When Mencius (孟子) was a little boy, his father died. Mencius and his mother were quite poor. One day
Mencius returned home from school and found his mother making some cloth. It was very beautiful and
expensive.
      "How much of the book have you read today?" Mencius' mother asked him. "I haven't read any of it yet."
Mencius replied, "I played with some friends of mine in the fields." 
     When his mother heard this, she picked up a pair of scissors and cut the cloth. 
     "Why have you cut your cloth?" Mencius asked, "It was so beautiful but now you've wasted (浪费) it." "You
have wasted your time," his mother said, "now I have wasted mine. Look at the terrible things we have done."
     Mencius learnt a lot from this lesson. After that, he always studied hard.

1. When did this story happen?

A. Not long before liberation (解放).
B. More than 2000 years ago.
C. About 400 years ago.
D. In the 18th century.

2. What was Mencius doing while his mother was cutting the cloth?

A. He was reading his book.
B. He was playing in the fields.
C. He was trying to help her.
D. He was watching strangely.

3. The mother cut the cloth because _______.

A. she thought making cloth was wasting time
B. she wanted to give her son a lesson
C. she wanted to use more beautiful and expensive cloth
D. she wanted her son to do his lessons at once

4. Mencius and his mother were quite poor because ___________________.
5. When the mother knew Mencius had not read any books, she felt s__________________.