She did not cross Harper's Bridge but followed a rough path along the right bank of the river, past a group of alders and another of willows, this second group, extending in a sickle-shaped mass from the water's edge into Harper's Meadow, rose up in the dusk. She could smell willow leaves and wet soil. As sometimes happens when we are solitary, she had the sensation of being observed but she was not a fanciful woman and soon dismissed the feeling.

“ It's turned much cooler, ” she thought.

A cry of mourning, intolerably loud, rose from beyond the willows and hung on the night air. A brown bird whirred out of the thicket close to her face and the cry broke and moved again gently in several different directions. It was the howl of a dog. She pushed through the thicket into a clearing by the river and found the body of Colonel Carter with his dog Skip bedside him, mourning him.

41.Why did Nurse Kettle suddenly stop?

A. She thought she was dying.

B. She wondered if she was alone.

C. She wanted to hear the sound of the stream.

D. She thought she heard a voice.

42.Which direction did Nurse Kettle take when she reached Harper’s Bridge?

A. She crossed it and continued along the right bank.

B. She didn't cross it and turned away from the trees.

C. She followed a path through some tress.

D. She followed a path by the river bank.

43.What caused Nurse Kettle to feel that she was being watched?

A. The strange shape in the mist.

B. The damp smell of the wet earth.

C. A sense of not being alone.

D. A drop in the temperature.

44.Where did Nurse Kettle discover the body of Colonel Carter?

A. In some thick bushes.

B. In the river with his dog.

C. Among the willow trees.

D. In an opening beyond the bushes.

Passage 2

The idea of “ a chain of stores, ” buying directly from the manufacturer in large quantities and selling in many different places throughout the country, had its beginning with Woolworth, Kress,        Kresge, and others who followed them. They were the forerunners of the large retail chain and department stores. These men had the vision to see that the more the manufacturers produced, the greater would be the saving to the consumer.

Frank Woolworth was born in the town of Rodman in New York State, in the year 1855. He had a poverty-stricken childhood, which meant hardly enough to eat, one pair of boots a year, and never a warm coat for the winter. Frank did not like farming. He dreamed of being a railroad engineer. Later, he changed his ambition and wanted to become a merchant.