Having returned from her round trip (往返旅程), the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes (应给予) me￡12,” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office, “you sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me ￡12.”
Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, madam,” he said politely, “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”
The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sunburnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”
“Yes,” She answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”
“That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can’t swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three…”
“I’m four,” the child said proudly. “I’ll be four and a half.” Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, madam,” he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”
“Err, well…” the woman looked at the child. “I mean… she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”
“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs… let me see…￡13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…”
The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.
【小题1】The woman was angry because .A．she couldn’t use the ticket for her round tripB．she had to return home a day earlier than she had plannedC．she spent more money than she had expectedD．Harry had sold her a ticket to Jersey where there was no sailing【小题2】Harry started talking to the little girl .A．because he was in difficulty and did not know what to doB．because he had a little girl about the same age as this girlC．because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so niceD．when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl【小题3】The woman left the office without saying anything because .A．she wanted to go home and get money for the child’s ticketB．she was so angry that she didn’t want to have anything more to do with the young manC．she was moved by Harry’s kindnessD．she knew she would have to pay the railway if she insistedC
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(答案→)C
解析：这篇短文中的女士因为售票员给错了她票而指责售票员，结果在售票员与小女孩的对话中得知小女孩没有买票就做了火车，从而改变了自己被动的局面，让这个女人知难而退。
【小题1】根据短文第一段描述，可知这个女人生气的原因是住旅馆多花了钱，故选C。
【小题2】根据How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sunburnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”描述，可知他此时不知道该如何做。故选A。
【小题3】通过短文后半部分描述，可知这个小女孩没有买票就做了火车，所以如果这女人如果在坚持的话，她就得给小女孩补票。故选D。