B
Pinocchio hated the dark street, but he was so hungry that he ran out of the house. The night was very black. It thundered, and bright flashes of lightning now and again shot across the sky, turning it into a sea of fire. An angry wind blew cold and raised thick clouds of dust, while the trees shook and whispered in a strange way.
Pinocchio was greatly afraid of thunder and lightning, but the hunger he felt was far greater than his fear. In a number of leaps and bounds(飞跃), he came to the village, tired out.
The whole village was dark and deserted(无人居住的). The stores were closed, the doors, the windows. In the streets, not even a dog could be seen. It seemed the Village of the Dead.
Pinocchio ran up to a doorway, threw himself upon the bell, and pulled it wildly, saying to himself, “Someone will surely answer that!” He was right. An old man in a nightcap opened the window and looked out. He called down angrily:
“What do you want at this hour of night?”
“Give me a bit of bread. I am hungry.”
“Wait a minute and I’ll come right back,” said the old man, thinking he had to deal with one of those boys who love to roam(闲逛) around at night ringing people’s bells while they are peacefully asleep.
After a minute or two, the same voice cried:
“Get under the window and hold out your hat!” Pinocchio had no hat, but he managed to get under the window just in time to feel a shower of ice-cold water pour down on his poor wooden head, his shoulders, and over his whole body.
He returned home as wet as a small piece of cloth, and tired out from lifelessness and hunger.
As he no longer had any strength left with which to stand, he sat down on a little chair and put his two feet on the stove(火炉) to dry them.
There he fell asleep, and while he slept, his wooden feet began to burn. Slowly, very slowly, they blackened and turned to ashes(灰).
Pinocchio snored away happily as if his feet were not his own. In the very early morning he opened his eyes just as a loud knocking sounded at the door.
“Who is it?” he called, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
“It is I,” answered a voice.
It was the voice of Geppetto.
—Adapted from The Adventures of Pinocchio
() 4. Why did Pinocchio run out of the house?
A. Because he wanted to visit the village.
B. Because he wanted to get something to eat.
C. Because he was afraid to stay at home alone.
D. Because he was afraid of thunder and lightning.
() 5. What can we learn about the village in paragraph 3?
A. It was very empty.
B. It was very busy.
C. It was very lively.
D. It was very modern.
() 6. What did the old man give Pinocchio at last?
A. A warm hat.
B. A small piece of cloth.
C. Some cold water.
D. A big piece of bread.
() 7. What is the writer's purpose in writing what the old man did to Pinocchio?
A. To describe the danger of using stoves.
B. To show us the importance of good manners.
C. To tell us the value of food we eat every day.
D. To introduce us to the harm of natural disasters.
() 8. What may be the best title for the passage?
A. Pinocchio lost his feet
B. Pinocchio had fun in a village
C. Geppetto brought food back home at last
D. The old man helped Pinocchio