Once there was a parrot on sale in a pet store. It was a beautiful red and blue bird. It sat on a perch in the middle of the store, so that everyone could see it when they came in. The owner was very proud of it and asked a high price for it. One day a man went into the store. "That's a beautiful bird," he said to the pet store owner, "But why is it so expensive? Is it unusual bird?" "No, it's not very unusual. It's expensive because it can talk," the pet store owner said. "I see. How can I make it talk?" the man asked. The pet store owner asked him, "Do you see those string tied to each of the bird's legs?" "Yes," the man answered. "Well, you pull those strings," the pet store owner told him. "That will make the parrot talk." The man asked, "Do you mind if I try?" "Not at all," the pet store owner said. The man walked up to the parrot and pulled the string on its left leg. The parrot said, "Good morning." The man pulled the string on the parrot's right leg. This time the parrot said, "How are you today?" "That's not very interesting," said the man. "Any parrot could do that." Then he laughed, "But what would happen if I pulled both strings at the same time?" "I'll fall off my perch, you fool!" the parrot said. From the story we know the parrot was  _  . A) kind B) silly C) clever D) crazy
C

There are forty-eight students in our class. There are twenty-three boys and twenty-five girls. Some students live near the school, and some others live very far from the school. About half of the students come to school by bike . They often get to school at a quarter to seven. About ten students often come to school by bus. They often go to school very early, too. Another ten students come to school on foot. Their homes are near the school, but they are often late for school, because they get up very late. About ten students often come to school by bus because  _  . A) their homes are not near the school B) they don't have any bikes C) they can't ride bike D) they want to go to school very early
A

It's seven thirty in the morning. The students are coming into the classroom. A girl is opening the windows. Some of the students are laughing and talking. Some others are listening to them. Some are reading books. Some are doing their homework. Miss Zhao is standing behind the teacher's desks. She is writing on the blackboard. Sue and Lily are wearing their new dresses today. Ann is cleaning her desk. Mike is helping her. They all look happy. What are Bill and Jim doing? Oh, dear! They are still playing basketball on the playground. How many students are playing basketball now? A) One B) Two C) Many D) We don't know
B

I think it is safe to say that snakes are not popular among most people. It would be hard to find a person who is neutral  ,or simply doesn't care one way or the other. What I wonder is why something even without legs causes such great fear. Snakes are quite useful, but that doesn't seem to matter. Snakes help control the population of mice. Without snakes, perhaps we would find mice everywhere. Most of us, however, would rather see a mouse than a snake. The poison argument   is a strong one. Some snakes are poisonous, and this causes people's death. However, the poisonous snakes are only a small number. We can't say all the snakes are bad just because of a few dangerous ones. And what do we do with the people who really like snakes? They like snakes even more strongly than we dislike them. These people learn about them, find them out, and watch them carefully. Why? The only reason I can think of is that these people are open-minded. They are able to put aside differences and welcome the snake as a friend. Whatever the reason for our like or dislike, snakes do something good in the circle of life. They would prefer to be left alone, and that is what we should do. If you're lucky, you might not run across more than a few of them in a lifetime. That would be fine with most of us. Although some snakes are poisonous,   _  . A) they cause many people's death B) they control the population of mice C) they are not dangerous to people D) they are only a small number
