Question

A few minutes ago, walking back from lunch I started to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn’t much but, as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime.

       The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on sidewalk is an attention-getter. It can be nothing more than a penny. Whatever the coin is, no one ignores the sound of it. It got me thinking about sounds again.

       We are surrounded y so many sounds that attract the most attention. People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine, a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street.

       When I’m in New York, I’m a New Yorker. I don’t turn either. Like the natives. I hardly hear a siren (警笛) there .

       At home in my little town in Connecticut, it’s different. The distant loud noise of a police car , an emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I’m seated and brings me to the window if I’m in bed .

       It’s the quietest sounds that have most effect on us, not the loudest. In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away through three closed doors. I’ve been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imagination turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house. How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime?

       I’m quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what he bad sounds are

       I’ve turned against whistling, for instance. I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I’ve been connecting the whistler with a nervous person making noises.

       The tapping, tapping, tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me. I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it.

1．The sound of a coin dropping makes people _________

       A．think of money                                          B．look at each other          

C．pay attention to it                                D．stop crossing the street

2．How does the author relate to sounds at night?

       A．He imagines sounds that do not exist.

B．He thinks taps should be turned off

C．He believes it’s rather quiet at night

D．He overstates quiet sounds

3．He dislikes whistling because __________.

       A．he is tired of it                                           B．he used to be happier

C．it reminds him of tense people               D．he doesn’t like workers

4．What kind of sound does he find pleasant?

       A．Tapping of his typewriter                            B．Clinking sound of keys

C．Tinkling sound  of a coin dropping              D．Creaking sounds

5．How does the writer feel about sounds in general?

       A．They make him feel at home                

B．He thinks they should be ignored

C．He believes they are part of our lives    

D．He prefers silence to loud noises

Answer 1

1．C       2．D      3．C       4．A       5．C