TEXT C
I am afraid to sleep. I have been afraid to sleep for the last few weeks. I am so tired that, finally, I do sleep, but only for a few minutes. It is not a bad dream that wakes me ; it is the reality I took with me into sleep . I try to think of something else.
Immediately the woman in the marketplace comes into my mind.
I was on my way to dinner last night when I saw her . She was selling skirts. She moved with the same ease and loveliness I often saw in the women of Laos. Her long black hair was as shiny as the black silk of the skirts she was selling . In her hair, she wore three silk ribbons, blue ,green, and white. They reminded me of my childhood and how my girlfriends and I used to spend hours braiding ribbons into our hair.
I don’t know the word for “ribbons”, so I put my hand to my own hair and , with three fingers against my head , I looked at her ribbons and said “Beautiful.” She lowered her eyes and said nothing. I wasn’t sure if she understood me (I don’t speak Laotian very well).
I looked back down at the skirts. They had designs on them: squares and triangles and circles of pink and green silk. They were very pretty. I decided to buy one of those skirts, and I began to bargain with her over the price. It is the custom to bargain in Asia. In Laos bargaining is done in soft voices and easy moves with the sort of quiet peacefulness.
She smiled, more with her eyes than with her lips. She was pleased by the few words I was able to say in her language, although they were mostly numbers, and she saw that I understood something about the soft playfulness of bargaining. We shook our heads in disagreement over the price; then, immediately, we made another offer and then another shake of the head. She was so pleased that unexpectedly, she accepted the last offer I made. But it was too soon. The price was too low. She was being too generous and wouldn’t make enough money. I moved quickly and picked up two more skirts and paid for all three at the price set; that way I was able to pay her three times as much before she had a chance to lower the price for the larger purchase. She smiled openly then, and, for the first time in months, my spirit lifted. I almost felt happy.
The feeling stayed with me while she wrapped the skirts in a newspaper and handed them to me. When I left, though, the feeling left, too. It was as though it stayed behind in marketplace. I left tears in my throat. I wanted to cry. I didn’t , of course.
I have learned to defend myself against what is hard; without knowing it, I have also learned to defend myself against what is soft and what should be easy.
I get up, light a candle and want to look at the skirts. They are still in the newspaper that the woman wrapped them in. I remove the paper, and raise the skirts up to look at them again before I pack them. Something falls to floor. I reach down and feel something cool in my hand. I move close to the candlelight to see what I have. There are five long silk ribbons in my hand, all different colors. The woman in the marketplace! She has given these ribbons to me!
There is no defense against a generous spirit, and this time I cry, and very hard, as if I could make up for all the months that I didn’t cry.
感谢沪江网（http://www.hjenglish.com）网友helenyan2002给出的这份详解
89. According to the writer, the woman in the marketplace ____B____ .
A. refused to speak to her.
B. was pleasant and attractive.
C. was selling skirts and ribbons.
D. recognized her immediately.
解析：B。根据第3段对她的细节描写。 “She moved with the same ease and loveliness … Her long black hair was as shiny as the black silk of the skirts she was selling . In her hair, she wore three silk ribbons, blue ,green, and white. They reminded me of my childhood and how my girlfriends and I used to spend hours braiding ribbons into our hair.” 由此可见，作者对她的印象是愉快的。
感谢沪江论坛（）网友helenyan2002给出的这份详解90. Which of the following in NOT correct? ____A____
A. The writer was not used to bargaining.
B. People in Asia always bargain when buying things.
C. Bargaining in Laos was quiet and peaceful.
D. The writer was ready to bargain with the woman.
解析：A。第5段 “It is the custom to bargain in Asia. In Laos bargaining is done in soft voices and easy moves with the sort of quiet peacefulness.” （在亚洲，人们有讨价还价的习俗。在老挝，人们讨价还价时总是轻言细语），由此可知，B、C、D是正确的。作者了解当地的习俗，所以很自然地开始bargain，所以A选项不对。
感谢沪江网（http://www.hjenglish.com）网友helenyan2002给出的这份详解
91. The writer assumed that the woman accepted the last offer mainly because woman ____A/C____ .
A. thought that the last offer was reasonable.
B. thought she could still make much money.
C. was glad that the writer knew their way of bargaining.
D. was tired of bargaining with the writer any more.
解析：A/C。“she accepted the last offer I made. But it was too soon. The price was too low. She was being too generous and wouldn’t make enough money.”
感谢沪江论坛（）网友helenyan2002给出的这份详解92. Why did the writer finally decide to buy three skirts? ____C____
|A. The skirts were cheap and pretty.
B. She liked the patterns on the skirts.
C. She wanted to do something as compensation.
D. She was fed up with further bargaining with the woman.
解析：C。第6段: “that way I was able to pay her three times as much before she had a chance to lower the price for the larger purchase.” 由此可知，作者因为价格很低，所以想多买几件作为对卖裙子的姑娘的一种补偿。
感谢沪江网（http://www.hjenglish.com）网友helenyan2002给出的这份详解
93.When did the writer left the marketplace, she wanted to cry, but did not because ____A____.
A. she had learned to stay cool and unfeeling.
B. she was afraid of crying in public.
C. she had learned to face difficulties bravely.
D. she had to show in public that she was strong.
解析：A。第8段：“I have learned to defend myself against what is hard; without knowing it, I have also learned to defend myself against what is soft and what should be easy.”（我学会了抗拒困难，不知不觉中，我也学会了不被温柔和轻松俘获。）由此可知，作者没有哭是因为她已经学会控制自己的情绪不会轻易受到影响，所以选A。
感谢沪江论坛（）网友helenyan2002给出的这份详解94. Why did the writer cry eventually when she looked at the skirts again? ____C____
A. she suddenly felt very sad.
B. she liked the ribbons so much.
C. she was overcome by emotion.
D. she felt sorry for the woman.
解析：C。最后一段：“There is no defense against a generous spirit, and this time I cry…”（对于一颗慷慨的心你是无法防备的，所以这次我哭了，…）由此可知我哭是因为被卖丝绸裙子的姑娘感动了。
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