Once there was an old man from the Meng family. His neighbor is the Jiang family. He grew gourds (葫芦) in his yard. One of the gourd tree extended (延伸) to his neighbor’s house, so they decided to cut the gourd open on the tree. But when they opened the gourd, they found a baby girl sit in it. Both of the families wanted to raise the girl. And then they decided to raise the girl together and called the girl Meng Jiang Nv.

    When Meng Jiang Nv grew up, she chose to marry a man named Fan Xiliang. But on their wedding day, soldiers took Xiliang away to build the Great Wall. Life there was hard and many workers died. After a year without any news from Xiliang, Meng Jiang Nv went to look for him. Meng Jiang Nv walked thousands of miles to the foot of the Great Wall. One of the labors told her that her husband died and was buried under the Great Wall. Meng Jiang Nv was very angry and sorrowful. She was crying under the Great Wall for three days and three nights without stopping. Suddenly, a 400-kilometer-long (248-mile-long) section of the Great Wall collapsed. And she found her husband’s body.

    The Emperor of Qin Dynasty heard this and wanted to punish Meng Jiang Nv. But when he saw the beautiful woman, he changed his mind and asked Meng Jiang Nv to marry him. Meng Jiang Nv was so angry, but she pretended to agree. She asked the Emperor for three things. After she got what she wanted, Meng Jiang Nv jumped into the sea and died.

    Later, people built a temple named “Temple of Meng Jiang Nv” in memory of the brave and beautiful woman. It is at the foot of the Great Wall.

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1.1. What did the old man and his neighbor do with the gourd?

A They cut the tree down.

B They shared the gourd.

C They let it grow until it fell.

D They gave it to others.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第一so they decided to cut the gourd open on the tree. But when they opened the gourd...”可知，老翁和他的邻居决定共享那个在树上生长的葫芦，葫芦成熟时他们割开葫芦……。故选B。

2.2. Why did Meng Jiang Nv go to the Great Wall?

A To visit the Emperor.

B To find her husband.

C To build a temple.

D To see the scenery.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第二段的“After a year without any news from Xiliang, Meng Jiang Nv went to look for him.”可知孟姜女去长城是为了寻找她的丈夫。故选B。

3.3. What does the underlined word “sorrowful” mean?

A Afraid.

B Shocked.

C Happy.

D Sad.

解析：选D。词义猜测题。根据划线单词后面的“She was crying under the Great Wall for three days and three nights without stopping.”可知，孟姜女痛哭三天三夜，因此可知她得知日思夜想的丈夫去世后伤心欲绝，她很难过。故选D。

4.4. Why did the Emperor of Qin Dynasty change his mind about punishing Meng Jiang Nv?

A He was impressed by her words.

B He was moved by her story.

C He was attracted by her beauty.

D He was afraid of her power.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据第三段的“But when he saw the beautiful woman, he changed his mind and asked Meng Jiang Nv to marry him.”当秦始皇看到孟姜女时，被她的美貌所吸引，因此改变了惩罚她的想法，而是要娶她。故选C。

5.5. What can we infer from the story?

A Meng Jiang Nv loved Fan Xiliang deeply.

B Meng Jiang Nv was raised only by the Meng family.

C The workers at the Great Wall were treated well.

D The Temple of Meng Jiang Nv was built by the Emperor.

解析：选A。推理判断题。根据全文内容可知孟姜女为了寻找丈夫所做的努力和牺牲，以及她在长城下哭了三天三夜的行为，可以推断出孟姜女深深地爱着范喜良。故选A。