“Yes, I’ll be ready at nine in the morning. Goodbye,
dear, and thanks again.” It had not been an easy telephone call for Mrs. Robson
to make. Her daughter had been very kind, of course, and had immediately agreed
to pick her up and drive her to the station, but Mrs. Robson hated to admit
that she needed help. Since her husband died ten years ago, she had prided
herself on her independence. She had continued to live in their little house,
alone.
This evening, however, she was standing at her
living-room window, staring out at the SOLD notice in the small front garden.
Her feelings were mixed. Of course, she was sad at the thought of leaving the
house, as it was full of so many memories. But at the same time she was looking
forward to spending her last years near the sea, back in the little seaside
town where she had been born. With the money from the sale of the house, she
had bought a little flat there. She turned from the living room window, and
looked round at the room. One or two pieces of furniture remained, covered with
sheet. All her pictures had been taken from the walls. There was a small fish
tank, with two goldfish in it. When asked why, her husband used to say: “It’s
nice to have something alive in the room.” Since he had passed away, she had
always kept some goldfish, and always had “something alive in the room”.
The next morning, as her train was pulling out of the
station, Mrs. Robson called to her daughter, “Kate, you won’t forget to collect
the goldfish, will you? The children will love them. It’s…”
“I know,” Kate interrupted gently. “It’s nice to have
something alive in the room.” But in the little house, the two goldfish had
stopped their circling. They were floating on the water, in the room with
silent walls.
1.According to the passage, we know that Mrs. Robson
________.
A. was a person who liked to be alone
B. was not able to help herself
C. did not like asking people for help
D. wanted to live without her husband
2.On her last night in the house, Mrs. Robson was
feeling __________.
A. a bit sad but not totally unhappy
B. happy but unable to help herself
C. proud and sad
D. in poor spirits
3. Mrs. Robson was going to __________.
A. be in
hospital
B. live with her daughter
C. meet her
husband
D. live where she was born
4.The little house meant a lot to Mrs. Robson
because________.
A. it was full of pets and plants
B. many friends and relatives visited it
C. it had a long and unforgettable history
D. an important part of her life was spent there
