1. A man was selling medicine at a fair(集市). At first he sold bottles of a cure(药剂) for colds for just a dollar a bottle.
Many people wanted to buy it and the man’s young assistant moved quickly through the crowd collecting money and handing out bottles of the cure.
Then, when he had a bid crowd, the man stood up, held up a very small bottle and said, “And now, ladies and gentleman, I am not going to charge you a hundred dollars a bottle for this wonderful medicine. I am not going to charge you fifty dollars a bottle. I am not going to charge you twenty-five dollars a bottle. Now, ladies and gentleman. I am not going to charge you ten dollars, and you can live forever.
Most of the people in the crowd did not believe this. One person shouted, “ If you can make you live forever, why don’t you drink it?” Then the other man cried, “ Yes, you look as if you are at least sixty years.”
“ Thank you, sir, thank you,” the man answered, “ I am so glad you said that. My real age is three hundred and twenty-nine.” The crowd laughed at this but there were still some people who wanted to believe the man. One of them spoke to the man’s assistant as he passed by, “ Is that true?” he asked. “ Is he three hundred and twenty-nine?
“ Don’t ask me, ” the assistant said, “ I have only worked for him for a hundred and fifty years.”
【小题1】What did the man sell at first? He sold ________.
| A．a cure for colds |
| B．bottles |
| C．a cure for old age |
| D．a medicine that made people live forever |
【小题2】The people didn’t believe that the man’s medicine could cure old age because _______.
| A．the medicine was too cheap |
| B．the medicine was too expensive |
| C．he looked quite old himself |
| D．he didn’t look honest |
【小题3】What does the word “charge” mean in this passage?
【小题4】How much did the man charge for the cure for old age?
| A．one dollar a bottle |
| B．twenty-five dollars a bottle |
| C．ten dollars a bottle |
| D．fifty dollars a bottle |
【小题5】What does this passage really mean?
| A．The cure for old age is very useful and not so expensive. |
| B．he man is not honest, and neither is his assistant. |
| C．The cheaper the medicine is, the more people will buy. |
| D．The two men are very honest, and they’d like to help people live forever. |