I Wanted A Pair Of Leather Shoes

吉艳

It was eleven oclock at night， a large woman was walking towards home. She had a large purse with everything but money. It hung right behind her shoulder. A boy ran up and tried to snatch her purse. The large woman simply turned around， caught the boy by his shirt， and shook him until his teeth rattled.

After that， the woman asked， “Boy， arent you ashamed of yourself？”

“Im sorry，” whispered the boy.

“What did you want to do it for？ Your face is dirty. Nobody at home to tell you to wash your face？”

The boy shook his head.

“Then，” the woman shouted， “it will get washed this evening. You are going to remember Mrs. Jones！” She dragged the frightened boy behind her and got to her door.

“Are you taking me to the police？” The boy asked.

“Not with that face！ Have you been home to eat yet？”

“Theres nobody at my house.”

“Then well eat，” said Mrs. Jones. “I believe youre hungry， so you tried to steal.”

“I wanted a pair of leather shoes，” said the boy.

“Well， you didnt have to snatch my purse to get things you want. Besides， theres little money in it.”

There was a long pause. After he washed his face and turned around， wondering what to do next， he saw the door was open. He could run， run， run！

In the corner of the room， Mrs. Jones was heating some beans. She did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run， nor did she watch her purse which she left behind on the bed. But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room， away from the purse， where he thought she could easily see him.

“Do you need somebody to get milk or something？” The boy asked.

“Unless you want，” said Mrs. Jones.

As they ate， she didnt ask about where he lived， or his family， or anything that would embarrass him. Instead， she said， “Eat some more， boy！”

When they finished eating， she got up. “Now here， take this ten dollars and buy your shoes. Next time， dont snatch my purse， nor anybody elses—shoes got in bad ways will burn your feet！”

The boy really wanted to say something to Mrs. Jones. But he failed to say a word as he turned at the foot of the steps and looked up at the large woman.

1. According to the passage， we can learn that the woman__________.

A. caught the boy right away

B. held the purse in her arms

C. walked home in the morning

D. had a purse with much money

2. What can you infer from the underlined sentence？

A. The boy felt frightened and was waiting for a chance to escape.

B. The boy wanted Mrs. Jones to punish him because of his mistake.

C. The boy knew Mrs. Jones would give him some money to buy shoes.

D. The boy realized his mistake and didnt want Mrs. Jones to doubt him.

3. Which of the following may be the best title of the passage？

A. Run， Boy， Run

B. Make a Hard Decision

C. Thank you， Mrs. Jones

D. Trust a Frightening Woman

4. Why did the boy fail to say a word to Mrs. Jones in the end？（请用40～50词回答）

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【答案】1. A 2. D 3. C

4.开放性作答，结合文章，言之有理即可。参考答案为：Because the boy knew he had done something wrong. He was afraid that Mrs. Jones would tell the police about the theft. Besides， the boy felt ashamed that he should not have the idea of stealing her purse to buy a pair of shoes. Finally， the little boy was too moved to say a word.

（作者單位：江苏省盐城市鹿鸣路初级中学）