"Are you listening, Simon?" Simon's teacher asked. It was a pretty usual question.
Simon shook his head, smiling. He hardly listened or tried hard in class. Talking was so much fun. He wanted to be heard rather than listen.
"Listen, and you'll learn something." Mrs. Jacobs tried every day, but Simon never paid attention.
That evening, his throat really hurt. The next morning, when he opened his mouth to say "Good morning", nothing came out but a croak.
Simon's mother looked at him. "Honey, you've lost your voice."
"Can I stay home?" He tried to ask, but words didn't come out. Instead, his mother checked him for a fever and decided it was good for him to go to school, even if he couldn't talk.
When he got to school, Mrs. Jacobs said "Hello" to him, and he just nodded. When his friends asked him what TV shows he watched last night, he just shrugged. By the time the bell rang for class, almost everyone was looking at him as if he'd grown a third eye.
Penny raised her hand. "Mrs. Jacobs, why isn't Simon talking?"
"He never stops talking." Richard said worriedly.
Everyone started talking at once. They were excited, worried, and surprised.
Simon sat in class bored. He watched them talk to each other as if the teacher wasn't there, but he couldn't even do that. In math class he could hold up fingers if the answer was less than 10, but that wasn't fun. He decided to try to pay attention.
He could do his homework that night. It gave him TV and game time with his work all done.
The next day, even though his voice was coming back, he stayed quiet again. The third day, he could talk fine, but he listened and raised his hand to speak.
What a difference that one day made!
 
Word Bank
throat          喉咙
croak           低哑声
shrug           耸肩
6．What did Mrs. Jacobs want Simon to do in class?
A．To talk. B．To listen. C．To sit up. D．To stay awake.
7．What was the problem with Simon that day?
A．He got a cough. B．He was late for school.
C．He lost his voice. D．He lost interests in school.
8．Why was almost everyone looking at Simon?
A．Because he grew a third eye. B．Because Mrs. Jacobs praised him.
C．Because he talked with nobody. D．Because Mrs. Jacobs nodded to him.
9．Why could Simon do his homework that night?
A．Because he already got his voice back.
B．Because he paid much attention in class.
C．Because he was given easier homework.
D．Because he learnt to use fingers in class.
10．What is the best title for the text?
A．Are you talking? B．Are you listening?
C．Is your voice OK? D．Is your school fun?
文章大意：本文主要讲爱说话的Simon突然有一天不能说话了，他在学校安静了一天并开始把注意力放在课堂上，之后他开始认真听讲，不再一直说话。
6．B【解析】细节理解题。根据第3段中“ ‘Listen, and you'll learn something.’ Mrs. Jacobs tried every day”可知Mrs. Jacobs希望Simon在课堂上听讲。故选B。
7．C【解析】细节理解题。根据第5段中“Honey, you've lost your voice.”可知那天Simon失去了声音。故选C。
8．C【解析】细节理解题。根据第7段中“When he got to school, Mrs. Jacobs said ‘Hello’ to him, and he just nodded. When his friends asked him what TV shows he watched last night, he just shrugged.”可知老师问候他他点头，朋友们问他昨晚看了什么电视，他只是耸耸肩，大家都看着Simon是因为他不和任何人说话。故选C。
9．B【解析】细节理解题。根据倒数第4段中“He decided to try to pay attention.”可知Simon那天晚上会做作业是因为他把更多注意力放在了课堂上。故选B。
10．B【解析】标题归纳题。根据第一段中“ ‘Are you listening, Simon?’ Simon's teacher asked. It was a pretty usual question.”讲“你在听讲吗”是Simon的老师常问的一个问题，结合全文内容，Simon一开始不听讲，后来失去声音开始听讲，这个问题是贯穿全文的线索，用“Are you listening?”做标题最合适。故选B。