Norah had a cottage on a cliff（悬崖）above a big bay. In winter it could be very unpleasant because of strong winds and sea waves. In fact, when a gale was blowing, Norah and her husband got used to sleeping in a small room downstairs, because their bedroom upstairs, which faced the gales, had a very big window, and they were afraid that an extra violent wind might break it and blow pieces of broken glass over them.
Also, the salt wave from the sea put an end to many of the colorful plants Norah planted in her garden. She tried putting up a fence to protect them, but the wind just hit it, went up over the top and then down the other side, so in the end she filled the garden with trees and bushes that liked salt.
But most of the summer Norah enjoyed her cottage and garden very much. At weekends she could sit out-of-doors in the sun, looking at the beautiful view, with interesting ships and boats passing by, and she could very easily cycle down to the sea for a swim.
Now, Norah and her husband had plenty of friends and relations. In the summer lots of them used to come to enjoy the beautiful place, and in the end it really became quite annoying for the couple. When they were at home, they found friends and relations arriving, expecting to be given unlimited drinks and meals, and to sit in the sun for hours, talking as if Norah and her husband had nothing else to do but entertain and listen to them.
This went on for several years. Norah didn’t wish to appear rude by refusing to let her friends and relations in, but on the other hand, she was getting tired every summer.
Then one day Norah was complaining about this to her hairdresser while she was doing her hair. “You’re disturbed by too many uninvited guests, are you?” said the hairdresser. “Why don’t you try my way of escaping?”
“What’s that?” asked Norah.
“Well,” the hairdresser answered, “when the bell rings, I put on my coat and take my shopping bag. If it’s someone I don’t want to see, I say innocently, ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go out.’ But…”
小题1:The underlined word “gale” can be replaced by _____.
A．wind
B．ship
C．sea
D．animal小题2:We can infer that _____.
A．lots of friends cam to visit them in winter
B．few friends came to visit them in winter
C．friends came to visit them only for drinks and meals
D．Norah was a good cook小题3:How did Norah go to the sea for a swim?
A．She went there by ship.
B．She walked there.
C．She swam there.
D．She went there by bicycle.小题4:The hairdresser likely to continue to say “_____” in the end?
A．if I’m tired, I say ‘Sorry, can you come next time?’
B．if it’s someone I like to see, I say ‘How lucky! I’ve just come in!’
C．if it is fine that day, I say, ‘I’m tired of this, but I’ll show you around the place.’
D．if it’s someone I like to see, I say, ‘How happy to see you! But I was going shopping now .’小题5:Which of the following is the best title?
A．A Good Place of Enjoying the Sea
B．A Visit to Norah
C．A clever Way of Escaping
D．A Warm-hearted Couple
