阅读理解

     Long ago, near the village of Hedley, there lived a strange and playful trickster (骗子), known as the

Hedley Kow. Sometimes it looked like an ordinary object. Sometimes it looked like a donkey or a goat.

    One evening, as an old woman went along the path, she saw an old iron pot lying in the ditch. "Fancy

that," she said. "Nobody seems to want this old pot. I will take it home and plant pretty flowers in it."

     When she tried to lift it, she saw that it was full of gold pieces. "Well, now, if that doesn't beat all," she

said. "I'm rich! I can buy a fine house and fancy clothes."

     The pot was heavy, so she tied her shawl around it and began to drag it home. After a while, she

stopped to rest. When she looked in the pot, she was amazed to see that it was full of silver pieces!

     "Oh, my God!" she said. "Aren't I the lucky one! If it were gold, thieves would have been after me. My friends might have been jealous. But I can hide these silver pieces, take out a few at a time, and live like a queen."

     On she went, pulling the pot after her. She was nearing home now. At her gate, she looked into the pot. What a surprise! The silver had changed into a lump (块) of iron. "Iron," she said. "Well, now! No one will be jealous or want to steal this from me. I can use this iron to prop my door open and let in fresh air and

sunlight. Lucky me!"

     As soon as she said that, the pot began to grow and later it became a goat. Then it jumped up and ran off down the road laughing.

     "Fancy that!" said the old woman. "I believe I have seen the Hedley Kow! Not many folks can say that, and that's a fact. I'll just sit up by my fire tonight thinking about how lucky I was to see it for myself. I truly must be the luckiest person in the world!"

1. Which of the following sayings can best describe this story?

A. All good things come to an end.

B. The early bird catches the worm.

C. Content is better than riches.

D. All bad luck goes away.

2. What does "the Hedley Kow" stand for in the eyes of the old woman?

A. Glory.      

B. Honor.    

C. Misfortune.  

D. Luck.

3. From this passage we can know the old woman is ______.

A. optimistic                

B. pessimistic

C. strange                  

D. mindless