The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent th
题型：不详难度：来源：
The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.
“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name?”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.
“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.
“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“‘You are clearing too much land,’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’
“‘Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened?” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned,” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story,” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.
小题1:The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.| A．courage | B．assistance | C．instruction | D．challenge |
小题2:Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?| A．To frighten them. | | B．To satisfy their curiosity. | | C．To warn them of the danger of the place. | | D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp. |
小题3:Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?| A．The old man envied him. | B．The old man was foolish | | C．He was too busy to listen to others. | D．He was greedy for more crops. |
小题4:Why did Tom scream and faint?| A．He saw Dennis’s shadow | B．He was scared by a plant | | C．His friends played a joke on him. | D．The weather became extremely cold. |
小题5:What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?| A．Grasp all, lose all | | B．No sweat, no sweet. | | C．It is no use crying over spilt milk | | D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. |
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答案
小题1:D
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:B
小题5:A |
解析
【文章大意】在黑沉沉的夜晚，三个朋友Martin，Tom and Jack来到了一片阴湿恐怖的沼泽地。篝火旁聊起了它名字的缘由。故事的主人公Dennis贪婪成性，乱砍乱伐。开垦地树没了，动物走了，变成了一块沼泽地。他受到大地的报应——被沼泽植物拖入水中而亡。听后，Tom晕了！他脸上竟然爬满了常春藤。一个着实恐怖的笑话！
小题1:词义推测题 阴湿寒冷的沼泽地，又显得十分怪诞。Martin and Tom后悔来到了这里，确是个挑战！宁愿不试这个胆量。dare [ dεə ] n. a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy。如：He only entered the competition for a dare. 他只是因为受人激将才参加竞赛。courage n. a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger of pain without showing fear. 勇气，信心如：She showed remarkable courage when she heard the bad news.她听到这坏消息时, 表现出非凡的勇气。在文中不强调勇气之意。所以A项不选。
小题2:推理判断题 第二段中，Martin和Jack对话里谈到是否听这个恐怖故事时有一句话： “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!” 。意为“若没一点恐怖味，那早不要选这个地方！”。话里透露出一股猎奇心。
小题3:细节理解题听完老人的警告，Dennis反应是said … to himself. “‘Silly fool …‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’” Dennis要开垦更多的土地，种更多的作物，自个儿就越富有。显然是一种不惜生态环境的贪婪。
小题4:细节理解题传说中…believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.” 沼泽植物从水中爬上来，把Dennis拖入水里而亡；Tom听完故事后，“Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. ”，这么一联想，不怕才怪呢！
小题5:大意理解题 Grasp all, lose all欲尽得，必尽失No sweat, no sweet 不劳则无获It is no use crying over spilt milk覆水难收He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. 想不犯错误，就一事无成。沼泽地名称由来的故事讲的是主人公Dennis贪婪成性，受到大地的报应——被沼泽植物拖入水中而亡。那只有Grasp all, lose all（欲尽得，必尽失）一言可以概括。 |
举一反三
Mothers and daughters go through so much—yet when was the last time a mother and daughter sat down to write a book together about it all? Perri Klass and her mother, Sheila Solomon Klass, both gifted professional writers, prove to be ideal co-writers as they examine their decades of motherhood, daughterhood, and the wonderful ways their lives have overlapped (重叠).
Perri notes with amazement how closely her own life has mirrored her mother’s: both have full-time careers； both have published books, articles, and stories； each has three children； they both love to read. They also love to travel—in fact, they often take trips together. But in truth, the harder they look at their lives, the more they acknowledge their big differences in circumstance and basic nature.
A child of the Depression (大萧条), Sheila was raised in Brooklyn by parents who considered education a luxury for girls. Starting with her college education, she has fought for everything she’s ever accomplished. Perri, on the other hand, grew up privileged in the New Jersey suburbs of the 1960s and 1970s. For Sheila, wasting time or money is a crime, and luxury is unthinkable while Perri enjoys the occasional small luxury, but has not been successful at trying to persuade her mother into enjoying even the tiniest thing she likes.
Each writing in her own unmistakable voice, Perri and Sheila take turns exploring the joys and pains, the love and bitterness, the minor troubles and lasting respect that have always bonded them together. Sheila describes the adventure of giving birth to Perri in a tiny town in Trinidad where her husband was doing research fieldwork. Perri admits that she can’t sort out all the mess in the households, even though she knows it drives her mother crazy. Together they compare thoughts on bringing up children and working, admit long-hidden sorrows, and enjoy precious memories.
Looking deep into the lives they have lived separately and together, Perri and Sheila tell their mother-daughter story with honesty, humor, enthusiasm, and admiration for each other. A written account in two voices, Every Mother Is a Daughter is a duet (二重奏) that produces a deep, strong sound with the experiences that all mothers and daughters will recognize.
小题1:Why does Perri think that her own life has mirrored her mother’s?| A．They both have gone through difficult times. | | B．They have strong emotional ties with each other. | | C．They have the same joys and pains, and love and bitterness. | | D．They both have experiences as daughter, mother and writer. |
小题2:The word “luxury” in Paragraph 3 means ______.| A．something rare but not pleasant | | B．something that cannot be imagined | | C．something expensive but not necessary | | D．something that can only be enjoyed by boys |
小题3: What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?| A．The content of the book. | B．The purpose of the book. | | C．The influence of the book. | D．The writing style of the book. |
小题4: How are women’s lives explored in this book?| A．In a musical form. | B．Through field research. | | C．With unique writing skills. | D．From different points of view. |
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The technology is great. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to put a man on the moon, explore the ocean’s depths or eat microwave sausages. Computers have revolutionized our lives and they have the power to educate and pass on knowledge. But sometimes this power can create more problems than it solves.
Every doctor has had to try their best to calm down patients who’ve come into their surgery waving an Internet print-out, convinced that they have some rare incurable disease, say, throat cancer. The truth is usually far more ordinary, though: they don’t have throat cancer, and it’s just that their throats are swollen. Being a graduate of the Internet “school” of medicine does not guarantee accurate self-health-checks.
One day Mrs. Almond came to my hospital after feeling faint at work. While I took her blood sample and tried to find out what was wrong, she said calmly, “I know what’s wrong；I’ve got throat cancer. I know there’s nothing you doctors can do about it and I’ve just got to wait until the day comes.”
As a matter of routine I ordered a chest X-ray. I looked at it and the blood results an hour later. Something wasn’t right. “Did your local doctor do an X-ray?” I asked. “Oh, I haven’t been to the doctor for years,” she replied. “I read about it on a website and the symptoms fitted, so I knew that’s what I had.”
However, some of her symptoms, like the severe cough and weight loss, didn’t fit with it—but she’d just ignored this.
I looked at the X-ray again, and more tests confirmed it wasn’t the cancer but tuberculosis (肺结核)—something that most certainly did need treating, and could be deadly. She was lucky we caught it when we did.
Mrs. Almond went pale when I explained she would have to be on treatment for the next six months to ensure that she was fully recovered. It was certainly a lesson for her. “I’m so embarrassed,” she said, shaking her head, as I explained that all the people she had come into close contact with would have to be found out and tested. She listed up to about 20, and then I went to my office to type up my notes. Unexpectedly, the computer was not working, so I had to wait until someone from the IT department came to fix it. Typical. Maybe I should have a microwave sausage while I waited?
小题1:Mrs. Almond talked about her illness calmly because ______.| A．she thought she knew it well | | B．she had purchased medicine online | | C．she graduated from a medical school | | D．she had been treated by local doctors |
小题2:It was lucky for Mrs. Almond ______.| A．to have contacted many friends | | B．to have recovered in a short time | | C．to have her assumption confirmed | | D．to have her disease identified in time |
小题3:Mrs. Almond said “I’m so embarrassed” (Para. 7) because ______.| A．she had distrusted her close friends | | B．she had caused unnecessary trouble | | C．she had to refuse the doctor’s advice | | D．she had to tell the truth to the doctor |
小题4: By mentioning the breakdown of the computer, the author probably wants to prove ______.| A．it’s a must to take a break at work | | B．it’s vital to believe in IT professionals | | C．it’s unwise to simply rely on technology | | D．it’s a danger to work long hours on computers |
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When I was 12, all I wanted was a signet (图章) ring. They were the "in" thing and it seemed every girl except me had one. On my 13th birthday, my Mum gave me a signet ring with my initials(姓名首字母) carved into it. I was in heaven.
What made it even more special was that it was about the only thing that wasn"t being "replaced". We"d been burnt out in fires that swept through our area earlier that year and had lost everything—so most of the " new" stuff (东西) we got was really just to replace what we"d lost. But not my ring. My ring was new.
Then, only one month later, I lost it. I took it off before bed and it was missing in the morning. I was sad and searched everywhere for it. But it seemed to have disappeared. Eventually, I gave up and stopped looking for it. And two years later, we sold the house and moved away.
Years passed, and a couple of moves later, I was visiting my parents" when Mum told me that she had something for me. It wasn"t my birthday, nor was it Easter or Christmas or any other gift-giving occasion. Mum noticed my questioning look. " You"ll recognize this one," she said, smiling.
Then she handed me a small ring box. I took it from her and opened it to find my beautiful signet ring inside. The family who had bought our house 13 years earlier had recently decided to do some redecorations, which included replacing the carpets. When they pulled the carpet up in my old bedroom, they found the ring. As it had my initials carved into it, they realized who owned the ring. They"d had it professionally cleaned up by a jeweler before sending it to my mother. And it still fits me.
小题1:The underlined word "in" in the first paragraph probably means "_____".| A．fashionable | B．available | C．practical | D．renewable |
小题2:When she got the ring back, the writer was about _____.| A．13 years old | B．15 years old | C．26 years old | D．28 years old |
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?| A． The writer"s family moved several times. | | B． The writer never stopped looking for her ring. | | C． The writer"s ring was cleaned up by the new house owner. | | D． The writer lost her ring in the morning when she took it off. |
小题4:What would be the best title for the passage?| A．My New Ring | B．Lost and Found | | C．Lost and Replaced | D．An Expensive Ring |
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Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Woman
Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen"s most famous work, might be updated, 200 years on.
Austen"s popularity is rooted in her intelligence. But today she would certainly have had a very different life, as would her characters. Here"s my own suggestion. . .
It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men, however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.
" My dear husband," said his hopeful wife one day, " have you heard that the local store, standing empty for so long, is taken over by a bright young businesswoman?"
Her dull and indifferent (漠不关心的) husband replied that he had not. "But it is, it is," she replied excitedly. Mr Dull-Husband made no reply.
"Don"t you want to know her plans?" she cried with some impatience.
"Well, clearly you think it matters to your silly little head. .. so I"d better listen. "
"Well, my dear, the rumour (传言) is that she has already set up a string of successful businesses in northern England, though how a woman can know anything about that is beyond me. She will move in herself next month. " "What is her name?" "Bingley. "
"Is she married or single?"
"What a question! And none of your business. But her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys. " "How so? How can it possibly affect them? "
"My dear love; those lazy boys need something to wake them up. There are bound to be jobs going. "
" Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place. "
" Nonsense, my love, how little you"ve noticed the world has changed. She"s got a first-rate degree and some sort of business qualification, I"m told. She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might give her a call. "
" Me? No. Perhaps you can take an interest. You still have your looks, after all. She may even offer you a job. " "Oh, that"s not likely. These new chances belong to the younger generation. But now you mention it, I think I"ll go along all the same. "
And Mrs Bennet went along. That was 10 years ago. She is now managing director of a FTSE-listed company.
... It would remain the case, of course, that Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board, that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues, her bonus of a more "female" dimension and her lifespan (年限) among the city"s business leaders shorter than theirs. Still, she"d no doubt have enjoyed Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀谈) with influential figures.
小题1:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Austen was born 200 years ago. | | B．Austen rewrote Pride and Prejudice. | | C．Austen"s success lies in her wisdom. | | D．Austen"s updated work gains popularity. |
小题2:The underlined part in the passage suggests that Mrs Bennet ____.| A．had mixed feelings of admiration and surprise about Bingley | | B．felt kind of worried and doubtful about Bingley | | C．was extremely anxious to meet Bingley | | D．had a great curiosity about Bingley |
小题3:In the eyes of Mrs Bennet, Bingley surely needed one of their boys to ____.| A．get married to | B．work for her | | C．help her move in | D．take over her store |
小题4:What does the writer intend to tell us?| A．Women with brains can also be as successful as men. | | B．Women have to pay a high price for success. | | C．A judgment must be made free from prejudice. | | D．Sex discrimination still exists nowadays. |
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Number sense is not the ability to count. It is the ability to recognize a 1 in number. Human beings are born with this ability. 2 , experiments show that many animals are, too. For example, many birds have good number sense. If a nest has four eggs and you remove one, the bird will not 3 .However, if you remove two, the bird 4 leaves. This means that the bird knows the 5 between two and three.
Another interesting experiment showed a bird"s 6 number sense. A man was trying to take a photo of a crow（乌鸦）that had a nest in a tower, but the crow always left when she saw him coming. The bird did not 7 until the man left the tower. The man had an 8 .He took another man with him to the tower. One man left and the other stayed, but they did not 9 the bird. The crow stayed away until the second man left, too. The experiment was 10 with three men and then with four men. But the crow did not return to the nest until all the men were 11 .It was not until five men went into the tower and only four left that they were 12 able to fool the crow.
How good is a human"s number sense? It"s not very good. For example, babies about fourteen months old almost always notice if something is taken away from a 13 group. But when the number goes beyond three or four, the children are 14 fooled.
It seems that number sense is something we have in common with many animals in this world, and that our human 15 is not much better than a crow"s.
| 小题1: | | A．rise | B．pattern | C．change | D．trend |
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| 小题2: | | A．Importantly | B．Surprisingly | C．Disappointedly | D．Fortunately |
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| 小题3: | | A．survive | B．care | C．hatch | D．notice |
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| 小题4: | | A．generally | B．sincerely | C．casually | D．deliberately |
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| 小题5: | | A．distance | B．range | C．different | D．interval |
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| 小题6: | | A．amazing | B．annoying | C．satisfying | D．disturbing |
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| 小题7: | | A．relax | B．recover | C．react | D．return |
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| 小题8: | | A．appointment | B．excuse | C．idea | D．explanation |
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| 小题9: | | A．fool | B．hurt | C．catch | D．kill |
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| 小题10: | | A．reported | B．repeated | C．designed | D．approved |
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| 小题11: | | A．confused | B．gone | C．tired | D．drunk |
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| 小题12: | | A．gradually | B．luckily | C．strangely | D．finally |
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| 小题13: | | A．single | B．small | C．local | D．new |
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| 小题14: | | A．seldom | B．temporarily | C．merely | D．often |
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| 小题15: | | A．sight | B．nature | C．ability | D．belief |
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