Question

Having returned from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes me ￡12，” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office. “You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship for Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me￡12.”

Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”

The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sun burnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”

“Yes, ” she answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”

“That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three...”

“I’m four,” the child said proudly. “I’ll be four and a half.”

Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, Madam, ”he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”

“Er, well...” the woman looked at the child. “I mean... she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”

“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs... let me see...￡13.50. So if the railway pays for you hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since it’s me who made the mistake...”

The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.

1.Harry was worried because __________.

A. he owed the woman ￡12

B. he thought he might have done his work wrong

C. the Jersey timetable was wrong

D. the little girl didn’t have a return ticket

2.Harry started talking to the little girl ________.

A. because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do

B. because he had a little girl about the same age

C. because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice

D. when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl

3.When Harry said “The law is the law, but since it’s I who made the mistake...,”he meant that _________.

A. they must follow the law without other choice, even though the mistake was his

B. he had to be strict with the woman because of the law, although he didn’t want to

C. the woman had to pay him￡1.50 and the railway would pay her for the hotel

D. she should pay￡1.50, but he had made a mistake, she should go without paying

4.The woman left the office without saying anything because_______.

A. she wanted to go home and get money for the child’s ticket

B. she was so angry that she didn’t want to say anything more with the young man

C. she was moved by Harry’s kindness

D. she knew she would have to pay for her child’s ticket if she held on to her idea

5.How do you think the woman felt when she left the office?

A. Angry. B. Peaceful. C. Embarrassed. D. Nervous.

Answer 1