阅读理解。
The wonderful medicine
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 (人群)
collecting money and handing out bottles of the cold cure.
Then, when he had a big crowd, the man held up a very small bottle.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," he shouted, "here is the medicine you have been waiting for. The
cure for old age. Drink just one bottle of this and you will live forever."
"And, ladies and gentlemen," the man continued, "I'm not going to charge (收费) you a hundred dollars
a bottle for this wonderful medicine. I'm not going to charge you fifty dollars a bottle. I'm not going to charge
you twenty-five dollars a bottle. No, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to charge you just ten dollars a bottle.
Think, my friends, for ten dollars you can live forever."
Most of the people in the crowed did not believe this.
One person shouted, "If it will make you live forever, why don't you drink it?"
Another person cried, "Yes, you look as if you are at least sixty years old."
"Thank you, sir, thank you," the man replied. "I'm so glad you said that. My real age is three hundred and
twenty-nine."
The crowd laughed at this, but there were still a few people who wanted to believe the man. One of them
spoke to the man's assistant as she passed by. "Is that true?" he asked, "that he's three hundred and
twenty-nine?"
"Don't ask me." the assistant said, "I've only worked for him for a hundred and fifty years."
1. What did the man sell at first? [ ]
A. A cure for colds.
B. Empty bottles.
C. A cure for old age.
D. A medicine that made people live forever.
2. Why didn't the people believe the man was selling medicine that could cure old age? [ ]
A. The medicine was too cheap.
B. The medicine was too expenxive.
C. He looked quite old himself.
D. He didn't look honest.
3. How old did the man selling medicine said he was? [ ]
A. At least sixty
B. Over three hundred
C. A hundred and fifty
D. He didn't say
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
5. Which of the following is TRUE? [ ]
A. Not very many people wanted to buy the cold cure?
B. He charged twenty-five dollars a bottle for the cure for colds.
C. The man selling medicine had taken his own cure for old ages.
D. The assistant was younger than the man.
