A Narrow Escape
Shortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days’ holiday with an uncle who had just returned from abroad. He had rented （租） a cottage in the country, although he hardly spent much time there. We understood the reason for this after our arrival: the cottage had no comfortable furniture in it. Many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked （漏水）, making the whole house wet.
On our first evening, we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories our uncle told of his many adventures in distant countries. I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed; but I could not bear to miss any of my uncle’s exciting stories, He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had once had when there was a loud crash（倒塌声） from the bedroom above, the one where my brother and I were going to sleep.
When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door, a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had fallen right on to the pillow（枕头）of my bed.
53. The uncle disliked the rented cottage for the reason that _____.
A. there were no beds in it
B. the windows were broken and the roof leaked
C. it was too old for him to live in
D. it was very rainy in the area
54. On the first evening, the writer was very sleepy, _____.
A. but he did his best not to miss any stories
B. so he had to go to bed early
C. because he was tired of his uncle’s stories
D. and he was gradually falling asleep while listening
55. A narrow escape means ___.
A. A person runs away from a danger through a narrow door.
B. A person escapes a danger by luck.
C. A person escapes a danger easily.
D. A person runs away from a danger easily.