2000/02（追試）
Things were quiet in the bookstore facing Sydney Harbor. Lucy put down the magazine she had been reading. Suddenly, as she was about to pick up another one, she heard the raised voice of the salesclerk a few meters away: “Why don’t you say something? I’ve already asked you three times!” How rude, thought Lucy. She looked up and saw a boy of her own age, slim and fair-haired with blue eyes. Blushing with shame, he was staring at the clerk behind the counter. Lucy sensed something was wrong. She hesitated, wondering what was going on, then decided to lend a hand.
“Can I help?” she asked politely.
“I don’t know,” said the clerk. “You his sister?”
“No,” replied Lucy, glancing at the boy who was now staring at her. “Why? What’s he done?”
“Look.” said the clerk loudly and slowly, “all I want to know is his name and address, because he says he wants some books delivered.”
“Did you understand that?” Lucy asked the boy kindly.
“Of course I did! I’m not stupid!” he replied, angry now and even redder than before. Taking the salesclerk’s pad and pen, he printed a name and address in large, firm capitals. Then he turned round and walked out.
Lucy followed the boy out of the shop.
“What’s your name? I’m Lucy Hunter.”
The boy had stopped to look into the window of a pet shop. He did not answer. Lucy came closer and looked into his face.
“I think I’ve seen you at school.”
“Why don’t you mind your own business?” he said, his face still red.
“I only asked your name.”
“My name’s Glen.”
Lucy paused, then said slowly and clearly, “You have some difficulty hearing, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?” Glen suddenly stood very still, then continued angrily. “Why don’t you leave me alone?”
This was a difficult moment, Lucy sensed. Without looking at Glen, she vent into the next shop and bought some chocolates. When she came out, Glen had started walking through the shopping center. She caught up with him and held the chocolates in front of him.
“Go on, have some. They’re really good,”
He hesitated, then gave in. For a while, neither said anything. When Glen spoke again, his voice was calm.
“Did someone at school tell you?”
“Tell me what? That you had a hearing problem? No, nobody did.”
“You mean, you just knew? Then other people probably do too,” he sighed.
“Probably not,” said Lucy. “Lots of people talk so much they never notice if anyone’s listening. Besides, I have an aunt who’s deaf. And anyway, you can hear some things, can’t you?”
Glen nodded. “Depends on who’s speaking, Sometimes it sounds, well, mixed up. The sounds are all unclear. The trouble is, it’s slowly getting worse.”
Lucy tried to imagine what it was like, but she could not. Still, after a brief period of trial and error as they walked along, she found that if she spoke clearly and not too fast, and from a little way in front of him, Glen could understand everything she said. It was not necessary for her to shout or make careful movements with her lips.
“Have you noticed all the flags for the Captain Cook celebrations?” Glen said as they neared the end of the shopping center.
“Yes,” said Lucy. “But Captain Cook doesn’t interest me.”
“But just think how lonely he must have been,” Glen went on dreamily. “All those years at sea. He was all by himself, in charge. If you’re captain, you can’t go round chatting to the crew.”
“I never thought of that,” admitted Lucy.
“Lots of great people must have been lonely,” said Glen. “I suppose they were used to
Anyway, I must be off.”
Lucy stopped, at a loss for words. They had reached the road. Glen walked quickly away, as if he were ashamed of talking so freely to someone he had met only a while before. But a few steps down the road he turned, smiled, and waved to her.
“See you!” Lucy called.
- What happened in the bookstore when Lucy was looking at magazines?
① She heard the salesclerk speaking angrily to the young boy.
② Some people in the store were looking fur the young boy.
③ The young boy shouted at the salesclerk.
④ The young boy’s behavior made the salesclerk blush, - What probably made Glen mad when Lucy asked if he had a hearing problem?
① He did not like the rude way in which she spoke.
② He did not want other people to know his problem.
③ He had been hurt by someone he knew very well.
④ He thought it was wrong for a stranger to talk to him so politely. - Why did Lucy buy chocolates?
① Glen was looking into the window of a candy store.
② She knew that Glen liked chocolate very much.
③ She wanted Glen to have a chance to leave.
④ She wanted to ease the tension with Glen. - What did Captain Cook probably mean to Glen?
① He was a person Australians were not interested in.
② He was a person Glen felt he could relate to.
③ He was a person who wanted more power.
④ Like Glen, he was a person no one would help, - Which of the following best describes Glen’s state of mind at the end of the story?
① He had fresh confidence to face life’s challenges.
② He still wanted to hide his hearing problem from Lucy.
③ He was excited about the possibility of recovering his hearing ability.
④ He was upset because Lucy kept talking to him.
