4. D。主旨题。从第 4 段最后一句话 Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my
own medal, I will show it to you 和文章最后的书信中不难找到答案。
(5)
Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. In the children?s opinion, they had something that they couldn?t explain or understand about him and that excited their imagination. He stirred Maggie?s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It?s a mercy that brother of yours doesn?t come oftener.”
In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o?clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Indeed, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You?ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.
Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James? voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was unwilling to give or share what he had. He always went home by the last train, just after two o?clock.
Maggie?s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother?s words, “lost two wives and taken a third.” They wondered about those two unfortunate, lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate(命运) had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.
1. Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______. A. he was a man difficult to please
B. she never knew when he was coming C. she was too busy looking after her children D. he never stayed long enough for a meal 2. What do we know about James? behaviour? A. He was a kind man, with love for the family. B. He was unselfish, especially towards his brother.
C. He was anxious to please the family, especially the children. D. He was rude to his sister-in-law 3. Maggie felt pleased when _______. A. she paid James the money that she owed him
B. James gave some money to the children C. she had to wake James up to catch his train D. James thanked her for the nice supper
4. The children did not realize that two of James? wives _______. A. were dead
B. suffered from loss of memory D. might reappear one day
C. had run away from him
【答案与解释】叔叔James一年一次的到来并没给孩子们带来欢乐和兴奋，他们和妈妈一样感到不怎么高兴。他总是晚上八点才到，呆上几个小时后赶最后一趟火车离开。
1. B。细节题。由第 2 段第 1 句中的 unexpectedly 便知答案。
2. D。细节题。从第 2 段最后一句话 Indeed, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You?ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her 可得出答案。
3. B。细节题。从第 3 段第 4、5 两句话可知答案。
4. A。语义理解题。根据文章第 4 段可知孩子们太小了，他们不理解妈妈讲的 lost two wives and taken a third 的真正含义，以为他叔叔前两个妻子都弄丢了。根据文章内容，可排除B和D。而根据常识可知，如果他前两个妻子只是离开了他，而他又另娶他人，他就会犯重婚罪，这是不允许的，因此排除C。
(6)
A man walked into a restaurant and asked for a glass of water. Then the girl in the restaurant pulled out a gun and shot him dead. Why? People asked to give reasonable explanation for the strange happening. All kinds of suggestions were made.
She was able to recognize him as a dangerous prisoner who ran away from the prison; she thought he was to rob her; she misheard what he said; asking for a glass of water had a special meaning for her and so on. All these explanations showed that the gun was used on purpose(有目的) to harm the man. The idea was easily accepted.
In fact, the explanation was that the man had an attack of hiccups(严重打嗝). It so happened that the girl in the restaurant knew that a great and sudden fear could get rid of hiccups. But she didn?t know the gun happened to be loaded(上子弹) that day.
1. The man asked for a glass of water because ______. A. he was too thirsty B. he was walked into a restaurant C. he wanted to kill himself D. he was having an attack of hiccups
2. The girl used a gun to the man because _______. A. she wanted to kill him B. she hated him C. what the man said had a special meaning D. she wanted to give him a sudden and great fear
3. Why did the man have an attack of hiccups? A. Because he ate too much. B. Because he was too old. C. Because he ate too fast. D. The passage didn?t tell us. 4. Which is TRUE to the passage?
A. The man just ran away from a prison. B. The man wanted to rob the girl.
C. The girl misheard what the man said.
D. It is the girl?s kind help that happened to kill the man.
【答案与解析】一个男人在饭店要了一杯水，突然一位女孩拔出枪把他打死了，为什么？众说纷纭，却没有一个说对的。原来那个男人老是打嗝，女孩只想吓他一下，却不知那天枪碰巧上了子弹。
1. D。判断题。根据文章最后一段可知那个男人老是打嗝，他要了一杯水，是想缓冲一下，不让自己打嗝，所以此题答案为 D。
2. D。细节题。根据最后1段 …that the girl in the restaurant knew that a great and sudden fear could get rid of … 可知答案为 D。
3. D。通读全文可知文章没有说明这个男人为什么打嗝，所以答案为 。
4. D。 通读全文可知女孩本是出于好心吓一吓那个男人，帮他制止打嗝，谁知那天枪碰巧上了子弹，所以答案为 D。
(7)
Here is a question I have often asked at dinner parties:
You?re on an island with only one other person, your best friend. He?s dying of cancer. In his final days, he tells you, “I have 100,000 dollars in a bank back home. When I die, make sure my son goes to medical school.” Then he dies. But his son is a no-good playboy who has no interest in going to medical school and will waste that money away in a very short time. But your son is entering college, and he is willing to become a doctor. Which one do you give the money to for medical school?
I?ve asked this question of everyone from the president of a famous university to an ordinary young soldier, and it has never failed to get a discussion going. Everyone has an opinion, most of them different, but all of them correct. Sometimes this one topic lasts the whole evening.
1. Which of the following is TRUE to the passage?
A. Only the clever people can answer the question rightly. B. Some people refuse to answer such a silly question.
C. Everyone at the dinner party seems to be interested in the question. D. Most of the people have the same answer.
2. What the writer often says at dinner parties is _______. A. not a true story B. a true story C. a strange story D. just a joke
3. Why does the writer often ask people such a question? Because ______. A. he wants to find the answer for a research B. he is interested in such a question
C. he likes to make fun of people at parties
D. he wants to offer people a topic in which everyone could say something 4. Which of the following decisions is most likely NOT correct? A. You give the money to your friend?s son.
B. You give the money to your son for medical school.
C. You keep the money for your future medical care. D. You keep the money for your friend?s son.
【答案与解析】作者喜欢在宴会上问人们一个问题，人们为这个问题可以争论整个晚上，其实他们每个人的答案都是对的。
1. C。细节题。根据最后一段 it has never failed to get a discussion going 及 sometimes this one topic lasts the whole evening 可知答案为 C。
2. A。语义理解题。通读全文可知这篇文章只是作者的一个假设，所以它不是真实的，因此答案为 A。
3. D。根据最后一段可知答案为 D。
4. C。通过阅读全文可知：你有可能把钱给你朋友的儿子，也有可能把钱留给自己的儿子读医学校，也有可能你觉得朋友的儿子是个花花公子，就把钱先给他存起来，等以后再给他。所以 A、B、D 三项都有可能，只有 C 项不可能。因此答案为 C。
(9)
Is there a strange something high up in the world?s tallest mountains? If so, is it a big bear? Is it a monkey? Or is it a kind of man?
No one knows. This mystery(谜) has puzzled the world for years.
In 1887, a mountain climber found large footprints(脚印) in the snow. They looked like the footprints of a very large man. But men don?t walk without shoes in the snow!
In 1906, other climbers saw more than footprints. Far away they saw a very large animal standing on two legs. As they watched, it ran very quickly.
Fifteen years later, newspapers, had new stories about the “something”. A mountain climber said he had seen the “snow man” walk slowly across the snow, far below him. He said it looked like a very large man.
From then on, more and more people had stories to tell. But not until 1951 did a mountain climber bring back pictures of large footprints. His pictures showed clearly that the snowman walked on two legs, so it was not a bear or a monkey. Could it be an ape(猿) man? The mystery grew! And the mystery keeps growing. Some day we may find out just what it is that makes the large footprints.
1. The passage is about _______.
A. some mountain climbers B. some strange animals C. some large footprints D. the mystery of the snowman
2. Why were people interested in the footprints? A. They were footprints of a large bear.
B. They looked like the footprints of a large man. C. They were found in the snow.
D. They were found in the world?s tallest mountains.
3. The pictures of large footprints were taken by a mountain climber in _______. A. 1887 B. 1906 C. 1921 D. 1951
4. Why did the mystery grow when a mountain climber brought back pictures of the large footprints? A. They were footprints of an ape man. B. They were footprints of a snowman.
C. The pictures showed clearly how the snowman walked.
D. The pictures showed clearly how an ape man walked on two legs.
5. Since a mountain climber first found the large footprints in the snow, the mystery of the snowman has puzzled the world for ______ years.
A. over one hundred B. ninety-five C. Eighty D. fifty
【答案与解析】本文主要讨论了世界最高峰上是否真的存在 snow man 这一问题。巨大的脚印到底是谁留下的？现在仍然是个谜。
1. D。主旨题。这篇文章主要讲述在世界上最高峰的雪人是个谜。
2. B。细节题。有些 mountain climbers(登山队员)发现了两脚直立行走的雪人，且他的脚印非常大。 3. D。细节题。在 But not until 1951 did a mountain climber bring back pictures of large footprints 中我们可知雪人的巨大脚印是在1951年拍摄的。
4. C。细节判断题。照片清晰地表明了雪人是 walked on two legs(两条腿行走)，所以人们排除了他不是 bear 和 monkey，是 ape man(猿人)吗？人们还没有得到答案，仍然是个 mystery(谜)。
5. A。细节题。从登山队员首先(1887年)发现雪地里的大脚印到现在大约有一百多年了，所以 Ａ 项是最符合的。
(10)
When Laura reached school-going age the discussions about moving became more urgent(紧迫的). Her father did not want the children to go to school with the village children and for once her mother agreed with him. Not because, as he said, they ought to have a better education than they could get at Lark Rise; but because he feared they would tear their clothes and catch cold and get dirty heads going a mile and a half to and from the school in the village. So empty cottages in the market town were examined and often it seemed that the next week or the next month they would be leaving Lark Rise for ever; but again each time something would happen to prevent the removal, and gradually a new idea came up. To gain time, their father would teach the two eldest children to read and write, so that, if asked by the School Attendance Office, their mother could say they were leaving the small village shortly, and in the meantime, they were being taught at home.
So their father brought home two copies of Mavor?s First Reader and taught them the alphabet; but just as Laura was beginning on words of one syllable(音节), he was sent away to work on a distant job, only coming home at weekends. Laura, left at the c-a-t s-u-t-s on the m-a-t?s stage, then had to carry her book round after her mother as she went about her housework, asking, “Please, Mother, what does h-o-u-s-e spell?” or “W-a-l-k, Mother, what is that?”
Often when her mother was too busy or too tired to attend to her, she would sit and fix her eyes on a page that might as well have been printed in Hebrew(希伯来语) for all she could make of it, frowning(锁眉) and studying the print as though she would make out the meaning by force of concentration(专注).
After weeks of this, there came a day when, quite suddenly, as it seemed to her, the printed characters took on a meaning. There were still many words, even on the first page of that simple book, she could not understand；but she could jump those yet make sense of the whole. “I?m reading！I?m reading!” she cried aloud. “Oh, Mother！Oh, Edmund！I?m reading!”
1. The children?s father decided to teach them to read and write so that they _______. A. had an excuse not to have to move B. had a reason for not attending school C. could write to the School Attendance Office D. would be educated before they left the village
2. The underlined part left at the c-a-t s-u-t-s on the m-a-t?s stage means that _______. A. Laura was working hard and learning quickly B. her father had no time to teach her C. her mother was too busy to attend to her D. Laura knew little about how to read and write
3. From the passage we can infer that _______ made Laura stare at a page in her book. A. her lack of concentration B. her inability to understand C. her need to understand Hebrew D. her determination to understand
4. Laura finally discovered she could read when she ________. A. understood the main idea B. understood all the words in her book C. recognized the printed characters D. jumped the first pages of her book
【答案与解析】本文讲述的是Laura的父母亲因为怕孩子们到离家来回有一英里半的学校去上学会弄破衣服、得感冒或弄脏头而不让孩子们上学以及Laura在自己的努力下学会读书时感到十分的小故事。
1. B。语义理解题。根据第1段最后一句可得知答案。
2. D。判断题。从第2段第1句…but just as Laura was beginning on words of one syllable可以做出正确判断。
3. D。语义理解题。从第3段中的she would sit and fix her eyes on a page 和…frowning(锁眉) and studying the print as though she would make out the meaning by force of concentration(专注)可以看出，答案应该选D。
4. A。语义理解题。理由是 …she could jump those yet make sense of the whole。
(11)
Just a Little Smile
Mark was walking home from school one day when he saw the boy in front of him fall over and drop all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a basketball and a walkman. Mark stopped and helped the boy pick up these things. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry some of his things. As they walked, Mark knew that the boy?s name was Bill, that he loved computer games, basketball and history, and that he was having lots of troubles with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill?s home first and Mark was invited(邀请) in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed happily with a few laughs and some small talk, and then Mark went home. They often saw each other at school, had lunch together once or twice, and then they both finished middle school. They ended up in the same high school where they sometimes saw and talked with each other over the years. At last just three weeks before they finished high school, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill asked Mark if he still remembered the day years ago when they had first met. “Did you ever think why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker(锁柜) because I didn?t want to leave anything for anyone else. I had put away some of my mother?s sleeping pills and I was going home to kill myself. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I began to understand that if I killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you