It was a great day for a picnic and a picnic was a great day to start the summer holiday. Fred brought his
classmates John and Betty to a wonderful picnic place. After lunch, John said they should play football. When
the ball came to Fred, he locked it into some long grass. "I'll get it." he said and hurried off to find the ball.
Moments later there was a shout and out came Fred holding his leg,"I've bitten by a snake!" 　　
     As the others rushed over to help. Fred began laughing. "Ha! I'm not really hurt." But Betty didn't laugh, "I
can't believe you did that, Fred. I was really frightened for you." 　　
     The friends then decided to go for a swim. John and Betty jumped into the water. Fred was standing on a
long rock by the riverbank and said, "Watch me jump." They shouted excitedly as he went under the water, but
as the seconds passed he didn't come back to the top. The friends became worried. Suddenly they heard Fred's
laugh, "Won't you ever learn? I swam behind this tree when I jumped." 　　
     "Very funny, Fred?" said John angrily. "Anyway, I'm feeling tired and I'm going for a sleep." Betty joined
him. 　　
     Fred, however, moved to a narrow part of the river and jumped in. Although he was a good swimmer, the
water there was moving much faster and Fred found himself dragged away. He managed to catch hold of a tree,
but he was very tired now and with the water still moving very fast, couldn't pull himself out. 　　
     Back at the picnic place, as Betty and John were preparing to sleep, they heard Fred's cries for help, John
looked at Betty and said, "Does he really think we're so foolish? Wake me up in an hour. It'll be time to go back
home then."

1. What happened when Fred went to get the football?

A. He was bitten by a snake.
B. He fell and cut himself.
C. He called for the others to help him.
D. He let out a frightening shout.

2. At the end of the story, why didn't John and Betty go to help Fred?

A. They didn't believe that Fred was really in trouble.
B. They thought Fred was a good swimmer.
C. They couldn't hear his cries for help.
D. They were too tired and needed to rest.

3. The underlined word "dragged" means "_____".

A. pulled
B. held
C. guided
D. gave

4. What can you learn from this story?

A. It is important for a person to tell the truth.
B. You should know how to swim if toy want to play in the river.
C. You must watch out for snakes in the countryside.
D. Picnics can often be dangerous for children.