Time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable, whether you are a book-lover or merely there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to be kept from a sudden shower of rain. You are careless of your surroundings. The desire to pick up a book with an attractive dust-jacket is great, although you might end up with a rather dull book. This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is, I think, the main attraction of a bookshop. You can wander round such places to your heart’s content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will come to you with the “necessary” greeting: “Can I help you, Sir?” You needn’t buy anything you don’t want. In a bookshop an assistant should remain in the background until you have finished browsing. Then, and only then, are his services necessary. Of course, you may want to find out where a particular section is, but when he has led you there, the assistant goes away carefully and looks as if he is not interested in selling a single book. It is very easy to enter the shop looking for a book on ancient coins and to come out carrying a copy of the latest best-selling novel. Apart from running up a huge account, you can waste a great deal of time wandering from section to section. According to the writer, a bookshop is popular mainly because __________. A) people often can be kept from the rain B) most people are book-lovers C) people might have opportunities to escape the realities of everyday life D) people can choose a book as a gift 2. The assistant should remain “in the background”(Para. 4) so as ___________. A) not to interfere with people reading books B) to have time to take a rest C) to be able to take care of the books D) to watch the book-lovers 3. According to the passage, a good assistant in a bookshop should ___________. A) greet people as soon as they enter the shop B) stand by the door to greet people C) offer help only when people need it D) lead people while they are wandering about 4. In the last paragraph, the writer wants to show that __________. A) sometimes it is very erous to go to a bookshop B) interesting novels are in fact not worth reading C) people should spend less time reading novels D) people sometimes waste time and money in a bookstore 5. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A) People will always buy something in a bookshop. B) A bookshop assistant should not appear eager to sell books. C) In a bookshop people can walk to any places as they like. D) One is likely to enter a bookshop and buy something unimportant. We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book. Mum walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop ( 拖把 ). She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.” “Yes. I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them.” the nurse answered. Mum pushed, each swipe ( 拖 ) of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book. After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum said politely to the nurse, “Thank you.” Outside, Mum told me, “Dagmar is fine. No fever.” “You saw her, Mum?” “Of course. I told her about the hospital rules. It’s a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is no good. You need a brush.” 1. When she took a mop from the small room, what Mum really wanted to do was ___. A. to clean the floor B. to please the nurse C. to see a patient D. to surprise the story -teller 2. When the nurse talked to Mum, she thought Mum was a ______ A. nurse B. visitor C. patient D. cleaner 3. After reading the story, what can we infer about the hospital? A. It is a children’s hospital. B. It has strict rules about visiting hours. C. The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard. D. A lot of patients come to this hospital every day. 4. Why did Mum go to see Dagmar in the hospital? A. To give her some message. B. To make sure her room was clean. C. To check that she was still there. D. To find out how she was. 5. Which of the following words best describes Mum? A. polite B. patient C. changeable D. clever 1. C A C D A 2. C D B D D