CHANU COMES HOME

The girls were brushing their teeth when Chanu got home. He staggered down the hallway and dropped a large cardboard box at his feet. He wriggled out of the straps of a canvas bag that was slung across his shoulders and swung it down. It dislodged another large chunk of plaster from the wall. The dust settled on Chanu's hair.
He slapped his hands together a few times, the way a man might if he has finished his tasks and is waiting for praise. 'Here,' he said, still trying to catch his breath, 'Don't I always do as you ask? I got it.' He beamed at his wife Nazneen. The girls stuck their heads out from the bathroom. 'Come on,' he called to them. 'See what I have got for your mother.'
The girls came out in their nightdresses and stood close to Nazneen. 'You know, when I married your mother I thought I was getting a simple girl from the village and she would give me no trouble.' He was playing the fool for them. Rolling his eyes and puffing his cheeks. 'But she is the boss woman now. Anything she says, your father goes running off and does it. Look. Look inside the box.'
The girls moved forward together. Bibi began pulling at the brown tape. Shahana pushed her aside and took charge. Suddenly both girls were ripping at the cardboard, plunging arms inside and squealing.
'Ah, wait. Let your mother see.'
Nazneen came close and squatted beside the box. Inside there was a sewing machine and a tangle of wire.
'Birthday present,' said Chanu.
It was not her birthday.
'Early birthday present,' he said.
'It is what I wanted,' said Nazneen.
They never celebrated their own birthdays, only the girls'.
'Let's try it,' said Bibi.
Chanu bent down and unzipped the large canvas bag. It contained a computer.
'Is it your birthday present?' asked Bibi.
'That's it.' He was delighted. 'That's what it is.'
They put the computer on the dining table and the sewing machine next to it. Thread was found and pieces of cloth. Nazneen broke one needle. Chanu fitted another and she sewed a dish towel to a cloth that she used to wipe the floor. Shahana sewed a hem on a pillowcase. Bibi had a turn but could not manage the foot tread and the needle at the same time. She held the cloth steady while Shahana had another turn. Then Chanu found the setting for zigzag stitches and made patterns on a pair of old underpants. Nazneen wiped the pale green casing although the only marks on it were tiny worn-in scratches that could not be removed. The machine had become a little warm from its exertions and she felt it should rest.
'The computer,' cried Bibi.
'Let me do it,' said Chanu as the girls pressed up to the screen. There was much plugging and replugging and poking of buttons before the screen began to burr and trun slowly from black to grey to blue. All the time Chanu kept up an informative commentary. You see ..., This wire goes in the..., Must never touch any… I'll show you how the… Shahana twisted her arms up in the loose fabric of her nightdress. She wanted to tell her father to take off his coat. Nazneen stopped her with a pleading look. These gay moods came rarely enough.
Chanu sat down and began to type. He examined the keyboard closely before each stroke, putting his face right down by the letters as though something valuable had slipped between the cracks Minutes later he had completed a sentence. The girls pushed up to take a look. It was long past bedtime.
Bibi read it out. 'Dear Sir. I am writing to inform you.'
'It all comes back so quickly,' said Chanu. His cheeks were red with pleasure.

12. We are told that when Chanu arrived home,
1) he tried to avoid doing damage to the wall.
2) he accidentally dropped something he was carrying.
3) he had difficulty carrying what he had brought with him.
4) he tried to come in without the others noticing.
Ответ: 1234
13. When Chanu told the others to see what he had brought,
1) he joked about his relationship with his wife.
2) he said that he expected them to be delighted.
3) he told the girls that their mother deserved it.
4) he complained about being told what to do.
Ответ: 1234
14. When the girls opened the box,
1) they started arguing with each other.
2) Chanu told them to be more careful.
3) Nazneen expressed satisfaction at what it contained.
4) Shahana was able to do so more easily then Bibi.
Ответ: 1234
15. When Chanu showed the others what was in the bag,
1) he made it clear that they could not use it.
2) he showed that he preferred it to the sewing machine.
3) he made sure that they handled it carefully.
4) he pretended that it was also a birthday present.
Ответ: 1234
16. What happened while they were using the sewing machine?
1) They all had problems doing what they wanted to do.
2) All four of them operated it for a time.
3) The girls did better than their parents.
4) It didn't work as well as it should have done.
Ответ: 1234
17. When Chanu was putting the computer together,
1) Nazneen was very keen for him to remain in a good mood.
2) it made a noise that it shouldn't have made.
3) he admitted that he was not sure how to do it.
4) the others began to get bored.
Ответ: 1234
18. When Chanu used the computer for the first time,
1) he was proud that he could remember how to do something.
2) he was worried that it might be faulty in some way.
3) he tried not to let the others see how hard it was for him.
4) he changed his mind about what to do on it.
Ответ: 1234