Here is what I have been told of the matter.
In the spring of 1842, Marguerite was so weak, so different in her looks, that the doctors had ordered her to take the waters. She therefore set out for Bagneres.
Among the other sufferers there, was the Duke"s daughter who not only had the same complaint but a face so like Marguerite"s that they could have been taken for sisters. The fact was that the young Duchess was in the third stage of consumption and, only days after Marguerite"s arrival, she passed away.
One morning the Duke, who had remained at Bagneres caught sight of Marguerite as she turned a corner of a gravel walk. It seemed as though he was seeing the spirit of his dead child and, going up to her, he took both her hands, embraced her tearfully and, without asking who she was, begged permission to call on her and to love in her person the living image of his dead daughter.
Marguerite, alone at Bagneres with her maid, and in any case having nothing to lose by compromising herself, granted the Duke what he asked.
Now there were a number of people at Bagneres who knew her, and they made a point of calling on the Duke to inform him of Marguerite"s true situation. It was a terrible blow for the old man, for any resemblance with his daughter stopped there. But it was too late. The young woman had become an emotional necessity, his only excuse and his sole reason for living.
He did not criticize her, he had no right to, but he did ask her if she felt that she could change her way of life, and, in exchange for this sacrifice, he would offer all the compensations she could want. She agreed.
It should be said that at this point Marguerite, who was by nature somewhat highly strung(excited and nervous), was seriously ill. Her past appeared to her to be one of the major causes of her illness, and a kind of superstition(迷信) led her to hope that God would allow her to keep her beauty and her health in exchange for her regret and shame.
And indeed the waters, the walks, healthy fatigue and sleep had almost restored her fully by the end of that summer.
The Duke accompanied Marguerite to Paris, where he continued to call on her as at Bagneres.
This connection, of which the true origin and true motive were known to no one, gave rise here to a great deal of talk, since the Duke, known till now as an enormously wealthy man, now began to acquire a name for the prodigality(挥霍).
72. Why did the Duke take Marguerite’s both hands when he saw her?
A. His daughter and Marguerite were once good friends. B. Marguerite is his daughter’s spirit.
C. Marguerite resembles his daughter. D. They haven’t seen each other for long.
73. What’s the right order of the events?
a. The Duke accompanied Marguerite to Paris.
b. Marguerite set out for Bagneres.
c. The Duke took Marguerite as his daughter.
d. The daughter of the Duke passed away.
e. Marguerite took a gravel walk
A. e-c-b-d-a B. c-d-e-b-a C. b-d-e-c-a D. d-a-c-b-e
74. From the passage we can guess that Marguerite _______.
A. doesn’t believe in God B. was once a woman without a good fame
C. was strange to all the people in Bagners
D. kept her own way of life while living with the Duke
75. According to the passage, Marguerite went to Bagners _______.
A. just for a gravel walk B. to find her sister
C. to visit the Duke D. for treatment |