15. D。Do you know why? 用在文章最后用来引出原因，告诉读者其中的奥妙。

20

Peter’s job was to examine cars when they crossed the frontier to make sure that they were not smuggling anything into the country. Every evening he would see a factory worker coming __1__ the hill towards the frontier, __2__ a bike with a pile of goods of old straw on it. When the bike __3__ the frontier, Peter would stop the man and __4__ him take the straw off and untie it. Then he would examine the straw very __5__ to see __6__ he could find anything, after which he would look in all the man’s pockets __7__ he let him tie the straw again. The man would then put it on his bike and go off down the hill with it. Although Peter was always __8__ to find gold or other valuable things __9__ in the straw, he never found __10__. He was sure the man was __11__ something, but he was not __12__ to think out what it could be.

Then one evening, after he had looked __13__ the straw and emptied the worker’s pockets __14__ usual, he __15__ to him, “Listen, I know you are smuggling things __16__ this frontier. Won’t you tell me what it is? I’m an old man, and today’s my last day on the __17__. Tomorrow I’m going to __18__. I promise I shall not tell __19__ if you tell me what you’ve been smuggling.” The worker did not say anything for __20__. Then he smiled, turned to Peter and said quietly, “Bikes.”

14. C。由于小男孩的聪明，“除了”他自己，其他仆人都累坏了。

13. B。听了主人的话，小男孩“什么也没说”，而是高兴地挑起了担

子。　　　　

12. D。主人看到这个小仆人选择了最重的担子，感到他很“愚蠢”，故选foolish。。

11. B。此句意为“你要选择挑最轻的担子”，“pick up”意为“捡起”，不合文意，故选choose。

10. A。参照第8题。

9. C。参照第8题。

8. D。此句和上文是转折关系,意为“但是你是我的仆人中最小的、最瘦的、最弱的一个，你不能挑重担”，故选but。

7. A。富人同意小男孩随行。

6. C。参照第5题。