Long long ago, there lived an old couple. They were so poor that they had to wear all their clothes in bed to keep warm at night. One day the husband borrowed some rice and put it in a big heavy jar.
One midnight a thief (小偷) slipped in their small house. The husband saw him and smiled to himself. He knew the unwanted visitor would leave disappointed—the jar was too big and heavy for him to carry. He heard the thief begin to feel his way...a table here…a chair there…the bed…
The wife woke up with a start. “Husband! There’s someone in here! Someone bumped (撞到) the bed!”
“Go back to sleep, old woman,” muttered her husband. “There’s no one here.”
The wife thought she was mistaken, and fell asleep again.
Soon the thief found the rice. He wanted to take it away but the jar was too big and heavy. So he took off his shirt and spread it on the floor. He wanted to pour the rice on his shirt, but just before he poured the rice, the husband took the shirt off the floor. The thief began pouring rice onto the floor where he thought his shirt was. Then he tried to gather the corners of his shirt but could not find them. His shirt had gone. But how? Where? He was so shocked that he stood up and couldn’t help saying aloud, “Hmmm?”
His “Hmmm” woke the wife again. “Husband! Get up! There’s a thief in our house! I heard him!” she cried.
“Oh do be quiet, wife,” answered the husband calmly. “There’s no thief at all. Get some sleep.”
“No thief?” the old couple heard someone say, “If there is no thief, where is my shirt?”
6. The story happened ________.
A.at midnight | B.in recent years | C.on hot days | D.to a wealthy couple |
7. At the beginning of the story, the husband smiled to himself because ________.
A.he had a good dream | B.he was happy to see the visitor |
C.he borrowed some rice | D.he knew everything was under control |
8. When the thief was pouring the rice, ________.
A.his shirt wasn’t on the floor |
B.he could hear the husband stand up |
C.the husband couldn’t help saying aloud, “Hmmm?” |
D.the wife was woken up |
9. Which of the following is TRUE?
A.There was actually no thief in the house. |
B.The wife didn’t know what was happening. |
C.The husband got up to fight against the thief. |
D.The couple lost a jar of rice in the end. |
10. Which of the following best describes the husband?
A.Caring. | B.Clever. | C.Kind. | D.Honest. |