60. Which of the following words best describes Mum?

A. strange　　 B. warm-hearted　　 C. clever　　 D. hard-working

B

Allen goes everywhere with Birgitta Anderson, a 54-year-old secretary. He moves around her office at work and goes shopping with her. “Most people don’t seem to mind Allen,” says Birgitta, who thinks he is wonderful. “He is my fourth child,” she says. She may think of him and treat him that way, buying his food, paying his health bills and his taxes, but in fact Allen is a dog.

Bitgitta and Allen live in Sweden, a country where everyone is expected to lead an orderly life according to rules laid down by the government, which also provides a high level of care for its people. This level of care costs money.

People in Sweden pay taxes on everything, so aren’t surprised to find that owing a dog means yet more taxes. Some people are paying as much as 500 Sweden kronor in taxes a year for the right to keep their dog, money that is spent by the government on dog hospitals and sometimes medical treatment for a dog that falls ill. However, most such treatment is expensive, so owners often decide to pay health and even life insurance for their dog.

In Sweden dog owners must pay for any damage their dog does. A Swedish Kennel Club official explains what this means: if your dog runs out on the road and gets hit by a passing car you, as the owner, have to pay for any damage done to the car, even if your dog has been killed in the accident.

59. From the text we know that Dagmar is most likely ______________.

A. the story-teller’s sister　　　　　　 B. Mum’s friend

C. the story-teller’s classmate　　　　 D. Dad’s boss

58. After reading the story what can we infer about the hospital?

A.　　　 It is a children’s hospital.　　　　

B.　　　 It has strict rules about visiting hours.

C.　　　 The conditions there aren’t very good.

D.　　　 The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard.

57. When the nurse talked to Mum she thought Mum was a _____________.

A. nurse　　　 B. visitor　　　 C. patient　　　　 D. cleaner

56. When she took a mop from the small room what Mum really wanted to do was______.

A. to clean the floor　　　　　　 B. to please the nurse

C. to see a patient　　　　　　　 D. to surprise the story-teller

55. A. following B. like　　　　　 C. compared　　　　 　 D. as

Part IV.　 Reading 每小题1分，共25分

A

We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. While I watched mouth open in surprise, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop. She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.”

“Yes. I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered. She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren’t you working late?”

Mum just pushed harder, each swipe of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book.

After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining. She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”

Outside, Mum told me: “Dagmar is fine. No fever.”

“You saw her, Mum?”

“Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It’s a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is no good. You need a brush.”

54. A. done　　 B. persuaded　　 C. turned　　　　　　 D. encouraged

53. A. dangerous B. peaceful　　　 　 C. safe　　　　　　 　 D. desired

52. A. decide　　 B. achieve　　　 　 C. arrive　　　　　　 　 D. clear

51. A. ought to 　 B. needn’t　　　 C. can　　　　　　 　 D. must