The orderly came back in a few minutes with a rifle（步枪）and some Burmans. He told

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The orderly came back in a few minutes with a rifle（步枪）and some Burmans. He told us that the elephant was in the rice fields below, only a few hundred yards away. As I started forward practically the whole population of the quarter flocked out of the houses and followed me. They had seen the rifle and were all shouting that I was going to shoot the elephant. It was fun to them, as it would be to an English crowd; besides, they wanted the meat. It made me a little uneasy. I had no intention of shooting the elephant—I had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself—and it is always uneasy to have a crowd following you. I marched down the hill, looking and feeling a fool, with the rifle over my shoulder and an ever-growing army of people knocking and pushing at my heels. Beyond the huts there was a rice field a thousand yards across, muddy from the first rains. The elephant was standing eight yards from the road. He took not the slightest notice of the crowd. He was tearing up bunches of grass, beating them against his knees to clean them and feeding them into his mouth.
As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him. It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant — it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery. There, peacefully eating, the elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow. I thought then and I think now that his attack of “must” was already passing off, in which case he would merely wander harmlessly about. Moreover, I did not in the least want to shoot him.
But at that moment I glanced round at the crowd that had followed me. It was an immense crowd, two thousand at the least and growing every minute. I looked at the sea of the faces above the colorful clothes—faces all happy and excited over this bit of fun, all certain that the elephant was going to be shot. They were watching me as they would watch a magician about to perform a trick. They did not like me. But with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching. And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward. And it was at this moment that I first felt the hollowness, the uselessness of the white man"s control in the East. Here was I, standing in front of the unarmed crowd—seemingly the leading actor; but in reality only a puppet (傀儡). I understood in this moment that when the white man turns ruler of complete power it is his own freedom that he destroys.
小题1:The people were glad to think the elephant was to be shot mainly because ______.

A．it had damaged their homes and crops

B．it would provide them with meat

C．it would make them feel entertained

D．it was spoiling their rice fields

小题2:When the writer saw the elephant he felt       .

A．foolish

B．afraid

C．pitiful

D．confident

小题3:The writer realized that he had to shoot the elephant because        .

A．shooting elephants is a serious problem

B．everybody expected it of him

C．he did not wish to disappoint the rulers

D．he had to show how guns are fired

小题4:What does the writer intend to tells us when he tells the story?

A．Leading actors are sometimes foolish puppets.

B．Government for white people are useless.

C．Power can sometimes turn people imprisoned.

D．Unarmed crowds are in control of everything.

答案

小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:B
小题4:C

解析

试题分析：本文叙述了作者对能否***死大象很纠结的心理过程。几个缅甸人来到，告诉作者去***死大头大象，对于他们来说***死大象就是一种乐趣，当作者看见大象在那里无忧地吃草，根本没有看见作者和那大群要***它的人，作者这时有点不忍，可是又怕这些人笑话，他不得不向它开枪。
小题1:细节理解题。根据It was fun to them可知对于他们来说就是娱乐，故选 C。
小题2:细节理解题。根据It made me a little uneasy.如果射死大象对于作者来说有点不安，故选 C。
小题3:细节理解题。根据I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it;因为他们都希望作者去射大象，故选B。
小题4:作者意图题。根据Here was I, standing in front of the unarmed crowd—seemingly the leading actor; but in reality only a puppet (傀儡). I understood in this moment that when the white man turns ruler of complete power it is his own freedom that he destroys.权利有时觉得能把人们圈禁起来，故选C。
点评：作者的意图时指作者在文中表达的意思，也就是写作目的。只有掌握作者的写作意图， 我们才能了解文章的深层含义， 从而全面正确，深刻把握思想。作者的写作意图通常隐藏在字里行间， 所以需要从以下几个方面来看：
(1)熟悉文体
(2)寻找 key word, topic sentence
(3)善于把握讽刺，反语等常见修辞方法。
(4)把握作者的语气， 严肃或轻松， 幽默或讽刺， 平和或激动， 乐观或悲观。