2000/01（本試）
Sally arrived early. As she walked around the old house, she couldn’t help feeling sad because of what was about to happen. It was almost a year since her dear grandmother had passed away in this house at the age of ninety-two. The family had very much wanted to keep all her things. Unfortunately, the family business had failed and left them with heavy debts. In the end, the bank had forced the family to have an auction sale to repay their debts. The auction was to be held today.
Sally wandered into the yard where all her grandmother’s things were neatly arranged, including dishes, old furniture, and the like. She was especially anxious to see the quilt that had been in her family for over one hundred years. She found it in a corner of the yard, lying on her grandmother’s bed as she always remembered it. Coming close, Sally began to touch gently the patches of cloth which had been sewn together with so much love and care.
If this quilt could talk, she thought, the stories it would surely tell! Her entire family history was contained within its borders. For instance, there was the patch of cloth from her great-grandmother’s baby dress. Another square was made up of material from her grandmother’s wedding dress. There were even bits of cloth from her own mother’s graduation and wedding dresses.
Around the edges of this family treasure there were, of course, the newer additions. These pieces of cloth were related directly to Sally and her cousins, recording baby births, graduations, weddings, and other happy occasions. Sally was so glad that her grandmother had kept all these pieces.
Sally had never attended an auction before. She had heard you had to bid for things you wanted. in other words, people offered money for an item, and the person who offered the most money would get ii Over the previous several weeks, she had managed to save $100 in order to bid on the quilt. Surely this will be enough, she had thought. Now the big moment had arrived Looking around, Sally was surprised to see how many people had turned up, some from far away.
As the auction began, Sally waited. Finally, the time came to bid on the quilt. She held her purse tightly and listened. The first bid was $50. She was shocked. It was so high! Quickly other people bid and soon the bidding reached $85. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath, Sally yelled out “$100!” For a moment there was silence. Hope filled her. She glanced again at the quilt, thinking how pleased her grandmother would have been with her at this moment.
Just then, from the back, another person shouted “$125!” In an instant, Sally’s eyes filled with tears. That was it. She had lost her chance. Suddenly feeling very miserable, she couldn’t help wondering why so many people would be interested in that old, torn, dirty quilt. The quilt finally sold for $500 to a complete stranger. For the rest of the auction, with an empty feeling inside her, Sally just stayed around to bid for a few small items that reminded her of her childhood.
After the sale, she went to the counter to pay for the few items that were now hers. The woman at the cash register handed her a rather large box. When Sally opened it, there was the quilt. “There must be some mistake. Someone else got this,” she said. At that moment, she noticed a handwritten note attached to the quilt with a safety pin, which read:
Dear Madam.
Before the auction, I noticed you admiring the quilt. Clearly, this object was very precious to you. Your sadness at losing the bid was so apparent that it broke my heart. Although you don’t know me, please accept this quilt as my gift. I don’t expect repayment from you. I only ask that you do a similar favor in the future for a stranger who happens to cross your path.
Yours,
A Sentimental Stranger
- Why did Sally’s family have to sell her grandmother’s belongings?
① Her grandmother wished them to sell all her belongings.
② Most of the items were too old and dirty to keep.
③ They needed the money to pay off their debts.
④ They wanted to forget the hard times the3d had with her grandmother. - Which of the following best describes the grandmother’s quilt?
① Each patch of the quilt was a reminder of a special family occasion.
② Every time the family celebrated a special occasion, a new quilt was made.
③ The family put some treasures inside the quilt every time they celebrated a special occasion.
④ The quilt carried a motto belonging to Sally’s family. - Which of the following best describes Sally’s feelings during the bidding for the quilt?
① As soon as she heard the first bid, she was confident that with $100 she could get the quilt.
② From the start of the bidding until someone bid $125, she was sure that her bid would be the highest.
③ She was too nervous to look at anything except the quilt.
④ Straight after she bid, she thought her bid had been successful. - Which best describes how Sally felt when she opened the box?
① She thought her expectations had been realized.
② She thought it was not intended for her.
③ She thought someone was playing a game.
④ She thought the owner did not want it. - What did the handwritten note in the box ask Sally to do?
① It asked her to do something kind for another person.
② It asked her to give some money to a stranger at the auction.
③ It asked her to pay for the quilt with the stranger’s money.
④ It asked her to sell the quilt again at an auction.
