0ur village carpenter(木匠)，John Hill, came one day and made a dining table for my wife.  He made it just the right size to fill the space between the two window.  When I got home that evening, John was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill( 账单) for his job.
My wife said to me quietly, “That’s his ninth cup of tea today. ”But she said in a loud voice, “It’s a beautiful table, dear, isn’t it?” “I’ll decide about that when I see the bill,” I said.  John laughed and gave me his bill for the work.  I read:
One dining table                 10^th November, 2011
Cost of wood                    $ 17:00
Paint                           $1. 50
Work, 8 hours($1 an hour)          $8. 00
Total                           $36. 50
When I was looking at the bill, John said,” It’s been a fine day, hasn’t it? Quite sunny. ”
“Yes,” I said.  “I’m glad it’s only the 10^th of November. ”
“Me, too,” said John, “you wait—it will be a lot colder by the end of the month. ”
“Yes, colder—and more expensive! Dining table will be $20 more expensive on November 30^th, won’t they, John?”
John looked hard at me for half a minute.  Was there a little smile in his two blue eyes? I gave his bill back to him.
“If it’s not too much trouble, John,” I said,“Please add(加) it up again, You can forget the date-------”
I paid him $26. 50 and he was happy to get it.
【小题1】Why did John talk about the weather when the writer was looking at the bill?

My wife said to me quietly, “That’s his ninth cup of tea today. ”But she said in a loud voice, “It’s a beautiful table, dear, isn’t it?” “I’ll decide about that when I see the bill,” I said.  John laughed and gave me his bill for the work.  I read:
One dining table                 10^th November, 2011
Cost of wood                    $ 17:00
Paint                           $1. 50
Work, 8 hours($1 an hour)          $8. 00
Total                           $36. 50
When I was looking at the bill, John said,” It’s been a fine day, hasn’t it? Quite sunny. ”
“Yes,” I said.  “I’m glad it’s only the 10^th of November. ”
“Me, too,” said John, “you wait—it will be a lot colder by the end of the month. ”
“Yes, colder—and more expensive! Dining table will be $20 more expensive on November 30^th, won’t they, John?”
John looked hard at me for half a minute.  Was there a little smile in his two blue eyes? I gave his bill back to him.
“If it’s not too much trouble, John,” I said,“Please add(加) it up again, You can forget the date-------”
I paid him $26. 50 and he was happy to get it.

1. 1.

   Why did John talk about the weather when the writer was looking at the bill?

   1. A.
      Because he didn’t want the writer to check the bill carefully.
   2. B.
      Because he wanted to show that he was really polite.
   3. C.
      Because it’s a good way to communicate with each other.
   4. D.
      Because he wanted to confirm what the weather was like.
2. 2.

   How much would John ask for if he made a dining table on the last day of December according to his bill?

   1. A.
      $ 26. 50
   2. B.
      $36. 50
   3. C.
      $56. 50
   4. D.
      $57. 50
3. 3.

   When John got the money, he was happy because__________________________.

   1. A.
      he felt lucky to get the money for his work
   2. B.
      he got paid a lot more than usual for his work
   3. C.
      he got as much money as he had expected
   4. D.
      he didn’t have to add up the costs any more
4. 4.

   Which word can best describe John?

   1. A.
      Clever
   2. B.
      Silly
   3. C.
      Dishonest
   4. D.
      Humorous(幽默的)
5. 5.

   What can we learn about John from the passage?

   1. A.
      He made a mistake carelessly in the bill
   2. B.
      He tried to get more money for his work.
   3. C.
      He had written the bill before the writer got home
   4. D.
      He had talked about the bill with the writer’s wife.