【单选题】She had been unable to sleep for three days because of her 13-week-old son's .

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 realiry 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 meminded 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 ahd designs in 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 colours. The woman in the maketplace! 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.

89. According to the writer, the woman in the marketplace ____.

A. refused to speak to her.

B. was pleasant and attractive.

C. was selling skirts and ribbons.

D. recognized her immediately.

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 the 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.

According to the writer, the woman in the marketplace ______.

A．refused to speak to her

B．was pleasant and attractive

C．was selling skirts and ribbons

D．recognized her immediately

A．He needs to sleep for three or four hours.

B．He wants to buy a set of coffee cups.

C．He will need more than one cup of coffee.

D．He has been wide awake for time.

An allergic reaction to sleeping pills may sometimes cause a user to die.

A. Right

B. Wrong

C. Not mentioned

In Hamlet's soliloquy , when he says , " To sleep , perchance to dream :--ay, there's the rub ." What is the primarily thinking about ?

A .The bad dreams that have recently been troubling him .

B.The fact that if dying is like going to sleep , then perhaps after death wehave bad dreams .

C.The sinful behavior. of Gertrude , whose guilty dreams he would like toknow .

D.His desire to sleep so that he will not have to take vengeful action .

An allergic reaction to sleeping pills may sometimes cause a user to die．

A．Right

B．Wrong

C．Not mentioned