Sitting by the kitchen table, my five-year-old daughter Martha is hard at work on her latest masterpiece. “Do you like my fishes, Mummy?” she asked. “They’ve got really friendly eyes. I’m good at houses, too. This one can be a home for a princess.”

It's the typical morning chatter that tells me my young daughter is busy—and I can get a few of the chores done. Martha is not drawing on paper. Instead, her canvas is a rather lovely dress that cost me £58. I let Martha loose on a dress with some colours and a happy smile. Needless to say, she's enjoying every minute.

To carry out her drawings, Martha is using what she describes as her magic pen - a quilter's staple that I borrowed from my mum. The brilliant thing is, if you make a mistake you can erase it in an instant with a slightly damp cloth.

That's pretty easy when you have a 10cm flower to perfect. Then it's time to position our first row of houses. There are three town streets on the design between a river and green fields. The first house is in the centre, just below the neckline, followed by two other houses on either side. Once our design is completed, it's time to add the rest of the colour. Now I'm feeling nervous. We're using pens that are permanent, so there's no going back. And in the next hour, we knock off a child's version, too - £675 for the D&G kids' dress, £47 for ours, drawn on a cream frock from John Rocha for Designers at Debenhams.

It's not quite couture, but Martha's pleased with her work and it's kept her amused for the entire morning. The total cost of my dress, meanwhile, comes to less than £65, which is quite a saving on the £2,300 D&G showstopper.

Would I wear it? Only on a sunny day. “You can’t go out in the rain, Mummy,” advises Martha. “The fishes will swim away and the houses will melt.”

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1.What was the writer doing when her daughter was drawing?

A She was sitting by the kitchen table.

B She was building a home for a prince.

C She was doing some of the housework.

D She was chatting with her little daughter.

解析：选C。C。细节理解题。根据文章第二段第一句的...and I can get a few of the chores done可知作者可以在孩子画画的时候做一些家务。

2.What did Martha think of drawing?

A She thought it was boring.

B She loved it very much.

C She was forced to draw.

D She had no interest in it.

解析：选B。B。推理判断题。根据第二段最后一句的Needless to say, she's enjoying every minute可以推知作者的女儿是很喜欢画画的。

3.What made Martha’s drawing special?

A The design of her drawing.

B The material she drew on.

C The way she was helped with.

D The money she could make.

解析：选B。B。根据第五段第二句的The total cost of my dress, meanwhile, comes to less than £65...可知她的画布就是妈妈的裙子；这就是她的画的特别之处。

4.What made Martha’s drawing pen magic?

A Being borrowed from her grandma.

B Being erased with a slightly wet cloth.

C Being used only for the young girls.

D Being bought for latest masterpiece.

解析：选B。B。细节理解题。 根据第三段最后一句的The brilliant thing is, if you make a mistake you can erase it in an instant with a slightly damp cloth可知这种画笔的好处是用湿布就能擦掉。

5.Why was the writer feel nervous when adding color?

A Because they have a 10cm flower.

B Because the house is in the centre.

C Because houses are on either side.

D Because the color won’t be erased.

解析：选D。D。细节理解题。根据第四段第七句的We're using pens that are permanent, so there's no going back可以得知她们使用的是不可以去除的颜料，因此在染色的时候作者感觉到紧张。