John and Laura were husband and wife. Laura had beautiful, long brown hair, shining like the silk. Every
morning she combed her hair many times. John had a golden pocket watch (怀表) left by his father. He loved
it very much. Christmas was coming. The couple (夫妇) both wanted to send a gift to each other. John went
to the shop and found a nice comb. He thought Laura's hair would look prettier with the comb on it. But the
comb was so dear that he couldn't afford it (买不起). He thought and thought. At last, he sold his pocket
watch and bought the comb. When he got home, he was surprised to see Laura's short hair. Laura opened her
hands. There was a golden watch chain (金表链) in her hands. "Merry Christmas!" said Laura. John said
"Merry Christmas" too and passed his wife a little box with tears in his eyes. Laura opened it…

1. John and Laura were _____.

A. rich
B. poor
C. not happy
D. hungry

2. How did Laura buy the golden chain?

3. Why did John sell his pocket watch?

A. Because he loved Laura
B. Because it was Christmas
C. Because he had little money
D. All of the above

4. What was in John's little box?

A. A new watch
B. A new dress
C. A new comb
C. A turkey

A. On Christmas you must give dear gifts to your friends.
B. You have to get more money.
C. You mustn't buy useless (没用的) things.
D. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

     One day Mrs. Jones went shopping. When her husband came home in the evening, she began to
tell him about a beautiful cotton dress."I saw it in a shop this morning,"she said,"and…
      "And you want to buy it."said her husband,"How much does it cost?"
      "Fifteen pounds."
      "Fifteen pounds for a cotton dress? That's too much."
      But every evening, when Mr. Jones came back from work, his wife continued to speak only about
the dress, and at last, after a week, he said,"Oh, buy the dress. Here's the money."
      But the next evening, when Mr. Jones came home and asked,"Have you bought the famous dress?"
      "No,"she said.
     "Why no?"he asked.
     "Well," Mrs. Jones said, "it was still in the window of the shop after a week, so I thought, 'Nobody
else wants this dress', so I don't want it either."

1. What did Mrs. Jones want to buy?

A. A tie.
B. A T-shirt.
C. A silk dress.
D. A cotton dress.

2. Mr. Jones thought that the dress was too______.

A. dear 
B. beautiful
C. cheap 
D. colorful

3. Why didn't Mrs. Jones buy the dress she wanted?

A. Because her husband didn't give her the money.
B. Because she no longer liked it.
C. Because nobody else wanted to buy it.
D. Because the dress was too expensive.

4. How long did Mrs. Jones talk about the cotton dress?

A. One day.
B. Two days.
C. A week.
D. Two weeks.

5. Did Mr. Jones allow his wife to buy the dress in the end?

A. Yes, he did.
B. No, he didn't.
C. We don't know.
D. Yes, he does.