Martina looked out of the window. A robin was singing a lively song in the tree. At this time, Grandpa, who lived with the family since Grandma had died, came in. He looked at the floor as if looking for something. He said, "When the robin sings..." he stopped, trying to remember what he had started to say.
"Spring is here," Mum finished the sentence. "And I'm thinking of our spring cleaning," Mum suggested. "Martina, you can help me, right?" Martina agreed unwillingly.
They cleaned the house. They cleaned upstairs, downstairs, inside, outside, until everything was clean. Then Mum pointed to Grandpa's sofa and shouted. "That old sofa has got to go. We'll buy Grandpa a new one."
It was true and Martina had to agree. The sofa was really old. As they tried to move the sofa, Grandpa stood in their way. "You can't take my sofa," he shouted.
"It's old," Mum said. Grandpa tried to push his sofa back into place. "We'll buy you a new one," Mum promised.
"I don't want a new one," Grandpa insisted. Mum let go of the sofa. "We'll talk about it tonight when John gets home." John, Martina's dad, was still at work.
"Why don't you let us take away the sofa? It's too old!"Martina asked when the family were having supper. Grandpa shook his head and said, "I sat in this sofa, with your grandma right here, when I asked her to marry me. It was so long ago, but when I sit in this sofa and close my eyes I feel she is near."
"It's amazing," Martina thought, "how Grandpa can remember things from the past. These days he forgets almost everything."
The old man smiled to Martina and went on. "And the night your father was born, I sat in this sofa. I was nervous when they placed the little baby into my arms."
"I think I'm beginning to understand," Martina said. "Many years later," Grandpa continued, "I sat in this sofa when the doctor called and told me that your grandma was ill. I was lost without her, but the sofa gave me the comfort."
"I do see now," Martina looked at Grandpa. "This is not just an old sofa. This sofa is more like a friend." "Yes," Grandpa added. "We've got through a lot together." The whole family agreed that the living room would be boring without the old sofa.
1. What is a robin?| A．A bird. | B．A cat. | C．A fish. | D．A worm. |
| A．Careless. | B．Impatient. | C．Organized. | D．Forgetful. |
| A．Martina. | B．Martina's dad. | C．Martina's mum. | D．Martina's uncle. |
| A．Martina's wish | B．A spring cleaning | C．A happy family | D．The old sofa |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Growing up in England, the best thing for my classmates and I was reading stories. Among them, The Ugly Duckling (《丑小鸭》 ) was a popular one.
The story of The Ugly Duckling describes a poor young bird. All the ducks laugh at him for his ugly looks- he is small and grey. Feeling sad, he runs away from home. Along the way, he meets wild ducks and hens, but can’t find a good friend. After lots of sadness and difficulty, the poor duckling looks down into a pond. He is shocked by his reflection (倒影) in the water. He finds that he has grown up to be a beautiful swan.
This children’s fairy tale has been beloved for years. It’s even been made into a musical and a Disney movie. Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen wrote it in 1843. The story teaches us many valuable lessons. For example, we should not judge (评价) a person by his or her looks. It is inner beauty that makes a person special.
The story’s message is world-famous. Today, we use the phrase “ugly duckling” to describe something ugly that ends up becoming beautiful later.
1. All the ducks laugh at the ugly duckling because ________.| A．he can’t swim as well as the other ducks | B．he sounds different from other ducks |
| C．he has ugly looks | D．he is afraid to be around others |
| A．sad | B．angry | C．worried | D．surprised |
| A．England. | B．America. | C．France. | D．Denmark. |
| A．People have made the fairy tale into a movie. |
| B．Inner beauty is not as important as good looks. |
| C．The fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling, is well-known all over the world. |
| D．Ugly duckling means an ugly person that becomes beautiful in the end. |
| A．never believe what you see | B．we should be nice to our friends |
| C．we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover | D．looks are very important to some people |
【推荐2】A neighbor of mine, while visiting his mother in Boston, took her to a shoe store to buy a new pair of shoes. While she was trying on different styles, my neighbor took the manager aside. “When she picks out a pair that she likes,” he said, “just tell her that the price is 12 dollars. I’ll pay the true price. I don’t care how much it is. Here is my check.”
The following week, my neighbor was walking by the store and the manager recognized him and called him in.
“What’s the problem?” asked my neighbor as he entered the store, “was there anything wrong with my check?”
“That’s not it,” answered the manager, “The problem is that your mother is bringing all her friends in for those 12-dollar shoes!”
1. My neighbor went to Boston .| A．to buy shoes for his mother | B．to see his mother |
| C．to pay for the shoes he had bought for his mother | D．to see the manager of the shoe store |
| A．please his mother | B．cheat his mother |
| C．cheat the manager | D．please his mother’s friends |
| A．12 dollars | B．lower than 12 dollars |
| C．higher than 12 dollars | D．unknown to himself at all |
| A．he didn’t have enough shoes for his customers |
| B．my neighbor’s mother had taken a wrong pair of shoes |
| C．there was something wrong with his check |
| D．he found it hard to satisfy his customers |
【推荐3】A frog lived in a small well (井). He said to a turtle (乌龟) who lived in the East Sea, “I am so happy! When I go out, I jump out of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. If I walk in the mud (泥土), it will cover up my feet. I look around here, and no one can compare with me. I am the owner of this well. My dear sir, why don’t you come over and look around my place?”
Then the turtle told the frog about the East Sea.
“You have no idea how large and how deep the sea is. In the past thousands of years, there were floods (洪水) for many years, but the water in the sea did not become more. And when it was dry for many years, the water in the sea didn’t become less. The sea does not change with time and it does not rise or fall as the rain falls, either. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea.” After hearing this, the frog was shocked.
There is always someone better than you; there is always something greater than you know. So everyone should be humble.
1. Why did the frog say he was the owner of the well?| A．Because the mud could only cover his feet. |
| B．Because he could jump out of the well. |
| C．Because no one there could compare with him. |
| D．Because he knew something that others didn’t know. |
| A．谦虚的 | B．骄傲的 | C．盲目的 | D．聪明的 |
| A．The water in the sea changed when the rain fell. |
| B．Everyone liked living in the East Sea. |
| C．The turtle knew how deep the East Sea was. |
| D．There were floods in the East Sea many years ago. |
| A．The turtle thought he could compare with the frog. |
| B．The turtle was surprised by the frog’s words. |
| C．The frog was quite proud of (骄傲的) himself. |
| D．The turtle’s words shocked everyone that lived near the well. |
