B
A boy of 10 years old or so went to a grocery shop to make a telephone call. Clearly, he changed his tone of voice while speaking over the phone. When all this was happening, the store owner observed and listened with great interest to the conversation that followed:
“Madam, I am a poor boy. Can you give me a job cutting grass on your lawn?” the little boy asked.
“Sorry, I already have someone to cut my lawn,” the woman at the other end of the phone line replied.
“Madam, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now.”
“I’m very happy with the person who is presently cutting my lawn. He is doing a good job.”
“Madam, I’ll even sweep your curb(清扫路边), so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach, Florida.”
“No, thank you.”
Instead of getting angry, the little boy smiled and put back the receiver(听筒) gently.
The store owner, who was listening to the conversation, walked over to the boy and said, “Son, I like your attitude and I would like to offer you a job.”
“No, thanks. But I appreciate your offer.”
“But you were really pleading(恳求) for a job when you were talking to the lady over the phone.”
“No, sir, I was just checking my performance on the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!” the little boy replied.
()24. The boy changed his tone on the phone because .
A. he didn’t want the woman to know who he was
B. he didn’t want the store owner to hear what he said
C. he hoped that the woman could listen to him clearly
D. he wanted to make the store owner interested in him
()25. What did the boy offer to do for the woman?
A. Cut the woman’s lawn for free.
B. Have the prettiest beach in Florida.
C. Work for half the price of the other person.
D. Sweep the curb for half the price of others.
()26. Hearing the conversation, the store owner might think .
A. the boy really needed a job
B. the boy made a call by mistake
C. the boy was telling lies all the time
D. the boy was not good at cutting lawns
()27. Which of the following words can best describe the boy’s attitude toward the job?
A. Hopeless. B. Careless.
C. Joking. D. Serious.

24. A
25. C
26. A
27. D  

翻译:
### B
一个大约10岁的男孩走进一家杂货店打电话。很明显，他在打电话时改变了语气。当这一切发生时，店主饶有兴趣地观察并倾听了接下来的对话：
“女士，我是个穷孩子。您能给我一份在您的草坪上除草的工作吗？”小男孩问道。
“抱歉，我已经有人帮我除草了。”电话线另一端的女士回答道。
“女士，我会以现在帮您除草的人的一半价格来为您除草。”
“我对现在帮我除草的人很满意。他干得很好。”
“女士，我甚至会清扫您的路边，这样在周日，您的草坪将会是佛罗里达州棕榈滩所有草坪中最漂亮的。”
“不用了，谢谢。”
小男孩没有生气，反而微笑着轻轻地把听筒放了回去。
一直在听对话的店主走到男孩身边说：“孩子，我喜欢你的态度，我想给你一份工作。”
“不用了，谢谢。但我很感激您的提议。”
“但你在和那位女士通电话时真的在恳求一份工作。”
“不，先生，我只是在检查我已经拥有的那份工作的表现。我就是正在为我通话的那位女士工作的人！”小男孩回答道。
（ ）24. 男孩在电话里改变语气是因为______。
A. 他不想让那位女士知道他是谁
B. 他不想让店主听到他说的话
C. 他希望那位女士能清楚地听到他说的话
D. 他想让店主对他感兴趣
（ ）25. 男孩提出为那位女士做什么？
A. 免费为那位女士除草。
B. 拥有佛罗里达州最漂亮的海滩。
C. 以另一个人的一半价格工作。
D. 以其他人的一半价格清扫路边。
（ ）26. 听到对话后，店主可能会认为______。
A. 这个男孩真的需要一份工作
B. 这个男孩打错电话了
C. 这个男孩一直在说谎
D. 这个男孩不擅长除草
（ ）27. 以下哪个词最能描述男孩对这份工作的态度？
A. 绝望的。
B. 粗心的。
C. 开玩笑的。
D. 认真的。