       A．The woman collected money by herself.

       B．The woman seemed to be poor, but in fact had lots of money.

       C．Strangers in the line volunteered to help the woman.

       D．The woman had never ay money.

       The Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, was crowded. People were waiting in long lines at checkout counters to pay for small things that would be next-morning treasures under someone’s Christmas tree.

       The woman standing in cashier Jeffrey Kandt’s line seemed to be living on the edge of subsistence（生计）. Her clothes were worn and her hands were those of a person who’d worked hard for what she had. She held a single item in her arms as she patiently waited to move to the front of the line — a Sony CD player. She had saved all year for this. With tax, the total would be close to $ 220.

       As the woman got close to the cashier, she suddenly shouted, “Where’s my money? All of my money for my son’s gift! Oh no!”

       “Why my line?” Kandt thought as he watched the poor woman searching through her clothes. He was going to have to call his manager to avoid the sale but it would mean a long wait for the customers behind her. “I am going to go home late tonight,” Kandt thought.

       Then an amazing thing happened. At the back of the line, a man took out his wallet, pulled out $100 and passed it forward. As the cash moved up the line, a twen5ty-dollar bill was added here, and a ten-dollar bill was added there. When the collection finally reached the register, Kandt counted $ 220.

       Strangers had fulfilled a poor woman’s Christmas wish.

       The poor in his line at the Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, had come together on Christmas Eve, 2002.

60．According to the passage, the woman’s Christmas wish was to ______.

       A．collect $ 220 for her family                   B．buy her son a CD player as a gift

       C．buy enough food for her family             D．organize a big party for her son

61．Which of the following statements is TRUE about Jeffrey Kandt when the woman couldn’t find her money?

       A．He was impatient and wanted to go home.

       B．He wanted to see whether the woman had money or not.

       C．He wanted the woman to stand in another line.

       D．He didn’t think about the customers waiting behind the woman.

62．What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?

       A．a description of a man standing in the line                                                      

       B．the cashier, Jeffery Kandt

       C．the collection of $ 220

       D．a reason why the strangers collected he money

63．What can we learn from the passage?

       A．The woman collected money by herself.

       B．The woman seemed to be poor, but in fact had lots of money.

       C．Strangers in the line volunteered to help the woman.

       D．The woman had never ay money.