They watched nervously as she took a broomstick to sweep the dirt from her stone steps. But much to their disappointment, she didn’t get on the broomstick and fly off. The old lady only looked up when her hen began to make sounds loudly — signaling that she had laid an egg in the nest on the top of the haystack. (干草堆).

The old lady put aside her broomstick and walked to the haystack, followed by Michael, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap. With only three legs, it was hard for Michael to keep up with his mistress. The cat was proof for the children that only a witch would own a black cat with three legs! Accidentally, she tripped and crashed to the ground. The children were in horror.

“Should we go and help her?” asked Mia.

“What if it’s a trick?” replied Patrick. “She probably knows we’re here. Witches know things like that!”

After thinking for a while, Julia said, “Anyway, we should go and check whether she is all right.”

Approaching prudently, they could see a wound on the old lady’s forehead. She had knocked her head on a stone and was unconscious.

“Go and get Dad,” Mia yelled to her brothers. “Tell him about the accident.”

Later, in the hospital, the old lady smiled her thanks. “I was so lucky that you lovely children happened to be passing when I fell. I must have yelled quite loudly.” The children exchanged guilty glances, but were very pleased that she was not a witch after all!

【1】Mrs. Lynn stopped sweeping when ________.

A.her doorstep became very clean

B.she heard the hen making sounds loudly

C.she noticed the children in the tree

D.her cat Michael managed to get her attention

【2】Why was Patrick not willing to help Mrs. Lynn when she fell?

A.He thought that she could be cheating them.

B.He was afraid of the three-legged black cat.

C.He did not think that she was hurt in the fall.

D.He knew he and the others shouldn’t have been in her tree.

【3】Which of the definitions is closest in meaning to the underlined word “prudently” ?

A.Slowly.B.Hurriedly.

C.Carefully.D.Quietly.

【4】What is the main idea of the story?

A.Constant dropping wears away a stone.

B.Never judge a book by its cover.

C.A friend in need is a friend indeed.

D.A good medicine tastes bitter.

【答案】

【1】B

【2】A

【3】C

【4】B

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章讲到几个小孩以为林恩太太是一个女巫，想要找到她是女巫的证据。但林恩太在干活的时候不小心摔伤了头，孩子们赶紧上去帮助老太太，在孩子们和大人们的帮助下老太太获救了，孩子们非常的内疚，但也很高兴老太太并不是女巫。

【1】细节理解题。第二段第一句、最后一句及第二段第一句提到“They watched nervously as she took a broomstick to sweep the dirt from her stone steps....The old lady only looked up when her hen began to make sounds loudly — signaling that she had laid an egg in the nest on the top of the haystack….The old lady put aside her broomstick”老太太在打扫台阶的时候，她的母鸡开始发出很大的声音时，老太太才抬起头来。母鸡在干草堆上生了一个蛋，然后她放下扫把向干草堆走去，即老太太是听到母鸡的声音就停下了打扫。故选B。

【2】细节理解题。第五段提到““What if it’s a trick?” replied Patrick. “She probably knows we’re here. Witches know things like that!”Patrick问道要不要去帮助这位老太太的时候，回答到万一是个陷阱呢？可知，为什么琳恩夫人摔倒时帕特里克不愿意帮助她是因为帕特里克认为老太太是个女巫，他认为老太太的行为是在欺骗他们。故选A。

【3】词句猜测题。前文提到孩子们认为这位老太太是一个女巫，而且认为老太太的行为就是在欺骗他们，且第六段第一句提到“After thinking for a while…”在思考了一会之后，孩子们才决定帮助这位老太太，由此说明孩子们非常的谨慎。故划线词的意思是“谨慎地”。A. Slowly.缓慢地；B. Hurriedly.急匆匆地；C. Carefully.谨慎地；D. Quietly.安静地。故选C。

【4】主旨大意题。文章第一段提到有几个小孩认为林恩太太是女巫，并且想要找到证据。在她不小心受伤后，孩子们也是犹豫了一会才去帮助她。老太太在医院接受治疗后非常感激帮助过她的孩子们，孩子们这时候才内疚地意识到老太太真的不是女巫。故事告诉读者不要从一个人的外表去判断一个人的品质。故选B。