B
Mary Lennox was born in India. She had a little thin face, a little thin body, and light hair. Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow and always ill in one way or another. Her father worked for the government there. He was always busy and ill himself, and her mother was a great beauty who cared only to go to parties. So Mary spent all her time with the Indian servants. She had an Ayah, a nurse, who looked after her. The Ayah's job was to keep the little girl away from her parents as much as possible. The Ayah had to give Mary whatever she wanted and the little girl became very selfish. She loved no one, and not anyone cared for her at all. Mary wasn't pretty like her mother. She was often ill. She never smiled and she was always cross with the servants.
One day, one of the servants died of cholera, a terrible disease. The next day three more servants died. After that the others ran away. Mary went to bed and slept for a long, long time. When she woke up the house was quiet. She called her Ayah but no one came. She got up and looked around. She was alone. The only other living thing in the house was a little snake that looked at her with eyes like jewels. She wasn't afraid because she knew that the snake wasn't dangerous.
Then Mary heard footsteps. She was in her room when a soldier in uniform opened the door. The man was surprised to see a little girl there. He called to another soldier outside. “Poor little girl!” said the officer. “There is no one in the house. Everyone else, including your parents, had died or fled. It was true that there was no one in the house but herself and the little rustling snake. ”
After her parents' death, Mary, the newly-orphaned child, travelled to England on a ship with a soldier's wife. “You are going to be sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with your uncle,” she told Mary.
—Adapted from The Secret Garden
(
C
)4. How did Mary's parents die?
A. They were killed by the servants. B. They were bitten by a snake.
C. They might die of a serious disease. D. They were killed in a war.
(
B
)5. Which of the following is TRUE about Mary Lennox?
A. Mary was loved by her parents.
B. Mary depended on her Ayah a lot.
C. Mary was as beautiful as her mother.
D. Mary was kept out of her grandparents' sight.
(
A
)6. The underlined word “fled” in Paragraph 3 means “______”.
A. left B. hurt C. missed D. hid
(
C
)7. Where was Mary sent after her parents died?
A. To her aunt's home. B. To a boarding school.
C. To her uncle's home. D. To a soldier's home.
