A

On a cool November day many years ago, I noticed a big black dog at our farm. I was very angry at his frequent turning up.

I went to my father and told him how the dog had destroyed part of our crop. “It’s all your doing,” I said. “Why did you offer milk to him a few days ago? He wants us to adopt him now. ”“Why not?” asked my father. “We already have Mike. He won’t allow another dog to enter this place.” A few days later, however, poor Mike was hit by a bus and died. “Had I listened to you,” my father said, “we would have been without a dog now!”

Kalu didn’t take long to prove himself useful. Whenever he spotted a rat, he left everything aside – even his food – and dashed after it. At night when we slept, Kalu barked at the slightest noise like an alert (警惕的) guard. 

We had often heard about thieves in the area. One night at about 1:00 am, we were woken up by Kalu’s angry bark. “Could it be thieves?” my father whispered. My father shouted through a window: “Who’s there?” No reply. Kalu’s growls grew angrier. Suddenly we heard a man cry out: “Save me from this beast!”

Armed with a stick, we went outside and saw that Kalu had pinned the man down on the ground. The man begged: “Save me, sir!” Most of his clothing had been torn and his legs and hands were bloody. We managed to drag Kalu away. “Don’t come here again,” my father ordered. The man disappeared into the darkness. As Kalu continued barking after the man, I saw my mother looking fondly at him through the window. Kalu got more popular in the family. 

Kalu lived with us faithfully for over seven years. When he went missing for three days and was found dead because of eating something poisonous, we were shocked.

Our farm seemed desolate without Kalu. Over the years, we took in several more dogs, but none could match Kalu’s understanding and high spirits. The mean-looking stray (流浪狗) I didn’t want taught me to never judge anyone by his looks, whether a man or his best friend.

21. Many years ago, the author ______. 

A. blamed his father for adopting Kalu 

B. was annoyed by Kalu’s constant appearance

C. thought Mike would welcome Kalu willingly

D. discussed with his father how to drive away Kalu

22. We can infer from the text that ______.

A. Kalu showed off his ability of catching mice to prove himsel

B. Kalu’s barking at night often disturbed the neighborhood

C. Kalu couldn’t stop the thief without the author’s father’s help

D. Kalu came to win the author’s family’s heart with his loyalty

23.The underlined word “desolate” in the last paragraph probably means “______”. 

A. empty       

B. bare         

C. unusual        

D. peaceful

24. According to the last paragraph, what did the author learn from his experience?

A. First impressions are never to be relied on.

B. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” applies to both humans and dogs.

C. Ordinary as a person or a dog may look, we should treat them as extraordinary.

D. Your feelings toward somebody or something can change after you are helped out.