For questions 1-8, choose the answer А-D which you think fits best according to the text.
We always went to Ireland in June. Ever since the four of us began to go on holidays together we had spent the first fortnight of the month at Glencorn Lodge in County Antrim. It's a large house by the sea, not far from the village of Ardbeag. The English couple who bought the house, the Malseeds, have had to add to the buUding, but everything has been done most discreetly.
It was Strafe who found Glencorn for us. He'd come across an advertisement in the days when the Malseeds still felt the need to advertise. 'How about this?' he said one evening and read out the details. We had gone away together the summer before, to a hotel that had been recommended by friends, but it hadn't been a success because the food was so appalling.
The four of us have been playing cards together for ages, Dekko, Strafe, Cynthia and myself. They call me Milly, though strictly speaking my name is Dorothy Milson. Dekko picked up his nickname at school, Dekko Deacon sounding rather good, I suppose. He and Strafe were at school together, which must be why we call Strafe by his surname as the teachers used to. We're all about the same age and live quite close to the town where the Malseeds were before they decided to make the change from England to Ireland. Quite a coincidence, we always think.
'How very nice,' Mrs Malseed said, smiling her welcome again this year. Some instinct seems to teU her when guests are about to arrive, for she's rarely not waiting in the large, low-ceilinged hall that always smells of flowers. 'Arthur, take the luggage up,' she commanded the old porter. 'Rose, Tulip, Lily and Geranium.' She referred to the names of the rooms reserved for us. Mrs Malseed herself painted flowers on the doors of the hotel instead of putting numbers. In winter, when no one much comes to Glencorn Lodge, she sees to little details like that; her husband sees to redecoration and repairs.
'Well, well, well,' Mr Malseed said, now entering the hall through the door that leads to the kitchen. 'A hundred thousand welcomes,' he greeted us in the Irish manner. He was smiling broadly with his dark brown eyes twinkling, making us think we were rather more than just another group of hotel guests. Everyone smiled, and I could feel the others thinking that our holiday had truly begun. Nothing had changed at Glencorn, all was well. Kitty from the dining room came out to greet us. 'You look younger every year, all four of you,' she said, causing everyone in the hall to laugh again. Arthur led the way to the rooms, carrying as much of our luggage as he could manage and returning for the remainder.
After dinner we played cards for a while but not going on for as long as we might because we were still quite tired after the journey. In the lounge there was a man on his own and a French couple. There had been other people at dinner, of course, because in June Glencorn Lodge is always full: from where we sat in the window we could see some of them strolling about the lawns, others taking the cliff path down to the seashore. In the morning we'd do the same: we'd walk along the sands to Ardbeag and have coffee in the hotel there, back in time for lunch. In the afternoon we'd drive somewhere.
I knew all that because over the years this kind of pattern had developed. Since first we came here, we'd all fallen hopelessly in love with every variation of its remarkable landscape.
1 Why did the Malseeds no longer advertise Glencorn Lodge?
A It was too expensive.
B It was not necessary.
C It was too complicated.
D It was not effective.
2 What did Dekko and the writer have in common?
A They did not like their names.
B People used their surnames when speaking to them.
C They chose their own nicknames.
D People did not call them by their real names.
3 The coincidence referred to in paragraph three is that the four friends and the Malseeds
A came from the same area.
B preferred Ireland to England.
C lived close to one another.
D were all about the same age.
4 What was special about the rooms at Glencorn Lodge?
A They had been painted by Mrs Malseed herself.
B There was no paint on the doors.
C They did not have numbers.
D There were different flowers in all of them.
5 What did the writer particularly like about Mr Malseed?
A He had nice brown eyes.
B Не always came to welcome them.
C Не made guests feel like friends.
D He spoke in the Irish way.
6 Why did the writer feel contented after Mr Malseed had spoken?
A Everything was as it had always been.
B The holiday would start at any moment.
C A few things had improved at Glencorn.
D Her friends had enjoyed the holiday.
7 What did Kitty do which made the friends laugh?
A She told them a joke.
B She pretended to insult them.
C She laughed when she saw them.
D She paid them a compliment.
8 The next day the friends would walk to Ardbeag because
A they would be able to walk on the sands.
B this was what they always did.
C they wanted to do the same as other people.
D it was quite a short walk for them.
We always went to Ireland in June. Ever since the four of us began to go on holidays together we had spent the first fortnight of the month at Glencorn Lodge in County Antrim. It's a large house by the sea, not far from the village of Ardbeag. The English couple who bought the house, the Malseeds, have had to add to the buUding, but everything has been done most discreetly.
It was Strafe who found Glencorn for us. He'd come across an advertisement in the days when the Malseeds still felt the need to advertise. 'How about this?' he said one evening and read out the details. We had gone away together the summer before, to a hotel that had been recommended by friends, but it hadn't been a success because the food was so appalling.
The four of us have been playing cards together for ages, Dekko, Strafe, Cynthia and myself. They call me Milly, though strictly speaking my name is Dorothy Milson. Dekko picked up his nickname at school, Dekko Deacon sounding rather good, I suppose. He and Strafe were at school together, which must be why we call Strafe by his surname as the teachers used to. We're all about the same age and live quite close to the town where the Malseeds were before they decided to make the change from England to Ireland. Quite a coincidence, we always think.
'How very nice,' Mrs Malseed said, smiling her welcome again this year. Some instinct seems to teU her when guests are about to arrive, for she's rarely not waiting in the large, low-ceilinged hall that always smells of flowers. 'Arthur, take the luggage up,' she commanded the old porter. 'Rose, Tulip, Lily and Geranium.' She referred to the names of the rooms reserved for us. Mrs Malseed herself painted flowers on the doors of the hotel instead of putting numbers. In winter, when no one much comes to Glencorn Lodge, she sees to little details like that; her husband sees to redecoration and repairs.
'Well, well, well,' Mr Malseed said, now entering the hall through the door that leads to the kitchen. 'A hundred thousand welcomes,' he greeted us in the Irish manner. He was smiling broadly with his dark brown eyes twinkling, making us think we were rather more than just another group of hotel guests. Everyone smiled, and I could feel the others thinking that our holiday had truly begun. Nothing had changed at Glencorn, all was well. Kitty from the dining room came out to greet us. 'You look younger every year, all four of you,' she said, causing everyone in the hall to laugh again. Arthur led the way to the rooms, carrying as much of our luggage as he could manage and returning for the remainder.
After dinner we played cards for a while but not going on for as long as we might because we were still quite tired after the journey. In the lounge there was a man on his own and a French couple. There had been other people at dinner, of course, because in June Glencorn Lodge is always full: from where we sat in the window we could see some of them strolling about the lawns, others taking the cliff path down to the seashore. In the morning we'd do the same: we'd walk along the sands to Ardbeag and have coffee in the hotel there, back in time for lunch. In the afternoon we'd drive somewhere.
I knew all that because over the years this kind of pattern had developed. Since first we came here, we'd all fallen hopelessly in love with every variation of its remarkable landscape.
1 Why did the Malseeds no longer advertise Glencorn Lodge?
A It was too expensive.
B It was not necessary.
C It was too complicated.
D It was not effective.
2 What did Dekko and the writer have in common?
A They did not like their names.
B People used their surnames when speaking to them.
C They chose their own nicknames.
D People did not call them by their real names.
3 The coincidence referred to in paragraph three is that the four friends and the Malseeds
A came from the same area.
B preferred Ireland to England.
C lived close to one another.
D were all about the same age.
4 What was special about the rooms at Glencorn Lodge?
A They had been painted by Mrs Malseed herself.
B There was no paint on the doors.
C They did not have numbers.
D There were different flowers in all of them.
5 What did the writer particularly like about Mr Malseed?
A He had nice brown eyes.
B Не always came to welcome them.
C Не made guests feel like friends.
D He spoke in the Irish way.
6 Why did the writer feel contented after Mr Malseed had spoken?
A Everything was as it had always been.
B The holiday would start at any moment.
C A few things had improved at Glencorn.
D Her friends had enjoyed the holiday.
7 What did Kitty do which made the friends laugh?
A She told them a joke.
B She pretended to insult them.
C She laughed when she saw them.
D She paid them a compliment.
8 The next day the friends would walk to Ardbeag because
A they would be able to walk on the sands.
B this was what they always did.
C they wanted to do the same as other people.
D it was quite a short walk for them.