This is a tale of a lonely old woman. She lived in the white North. There, the night is long in winter and the day is long in summer.

The old woman lived alone in a small village. The villagers took good care of her, but she was still unhappy. She wanted a child of her own.

One winter day, she walked out and saw a small white animal on the ice. It was a baby bear. The bear looked small and felt very cold. The old woman spoke softly to the bear, “Poor little thing. Come with me.” Then she carried him home.

Inside her house, the old woman held the bear close until he was warm. She touched him gently and sang to him softly. He felt comfortable in her arms. From that day, when the old woman ate, she fed the little bear from her hand. When she slept, the bear slept beside her. They were a family now. The village children loved the bear too. They played together.

Time passed quickly and the bear grew big and strong. One day, some villagers said to him, “Little Bear, go hunting with us. We’ll teach you how to hunt.” The bear followed them. Soon the bear became a better hunter than the villagers.

When the weather was bad, everyone stayed indoors. Then the bear went out into the snow and brought home enough food for the whole village. The old woman felt proud of him.

One day, some villagers said to the old woman, “The bear has grown big and strong enough. He is a good hunter now. You’d better let him go back to the wild.”

In the following days, the old woman was quiet, thinking. She thought aloud, “The bear belongs to the wild. I should let him go.”

Finally, she said to the bear, “It’s time for you to leave. Be safe. Be free.” She put her arms around his neck. Her tears ran into his fur. She was heartbroken.

The bear walked slowly away from her and looked back again and again. Then he disappeared. When darkness fell, the old woman still stood there. Once more, she was alone.

A long time passed. The winter came again. One day, the old woman stood at the same place for a long time. The wind blew snow around her face. Suddenly, the white bear appeared and ran to her.

Now, once a year, in winter, the old woman and her little bear meet each other at the same place.

(Adapted from Little Bear)

1.1. In which season did the old woman first meet the baby bear?

A Spring.

B Summer.

C Autumn.

D Winter.

解析：选D。细节理解题。题干问 “老妇人第一次遇见小熊是在哪个季节”。定位第三段首句 “One winter day, she walked out and saw a small white animal on the ice. It was a baby bear”，明确时间是冬天，对应选项 D，其余季节均未提及，故选 D。

2.2. Who taught the bear to hunt according to the tale?

A The old woman.

B Some villagers.

C The bear himself.

D The village children.

解析：选B。细节理解题。题干问 “谁教小熊打猎”。定位第五段 “some villagers said to him, ‘Little Bear, go hunting with us. We’ll teach you how to hunt.’ The bear followed them”，可知是村民教的，对应选项 B，A（老妇人）、C（小熊自己）、D（村里孩子）均不符合原文，故选 B。

3.3. Which of the following is the correct order of the tale? a. The white bear appeared and ran to her. b. Soon the bear became a better hunter than the villagers. c. The old woman held the bear close until he was warm. d. The old woman decided to let the bear go back to the wild.

A c-b-d-a

B a-c-d-b

C a-d-b-c

D c-a-b-d

解析：选A。题干要求梳理故事正确顺序。先找各事件对应段落：c（老妇人抱暖小熊）对应第三、四段；b（小熊成为更厉害的猎手）对应第五段；d（老妇人决定放熊归野）对应第七、八段；a（白熊归来）对应第十一段。按时间顺序为 c→b→d→a，对应选项 A，其余选项顺序混乱，故选 A。

4.4. What can we infer (推断) from the underlined sentence in paragraph 10?

A The bear didn’t get well and was still ill.

B The bear was too fat to walk any further.

C The bear didn’t want to leave the old woman.

D The bear said goodbye to the village children.

解析：选C。推理判断题。题干问 “从第十段划线句可推断出什么”。划线句 “The bear walked slowly away from her and looked back again and again” 意为 “小熊慢慢离开，一次次回头”。结合上下文，老妇人不舍放熊，小熊的动作体现它也不愿离开，对应选项 C。A（小熊生病）、B（小熊太胖走不动）、D（和村里孩子告别）均无原文依据，故选 C。