C
Wilbur was lonely. He lay down in the straw, staring at the wooden beams of the barn(畜棚). He could not sleep. He missed Fern, the little girl who had raised him on a bottle from the time he was a tiny piglet(小猪). He thought about her gentle hands and her sweet, comforting voice. Wilbur loved her very much, and without her, the barn seemed so empty and quiet. He wished she were there to talk to him or to play games, but Fern was back at her home, leaving Wilbur alone in the big, old barn.
As he lay there, feeling the cool night air and listening to the rustling(沙沙声) of the leaves outside, a soft voice suddenly broke the silence. "Why are you so lonely?" it asked. Wilbur jumped to his feet and looked around, his heart pounding with surprise and curiosity. "Who's there?" he whispered, peering(仔细看) into the shadows of the barn.
"I'm right here," the voice answered gently. "Look up in the corner."
There, in the corner of the barn, Wilbur saw a large spider spinning a web. The spider smiled down at him. "My name is Charlotte," she said softly. "I've been
watching you, little pig, and I think we could be friends. You seem like a nice pig, and I think you could use a friend."
▲ He had never had a spider as a friend before. "You want to be my friend?" he asked, feeling both hopeful and confused(困惑的). He had always thought spiders were scary, but Charlotte seemed different.
"Of course," Charlotte answered warmly, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "We all need friends, Wilbur, especially in a place like this. I can see that you have a good heart, and I believe we could be very good friends. You don't have to be lonely any more."
Wilbur felt a warm glow in his heart as he listened to Charlotte's words. He could hardly believe it. Maybe he wouldn't be so lonely after all. He watched in fascination as Charlotte continued to spin her web. Wilbur realized that having a friend, no matter how different they might seem, could make life feel less lonely and much more exciting. The barn no longer felt quite so empty, and for the first time in a while, Wilbur felt a sense of peace and happiness.
( ) 8. Why did Wilbur feel down at the beginning of the story?
A. He was hungry and wanted food.
B. He missed his friend Fern.
C. He was scared of the dark barn.
D. He wanted to leave the big, old barn.
() 9. What can we learn about Charlotte from this story?
A. She is a kind and friendly spider.
B. She does not like pigs and wants to scare them.
C. She is a shy spider who only spins webs.
D. She is afraid of making new friends.
()10. Which of the following can probably be put in the blank?
A. Charlotte felt a warm and friendly feeling.
B. Wilbur was excited to have finally found a friend.
C. Wilbur was surprised by how kind the spider seemed.
D. Wilbur realized that he wasn't afraid of the spider any more.
()11. Why did Wilbur feel a sense of peace and happiness in the end?
A. He had learnt how to spin webs.
B. He realized that the barn was not scary.
C. He knew that Fern would come back to visit him soon.
D. He had made a new friend, Charlotte.