C
The world is full of amazing things. Let’s see the amazing story of a crane!
There was once a poor sailmaker named Chris. He worked very hard every day, but he didn’t make much money. He had a roof over his head and food to eat, so he lived comfortably, but he felt lonely because he had nobody to share his simple life with.
One day, an injured crane lay near Chris’ front steps. “Poor crane,” he whispered. He carefully carried the crane and brought it inside. He cared for it all winter long. One day, it was strong enough to fly away. Chris watched and thought, “If only I could catch that crane’s swiftness(迅速) in one of my sails.” The following spring, a beautiful woman knocked at Chris’ door. “My name is Lydia,” she said softly. “I’ve been walking for several days, and I need food and rest.” Chris took her in. A month later, they got married.
“I can make wonderful sails for you,” Lydia said. “They will be beautiful, and you will make a lot of money from them. However, you must promise never to watch me make the sails.”
Chris said, “I promise.”
Lydia went to her weaving(编织) room. A month went by before the first sail was finished. When Chris finally brought it to the market, he was surprised that people wanted to pay so much money for it. He asked Lydia to weave more. She wove many sails, and Chris’ wealth grew. He spent his money on expensive clothing, jewellery, and paintings. As he made more money and got more things, he slowly became greedier(更贪婪的).
One day, Lydia said she needed to rest. She was tired out. But Chris insisted that she should keep working, so she did. Then Chris wanted her to work faster. He became impatient with Lydia. One day, he was so angry that he forgot about the promise he’d made. He threw open the door of Lydia’s weaving room and was surprised to see a beautiful crane weaving its feathers into a sail.
Chris shouted, “You’re the crane that I saved!”
“Yes,” the crane said. “But you’ve broken your promise, so I must leave.”
Once again, Chris became a poor and lonely sailmaker. Whenever he saw a crane in the sky, he thought about the broken promise.
(
B
)8. Choose the right statements about Chris.
①A kind sailmaker who saved a crane.
②A poor sailmaker who became rich finally.
③A hard-working husband who helped his wife.
④A greedy husband who treated his wife poorly.
A. ①③ B. ①④ C. ②③ D. ②④
(
A
)9. Why did Lydia have to leave Chris?
A. Because Chris broke his promise.
B. Because Chris doubted her ability.
C. Because she was too tired to continue her work.
D. Because she was too poor to support the family.
(
D
)10. How did Chris probably feel in the end?
A. He was happy to live on his own.
B. He was satisfied with his business.
C. He felt sad about his lost paintings.
D. He felt regretful about what he had done.
(
A
)11. What’s the theme of this passage?
A. Greed blinds the eyes. B. Practice makes perfect.
C. It never rains but it pours. D. Actions speak louder than words.
