阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。（共10分，每小题2分）
On Thursday
afternoon Mrs. Clarke, dressed for going out, took her handbag with her money
and her key in it, pulled the door behind her to lock it and went to the Over
60s Club. She always went there on Thursdays. It was a nice outing for an old
woman who lived alone.
At six
o’clock she came home, let herself in and at once smelt cigarette smoke.
Cigarette smoke in her house? How? Had somebody got in? She checked the back
door and the windows. All were locked or fastened, as usual. There was no sign
of forced entry. Had anything been taken? She went from room to room, checking.
Yes, some things were missing — her small radio, her spare watch, a camera.
That was all, she thought; but she couldn’t be sure just yet. She was annoyed,
of course, but rather glad that nothing had been thrown about.
Over a cup
of tea she wondered whether someone might have a key that fitted her front door
— “a master key” perhaps. So she stayed at home the following Thursday. Nothing
happened. Was anyone watching her movements? On the Thursday after that she
went out at her usual time, dressed as usual, but she didn’t go to the club.
Instead she took a short cut home again, letting herself in through the garden
and the back door. She settled down to wait.
It was just
after four o’clock when the front door bell rang. Mrs. Clarke was making a cup
of tea at the time. The bell rang again, and then she heard her letter-box
being pushed open. With the kettle（壶）of boiling
water in her hand, she moved quietly towards the front door. A long piece of
wire（金属丝）appeared through the letter-box, and then a
hand. The wire turned and caught around the knob（门把手）
on the door-lock. Mrs. Clarke raised the kettle and poured the water over the
hand. There was a shout outside, and the skin seemed to drop off the fingers
like a glove. The wire fell to the floor, the hand was pulled back, and Mrs.
Clarke heard the sound of running feet.
That evening
she reported the matter to the police. They were not too pleased, but they came
and took away the wire and the skin. “It was only self-protection,” she told
the officer. “An old woman must try to look after herself.” With the help of a
doctor, the police found the man and recovered Mrs. Clarke’s things. She has
become something of heroine at the Over 60s Club.
1. When did Mrs. Clarke go to the Over 60s Club?
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2. Why did the smell of cigarette smoke surprise her?
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3. On the third Thursday, did Mrs. Clarke go out at
her usual time?
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4. What was Mrs. Clarke doing when she was waiting for
the thief?
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5. What is Mrs. Clarke like?
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