Our 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 windows. When I got home that evening, John was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill for the job.
My wife said to me quietly, “It’s his ninth cup of tea today.” But she said in a loud voice, “It is a beautiful table, dear, isn’t it?”
“I will decide about that when I see the bill, ” I read:
One dining table, 10 November, 1989.
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 is only the 10^th of November.”
“Me, too,” said John. “You wait. It’ll be a lot colder by the end of the month.”
“Yes, colder…. And more expensive! Dining tables 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 isn’t too much trouble, John,” I said, “Please add it up again and you can forget the date.”
I paid him ＄26.50and 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 go through the bill carefully.
   2. B.
      Because it was really a fine day.
   3. C.
      Because he wanted the writer to check the bill carefully.
   4. D.
      Because he wanted to tell the writer what the weather was like.
2. 2.

   Why did the writer say that dining table would be＄ 20 more expensive on November 30^th ?__________ 

   1. A.
      Because it was difficult to make dining tables in cold weather.
   2. B.
      Because paint would be more expensive.
   3. C.
      Because the cost of wood would be more expensive.
   4. D.
      Because he thought John would certainly add to the cost of the dining table.
3. 3.

   From the story we know that _____________

   1. A.
      John made a mistake in the bill.
   2. B.
      John tried to fool the writer in order to get more money for his work
   3. C.
      John had written out the bill before the writer got home.
   4. D.
      John still wanted to get ＄36.50 for his work in the end.

It gives me great pleasure today to say a few words in praise of a man we will all miss very much . To be honest , I can’t imagine we will do without him when he’s gone . Bill Masters almost single-handed built up our sales force in the Houston area and developed the market position that we enjoy today .In only six years , he has brought the firm from a very low fifth position in the area sales to the point where we now outsell all but one of our competitors . Not omly have we got 37 per cent of the market under Bill’s leadership ; we are increasing our share with each passing month .

As you know , the company has moved Bill to northern California to work his sales magic in one of this company’s competitive areas . But we know that if anyone can do it , Bill Masters can , and I know you all join me in wishing him the best of luck in his new work .

1.The speech was made ______.

A.at a welcome meeting                                     B.after someone died

C.when somebody was leaving                            D.when they had a new manager

2.How long did Masters work there ?

A.37 years .                                                      B.Less than 5 years .

C.About six years .                                            D.Since he began to work .

3.When Bill started to work in Houston area , who had to help him ?

A.many people              B.nobody                      C.about 37 people         D.very few people

4.Bill increased the company’s sale ______.

A.by 37 per cent every month                             B.to the second largest in the area

C.to be the fifth largest in the area                      D.five times as much as before

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给四个选项(A，B，C和D)中，选出最佳选项．

　　These days' experiences, like many other things, are becoming increasingly expensive. one has got to pay a lot to get them, even an ordinary one.

　　Not long ago, I wanted to invite my friends to a lunch. What we really needed was a good and quiet place for a talk, not a big meal. So I chose one and told my friends to go there.

　　After I ordered, I was asked whether I would eat a 100 yuan or 200 yuan lunch. I said, “200 yuan. ”I didn't realize until I was asked to pay after lunch that “200 yuan” means “200 yuan for each person”.

　　There were five people that day, and all of us were surprised by the 200 yuan meal. The bill came at last: it was 1 2601 000 for the five of us, plus the money for drinks, fruits and air conditioning(空调). I paid the bill without a word.

　　What could I say? It was not their fault (过失). It was my own fault that made me pay the largest bill in my life.

　　However, it was not so bad: we had a goad lunch at a quiet place. Besides, the experience will help in later years.

　　To support my idea, I have developed my own way of thinking about the price: 200 yuan for the lunch and 1 060 for the experience. This paid experience has made me ten times wiser.

1．According to the passage, each one here has to pay ________.

[　　]

A．more for a lunch in a restaurant

B．more to get an ordinary lunch

C．more for some experience

D．an increasingly high price

2．I thought I ordered a meal that would cost ________.

[　　]

3．This sentence “This paid experience has made me ten times wiser” expressed ________.

[　　]

A．my thanks to the restaurant

B．my happiness to be ten times wiser

C．my anger at the experience

D．my pleasure to have a good lunch

4．I paid the largest bill in my life because________.

[　　]

A．the restaurant was an extraordinarily good one

B．there was a misunderstanding between the restaurant and the customer

C．I was unknown to the restaurant

D．I knew little about the market prices