. Sally had been studying at an art college for a year and, like most students, she did not have much money. It was going to be her mother’s birthday soon, and she wondered what she could buy her as a present that would be nice and useful but not too expensive.
One day, a week from her mother’s birthday, she went shopping to try to find her mother a nice present. She came across a shop that was selling umbrellas cheap, and decided that one of those would solve her problem, since her mother had lost hers the month before. .
On the train back home that evening she felt hungry, she went to the buffet car for a sandwich. She had left the black umbrella above her seat in the compartment, but when she got back, it had gone! Sally burst into tears. The other three passengers felt sorry for her and asked what the matter was. When she had explained that her present for her mother had disappeared, the three passengers asked her for her mother’s address, in order to be able to send the umbrella on to her in case someone had removed it by mistake.
The next week, Sally got a letter from her mother, which said, "Thank you for your lovely presents, but why did you send me there black umbrellas?"
compartment / kəm′pɑ:tmənt/车厢
二、用英语回答主考教师关于短文的提问。回答问题时不能看原文。
三、就以下话题进行口头作文，要求不得少于十句话。
What present would you like to give to your mother on her birthday? Why?
