6、Sleepy Hollow was a quiet village near New York's Hudson River. One day long ago, a teacher named Ichabod Crane moved there. He was tall and skinny, with long, pointy nose. His clothes flapped around him when he walked. Ichabod was an odd bird, but he thought very highly of himself!

       Like other teachers then, Ichabod moved around. He would spend a week with one family and move on. Often, these families amused themselves by telling ghost stories. Sleepy Hollow had many such stories, because people believed that the area was haunted.

       The most famous local ghost was the Headless Horseman. People said he was a soldier whose head was knocked off by a cannonball. He haunted the roads and woods, looking for his lost head. He traveled at night, returning to his burial place in the churchyard before morning. This story frightened Ichabod the most.

       Ichabod wanted to marry a wealthy girl. He had his eye on one of his students, Katrina Van Tassel. She was the daughter of a rich farmer. Ichabod had a rival for Katrina. He was a big, broad-shouldered fellow named Brom Bones. Brom was very mischievous, always ready for a flight and for fun.

       One day, the Van Tassels held a large party. Ichabod went and found Brom already there, Folks sat around and told stories. Brom told of racing the Headless Horseman near Sleepy Hollow, The ghost had suddenly disappeared at the churchyard bridge, Ichabod shivered as he listened to the story. Brom watched him and smiled.

       After the party, Ichabod headed home on his old horse, Gunpowder. It was growing dark, and the road was lonely. Ichabod was feeling nervous. Suddenly, he saw a large form in the road ahead. He couldn't see clearly in the gloom, but there was no doubt it was a horseman. “Who-o-o-o are you?” croaked Ichabod. The shadowy figure made no reply.

       Ichabod began to sweat. Suddenly, Gunpowder dashed forward.  The other horseman started off as well. The two riders raced toward the bridge near the churchyard.

       “I’ll be safe if I can just cross the bridge,” thought Ichabod.

       When he reached the bridge, Ichabod breathed a sign of relief. But the other horseman didn't disappear. Instead, the ghostly figure stood up in the stirrups and threw its head. The head hit Ichabod, knocking him off his horse.

       Ichabod was never seen in Sleepy Hollow again. Only a shattered pumpkin was found near the bridge. Some people said that the Headless Horseman had carried off Ichabod. Years later, someone saw him in New York City. Brom married Katrina, and he always laughed whenever anyone mentioned the pumpkin.

1．What does the underlined word "rival" in Para. 4 mean?

       A．enemy                 B．partner                C．competitor           D．student

2．What probably happened to Ichabod?

       A．He was scared to death and lost his head too.

       B．He didn't dare to stay, so he escaped to somewhere else.

       C．He was so annoying that people drove him out of Sleepy Hollow.

       D．He raced toward the bridge with a horseman and later was carried off.

3．We can conclude from the passage that        .

       A．Sleepy Hollow is a terrifying place.

       B．It was Brom who played tricks on Ichabod with pumpkin.

       C．The Headless Horseman always appeared at night to murder people.

       D．Ichabod was the only teacher in there, so he thought very highly of himself.

4．What is the author's attitude towards Ichabod?

       A．Negative.       B．Positive.       C．Neutral.       D．Hated.