C

    Have you ever suddenly felt that someone you knew was in trouble —and was he? Have you ever dreamed something that came true later? Maybe you have ESP（特異功能）. ESP stands for Extrasensory Perception. It may be called a sixth sense. It seems to let people know about events before they happen, or events that are happening some distance away.

Here’s an example. A woman was ironing clothes. Suddenly she screamed, “My father is dead! I saw him sitting in the chair!” Just then, a telegram came. The woman’s father died of a heart attack. He died sitting in a chair.

There are thousands of stories like this one on record. Scientists are studying them to find out what’s behind these strange mental messages. Here’s another example —one of hundreds of dreams that have come true.

    A man dreamed he was walking along a road when a horse and carriage came by. The driver said, “There’s room for one more.” The man felt the driver seemed dead, so he ran away. The next day, when the man was getting on a crowded bus, the bus driver said. “There’s room for one more.”

    Then the man saw that the driver’s face was the same face he had seen in the dream. He wouldn’t get on the bus. As the bus drove off, it crashed and burst into flames. Everyone was killed!

    Some people say stories like these are coincidences. Others, including some scientists, say that ESP is real. From studies of ESP, we may someday learn more about the human mind.

59. According to the passage, the author believes that the sixth sense is ______.

   A. possible     B. imaginative C. not real     D. impossible

60. By studying ESP, scientists may get to ______.

   A. learn how people tell lies      B. know more about human dreams

   C. know more about human mind      D. learn how strange things happen

61. In the last paragraph the underlined word “coincidences” probably means “______”.

   A. things that may not happen      B. things that happen by accident

   C. things that must happen      D. things that happen in a dream 

62. This article is mainly about ______.

   A. the human dream      B. a crowded bus

   C. the human mind      D. the sixth sense 

D

    My son and I were trying to sell the house we had repaired, but in the barn（谷倉）there were bats and they would not leave. The barn was their home. They told us so in their own way they hung for the season. “Don’t worry about it, Dad.” Patrick said. “They keep down the mosquitoes（蚊子）.”

    Unfortunately they also kept the buyers away. When we had asked a person to sell the house for us he had refused to show it because of the bats. “Bats are popular,” Patrick comforted me. “They are ecological.” “Isn’t there a machine you can buy that produces high-frequency sounds to keep bats away?” “ I don’t know,” said Patrick. “But I like bats, and whoever buys this house will probably like them too.’ “Probably?” I hated that word. “How many bats are there, anyway?” “I counted about 90 last night,” said Patrick. “They were dropping out from under the edge of the roof.” “You mean there are more------outside?” “They’re everywhere, Dad. But look at it this way. When the cold weather comes, they’ll be off to Mexico. Maybe in the spring we can keep them out. Don’t worry about it,” he said for the hundredth time. “It’s not a problem.”

    The bat expert I called was even more active than Patrick. “I think you’ve got a large number there,” he said in wonder. “I’ve been trying to attract bats to our house for 25 years. A single bat ears up his weight in mosquitoes and black flies three times every night. You’ve a very lucky man.” I offered to share my luck with him. He could take them away. “Bats have a remarkable homing instinct（本能）,” he said. “They’d fly straight back even if I transported them 100 miles. Once they have settled, you can’t stop them from coming back.” I was silent.

Finally we managed to rent the house to a young family, who were also interested in buying it. “What about the bats?” I said to Patrick. “Oh, they love the bats,” he said. “No mosquitoes. No black flies. It’s one of the things that attracted them.” “Do you think they will really buy the house?” “Probably? Well, if they do, I suppose I’ll have to admit that I was wrong.” “You mean you’re going to eat your words?”

“Yes. I am.”

63. What was the problem the author had with his house?

A. Bats were living in the barn and wouldn’t go away.

B. The author and his son couldn’t sleep well because of the bats

C. The author and his son might be able to stay for the season.

D. The house was still badly in need of repair.

64. What did Patrick suggest the author should do to stop the bats living in the barn?

A. Buy a high-frequency machine.

B. Close the barn in the spring.

C. Reduce the number of mosquitoes.

D. Move them one hundred miles away. 

65. What happened to the house in the end?

A. Some people agreed to rent the house.

B. The author failed to find anybody who wanted to live in the house

C. The bat expert made the decision to buy the house.

D. The bats left the house for Mexico in the spring.

66. Why did the author think he might have to “eat his words”?

A. He felt sorry for the bats.

B. He was happy about selling the house.

C. He realized they might be wrong about the bats’ actions

D. He might be mistaken about being unable to sell the house.
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