Part II: Reading comprehension (30 points)

A/ Read the following passage and choose the best answer below (15 points)

A THIEF IN THE BUS

Mr. Smith gave his wife ten pounds for her birthday – ten pretty pound notes. So the day after her birthday, Mrs. Smith went shopping. She queued for a bus, got on, and sat down next to an old lade. After a while, she noticed that the old lady’s handbag was open. Inside it, she saw a wad of pound notes exactly like the ones her husband had given her. So she quickly looked into her own bag – the notes had gone! Mrs. Smith was sure that the old lady who was sitting next to her had stolen them. She thought she would have to call the police, but, as she disliked making a fuss-and getting people into trouble, she decided to take back the money from the old lady’s handbag, and say nothing more about it. She looked round the bus to make sure nobody was watching, then she carefully put her hand into the old lady’s bag, took the notes and put them in her own bag.

When she got home that evening, she showed her husband the beautiful hat she had bought. “How did you pay for it?” he asked.

“With the money you gave me for my birthday, of course.” She replied

“Oh? What’s that, then?” he asked, as he pointed to a wd of ten pound notes on the table.

Clothing habits are a matter of (1) preference in the United States.