单选题 When the boys were caught petty thieving, they usually chose to be beaten by Mr Abu because ______.

A、 he gave them only one hard smack instead of the six from their teachers.
B、 they did not want to get a bad reputation with their teachers.
C、 they were afraid of their science masters.
D、 his punishment was quicker than their teachers'.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】第一段最后一句话中的“long”这个词暗示了答案。