阅读理解
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under
the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff they call "books".
I was going to have my examination the next day. "When can I go to bed?" I asked myself. I didn't
answer. In fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. "Oh, dear!" I cried. "Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!" We
pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have
to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on.
I did the only thing I could. I prayed, "Oh God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen." My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes
later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
1. The underlined word "wretched" in Paragraph 3 probably means ____________.
A. happy
B. disappointed
C. unhappy
D. hopeful
2. Reviewing his lessons that night didn't help him because ____________.
A. it was too late at night
B. he was very tired
C. his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn't keep them open
D. he hadn't studied hard before the examination
3. What do you suppose probably happened to the author the next day?
A. He went to a church to pray again.
B. He passed the exam all by luck.
C. He failed in the exam.
D. He was punished by his teacher.
4. The best title for the passage would be ____________.
A. The Night Before the Examination
B. Working Far into the Night
C. A Slow Student
D. Going Over My Lessons
