Why is the sea salt? Long before we discovered scientific ways of thinking about it, we explained it in a story. Even though the answer isn’t scientific, it holds some other truth in it — especially about the human heart.

Long ago, a poor old couple lived on the coast. One day, an old storyteller came to their village. The old couple gave him a meal. In return, he gave them a coffee mill (磨粉机) and said, “Say, ‘Mill, please grind (磨粉)’,” and it’ll make whatever you want, to stop it, say ‘Mill, please cease (停止) grinding’.”

Soon the old couple had a much better life. They’d been happy people, and they didn’t need much more. But the young couple next door were never satisfied. When they saw the old couple wearing good clothes and buying good food, they burnt with envy (羡慕). So one day, the young husband went to the old couple’s house secretly and heard, “Mill, please grind hot chocolate!” He was surprised to see it coming out.

Then the young couple stole the mill from the old couple. With it, they rode a horse and set off down the coast, where no one would know them. Along the way, the husband showed proudly and asked, “What do you want it to make?” “Oh. I don’t know. Why not salt?” the wife said. “Mill, please grind salt!” he said. “It works!” the wife shouted. But then they noticed the salt went everywhere. “Make it stop,” the wife said. But the husband didn’t know how. “Mill, please stop grinding! Please, no more!” His words didn’t work. The mill kept grinding. Finally, the young husband threw the mill into the sea as far as he could.

And there it’s been, for hundreds of years, endlessly grinding salt. That’s why the sea is salt.

(1). The passage is probably a(n) ________.

A．

folk story

B．

instruction

C．

science fiction

D．

science report

(2). Put the things happened to the mill in correct order.

a. It began to produce salt. b. The young husband threw it.

c. The young couple stole it. d. The old couple got it.

A．

b-d-a-c

B．

b-a-d-c

C．

d-a-c-b

D．

d-c-a-b

(3). What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．

The coffee.

B．

The horse.

C．

The mill.

D．

The chocolate.

(4). How did the young husband’s feelings change?

A．	sorry — sad — excited	B．	thirsty — excited — afraid
C．	happy — nervous — proud	D．	surprised — thankful — happy

(5). What does the word “truth” in Paragraph 1 imply (暗指)?

A．

Being patient.

B．

Working properly.

C．

Being satisfied.

D．

Listening carefully.