阅读理解。
John sent his mother expensive presents on his mother's birthday every year. He liked to show her how
rich he was.
"I must find something wonderful for her, and it must be the only one in the whole world." John thought.
He advertised (登广告) in the newspapers." Wanted-the best present for the woman who has everything."
For many days his telephone did not stop ringing. People phoned him from all over the world. They wanted
to sell him"the best present". But they did not have anything that was the only one in the whole world.
Then less than a week before his mother's birthday, a man came to his office. He was carrying a cage, and
in the cage there was a large bird.
"This bird," the man said, "can speak ten languages and sing any pop song. There is no other bird like it in
the world."
"I will listen to it," John said. "If what you said is true, I will buy the bird from you." The man spoke to the
bird. "Talk to me in French," he said. The bird spoke to him in French. "Tell me a joke in Japanese," he said.
The bird told him a joke in Japanese."Sing a famous pop song," he said. The bird sang a famous pop song.
"I'll buy it,"John said. "How much do you want?"
"One hundred thousand dollars," the man said. This was a lot of money but John paid him. Then he sent
the bird to his mother with a birthday card.
The day after his mother's birthday he phoned her. "Well, mother," he said, "Is the bird wonderful?"
"Oh, it was delicious, dear," she said.
1. Why did John send her mother expensive presents for her birthday every year?
A. Because he loved his mother very much.
B. Because his mother needed these presents.
C. Because he wanted to show he had a lot of money.
D. Because he was the richest man in the world.
2. How did people know John wanted the best present in the world?
A. They rang John up.
B. They knew it from the newspapers.
C. John phoned them one by one.
D. They knew it on TV.
3. When did the man with a bird come to visit John?
A. Two weeks before John's mother's birthday.
B. On John's mother's birthday.
C. About five days before John's mother's birthday.
D. Less than a week after John's mother's birthday.
4. Why did John pay the man a lot of money for the bird?
A. Because it was such a beautiful bird.
B. Because he wanted to help the poor man with the bird.
C. Because the bird could look after his mother.
D. Because John thought the bird could make his mother happy.
5. What does the sentence "It was delicious," really mean in the story?
A. His mother ate the bird.
B. His mother let the bird fly away.
C. His mother began to learn languages from the bird.
D. His mother thought it was the most expensive present in the world.
