It was a lovely sunny Saturday morning in early October. Jan Hunter sat out of the window of her room as she planned what she would do today. She would like to take Buster, her sheep, to the field for a short walk. Perky, her hamster (an animal like a mouse) and Slipper, her snake, would enjoy an outing too.
"I'll help you clean your room," Mrs. Hunter said. "Then you'll be free to do what you want the rest of the
day."
    Jan started picking up her clothes. Mrs. Hunter turned to the bed to take off the sheets (床单). As she
lifted the pillow( 枕头), Slipper moved quickly under the blanket(毯子).
    "That does it!" Mrs. Hunter cried. "Get that snake out of here! And look at this-one of your best shoes
too dirty to see the color. This is it. Jan. No more animals in the house; that's final!" Mrs. Hunter said in a
loud voice as she marched out of the room.
    Jan felt sad. She walked slowly across the street, Buster followed behind, to tell her tale to her old
friend Mr. Ward. He thought for a few minutes. Then he said that if Jan found the right cages(笼子) for
the pets, perhaps Mrs. Hunter could let the animals live out on the warm sun porch(门廊).
Jan remembered an old bird cage that would do for Perky. Buster's bed could simply be moved.
Something for Slipper, though, was a real problem.
    "Let's see what there is out in my garden," Mr. Ward suggested. They found a aquarium(鱼缸)in the
corner. Mr. Ward pulled out a large piece of glass that would do for a cover. Jan and Buster rushed
home to see what Mrs. Hunter would say.
    When Mr. Ward heard Jan's loud cry of joy, he knew Jan's troubles were over.

1. The story took place on_____________.

A. a cold day in March
B. a weekend day in October
C. a Saturday in September
D. a warm day in January

2. __________ is the most important character in the story.

A. Jan
B. Mrs. Hunter
C. Mr. Ward
D. Buster

3. What happened first in the story?

A. Jan took Buster for a walk.
B. Mrs. Hunter saw the dirty shoes.
C. Mrs. Hunter saw Slipper in Jan's room.
D. Jan told her sad story to her friend Mr. Ward.

4. What was the problem in the story?

A. Mrs. Hunter was afraid of snakes.
B. Mr. Ward had an aquarium in his garden.
C. Jan didn't know what to do in such good weather.
D. Jan's mother said the pets couldn't stay in the house.