阅读理解。
A few minutes ago, walking back from lunch, I started to cross the street when I heard the sound of a
coin dropping. It wasn't much but, as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too.
A woman had dropped what seemed to be a dime (十美分硬币).
The sound of a coin dropping on the street catches everybody's attention. Whatever the coin is, no one
ignores (忽视) the sound of it. It got me thinking about sounds again.
There are so many sounds that catch the most attention. People in New York City seldom turn to look
when they hear the siren (警报) of a police car or an ambulance (救护车).
When I'm in New York, I'm a New Yorker. I don't turn either. I hardly hear a siren there.
At home in my little town in Connecticut, it's different. The faraway high sound of a police car, an
ambulance or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I'm sitting and brings me to the window if I'm in bed.
It's the quietest sounds that catch our attention most easily, not the loudest. In the middle of the night, I
can hear water dropping a hundred yards away through three closed doors. I've been hearing little creaking
(吱嘎) noises and sounds in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house. Why do I never hear
those sounds in the daytime?
1. The sound of a coin dropping made people ______.
A. think of money
B. shout aloud
C. pay attention to it
D. look at each other
2. People in New York ______.
A. are used to sirens
B. don't hear loud noises
C. are interested in sounds
D. don't care about quiet sounds
3. The writer ______.
A. has a bad hearing
B. stays up late at night
C. comes from a little town
D. sleeps next to the window
4. The last paragraph (段落) tells us that ______.
A. the writer thinks a lot at night
B. water should be turned off at night
C. the sounds at night make the writer afraid
D. the quietest sounds at night are easily heard
