It is a truth universally acknowledged that a
single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a
man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in
the minds of the surrounding families that he is considered the rightful
property of someone or other of their daughters.
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his lady to him one day.
“have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?” Mr. Bennet replied that
he had not.
“But it is, ” returned she, “for Mrs. Long has just
been here, and she told me all about it.”
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
“Do you not want to know who has taken it?” cried his
wife impatiently.
“You want to tell me, and I have no objection to
hearing it.”
This was invitation enough.
“Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that
Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England;
that he came down on Monday in a chaise to see the place, and was so much
delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to
take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the
house by the end of next week.”
“What is his name?”
“Bingley.”
“Is he married or single?”
“Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of
large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”
How so? How can it affect them?
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “how can you
be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.”
“Is that his design in settling here?”
“Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very
likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit
him as soon as he comes.”
“I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go,
or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as
you are as beautiful as any of them. Mr. Bingley may like you the best of the
party. ”
1.The sentence “… a single man in possession of a good
fortune must be in want of a wife” means that ______.
A.a single man
without money needn’t a wife
B.women want to
get married to financial stable men
C.a single man
who is financially stable needs a wife
D.once man
becomes rich, he must want to get a wife
2. From the conversation between the Bennets, we can
conclude that Mrs. Bennet _______.
A.wanted to
persuade her husband to visit the young man
B.wanted to get
an invitation from their new neighbor to a party
C.asked for her
husband’s permission to visit the new neighbor
D.wanted to
tell her husband something about their new neighbor
3.At the end of the passage, Mr. Bennet sounded
_________ toward his wife’s proposal.
A.grateful B.indifferent C.delighted D.interested