ago,‖ said the child, ―Out through that window, her husband and her two young brothers went off for their day‘s shooting. They never came back. Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back someday. She has often told me about Ronnie, her youngest brother, singing ?Bertie, why do you bound?‖
At this time, Mrs. Sappleton came in, greeting, ―I hope you don‘t mind the open window.‖ She talked on cheerfully about the shooting. To Framton it was all purely horrible. He made a desperate but only partially successful effort to turn the talk on to a less scary topic. ―The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest, and an absence of mental excitement.‖ he announced, ―On the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement,‖ he continued.
―No?‖ said Mrs. Sappleton, in a voice which only replaced a yawn at the last moment. ―Here they are at last!‖ she suddenly cried. In the deepening dusk out came three figures with a tired brown spaniel （猎犬）.And then a young voice rang out of the dusk, ―I said, Bertie, why do you bound?‖
Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat, without a word of goodbye, and rushed out of sight. ―What is up?‖ Mrs. Sappleton was confused.
―I expect it was the spaniel,‖ said the niece calmly, ―He told me that he was once hunted into a tomb by a pack of dogs, and had to spend the night in a newly dug tomb with the creatures barking just above him. Enough to make anyone lose their nerve.‖
Romance at short notice was her specialty.
1. According to the passage, we learn that Mrs. Sappleton_________. A. felt sorrow about the shooting
B. was looking forward to the hunters‘ return D. trusted and spoiled her niece
C. listened carefully to Framton
2. As for Framton‘s nerve problem, his doctors_________. A. recommended him to go off for a shooting B. suggested to him a rest cure in the countryside C. advised him to keep his mind off excitement D. agreed on the treatment of his diet 3. Which word can best describe Framton? A. Cheerful.
B. Brave.
C. Fragile.
D. Wise.
4. What can be inferred about the niece from the last sentence? A. She was good at making up a story in a short time. C. She fell in love with Framton in no time.
B. She showed a strong love for scary stories. D. She took no notice of strange visitors.
Passage 2
A month went by in this manner, but a month was all I could bear.
The memory of Marguerite accompanied me wherever I went. I had loved that woman—still loved her—too much for her suddenly to mean nothing to me. Whatever feelings I might have for her now, I had to see her again. At once.
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…
I knew Marguerite. Meeting me so unexpectedly must have thrown her into a state of great confusion. Probably, she had heard of my departure which had set her mind at rest as to the consequences of our sudden parting. But, seeing me back and coming face to face with me, pale as I was, she had sensed that my return had a purpose, and must have wondered what was going to happen.
If, when I saw her again, Marguerite had been unhappy; if, in taking my revenge(复仇), there had also been some way of helping her then I might well have forgiven her, and would certainly never have dreamed of doing her any harm. But when I saw her again, she was happy, at least on the surface. Another man had ensured her the luxury (奢靡) in which I had been unable to keep her. She brought shame both to my pride and my love；she was going to have to pay for what I had suffered.
I could not remain indifferent (冷漠) to what she did now. It followed that the thing that would hurt her most would be exactly for me to show indifference. Indifference, therefore, was the feeling which I now needed to pretend, not only in her presence but in the eyes of others.
I tried to put a smile on my face, and I went to call on Prudence with whom Marguerite was staying. …
Prudence saw me to the door, and I returned to my apartment with tears of anger in my eyes and thirst for revenge in my heart and thought only of finding a way to make the poor creature suffer. 1. This passage is most probably_________of a love story.
A. the beginning B. the introduction C. a summary D. a chapter 2. According to the passage, the hero (男主人公) wanted to_________..
A. forgive Marguerite because he found her unhappy
B. stop the relationship with Marguerite because he couldn‘t keep her in the luxury C. make up the relationship with Marguerite because he still loved her D. give Marguerite sufferings because his pride and his love were hurt 3. What kind of feelings did the hero most probably have?
A. Indifference and love. C. Love and hate.
B. Indifference and hate. D. Hate and sadness.
4. What would the author most probably write about next?
A. Why he changed his mind suddenly.
B. How he made up his relationship with Marguerite. C. How he made Marguerite suffer.
D. Why he wanted Marguerite to pay for what he had suffered.
Passage 3
I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a freezing cold wet day in the winter of 1975. I remember the right moment, hiding behind a fragile mud wall, peeking (窥视) into the alley (胡同) near the frozen stream.
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That was a long time ago, but it‘s wrong what they say about the past, I‘ve learned, about how you can bury it, because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I‘ve been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.
One day in summer, my friend, Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. He asked me to come to see him. Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn‘t just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins (未能弥补的罪行). After I hung up, I went for a walk along Spreckels Lane on the northern edge of Golden Gate Park. The early afternoon sun sparkled on the water where dozens of small boats sailed, driven by a gentle breeze. Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites with long blue tails, soaring in the sky. They danced high above the trees on the west end of the park, over the windmill, floating side by side like a pair of eyes looking down on San Francisco, the city I now call home.
And suddenly Hassan‘s voice whispered in my head: For you, a thousand times over. Hassan the hare-lipped kite runner. I sat on a park bench near a willow tree. I thought about something Rahim Khan said just before he hung up, almost as an after thought. There is a way to be good again. I looked up at those twin kites. I thought about Hassan. Thought about Baba. Ali. Kabul. I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today. 1. After 1975, the hero of the story spent his life_________.
A. with happiness
B. with regret
C. in peace
D. in danger
2. It can be inferred from the passage that_________.
A. Rahim Khan spoke ill of the hero B. the hero had made up for his wrong-doings C. San Francisco was the birthplace of the hero D. something bad might have happened in the alley 3. The writer attracts the readers by using ________.
a. an impressive opening
b. a lively description of inner thoughts
d. a detailed plot of the story
C. acd
D. abd
c. concrete and vivid language A. abc
B. bcd
4. What is the passage mainly about?
A. A hide-and-seek game.
B. A forget-me-not event. D. A coming-of-age story.
C. A kite-flying competition.
Passage 4
Tess still stood hesitating like a swimmer about to make his dive, hardly knowing whether to return or move forward, when a figure came out from the dark door of the tent. It was a tall young man, smoking.
He had an almost black face, though red and smooth. His moustache was black with curled points，though he could not be more than twenty-three or-four. There was all unusual force in his face, and in his daring rolling eyes. ―Well，my beauty, what can I do for you?‖said he, coming forward. And seeing that she was quite at a loss:
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―Never mind me, I am Mr. d‘Urberville. Have you come to see me or my mother? ‖
This differed greatly from what Tess had expected. She had dreamed of an aged and dignified face. She tried to keep calm and answered --- ―I came to see your mother, sir.‖
―I am afraid you cannot see her---she is ill in bed,‖ replied the representative of the house; for this was Mr. Alec, the only son of the noble family. ―What is the business you wish to see her about?‖ ―It isn‘t business --- it is ---I can hardly say what!‖ ―Pleasure?‖
―Oh no. Why, sir, if I tell you，it will seem…‖
Tess‘s sense of a certain ridicule was now so strong that despite her general discomfort at being here, her rosy lips curved（弯曲）towards a smile, much to the attraction of the young man. ―It is so foolish,‖ she stammered（结结巴巴地说）: ―I fear I can‘t tell you!‖ ―Never mind; I like foolish things. Try again, my dear. ‖said he kindly.
―Mother asked me to come,‖ Tess continued; ―and, indeed, I was in the mind to do so myself. But I did not think it would be like this. I came, sir, to tell you that we are of the same family as you.‖ ―Ho! Poor relations?‖ ―Yes.‖ ―Stokes?‖
―No; d‘Urbervilles.‖
―Ay,ay; I mean d‘Urbervilles.‖
―Our names are worn away to Durbeyfield; but we have several proofs that we are d‘Urbervilles. The local scholars hold the view that we are, …and…and we have an old seal and a silver spoon marked with the same castle as yours. So mother said we ought to make ourselves known to you， as we‘ve lost our horse by a bad accident; we can hardly make a living.‖
―Very kind of your mother, I‘m sure.‖ Alec looked at Tess as he spoke, in a way that made her uneasy.‖And so, my pretty girl, you‘ve come on a friendly visit to us, as relations?‖ ―I Suppose I have, ‖ looking less confident and uncomfortable again. ―Well--- there‘s no harm in it. Where do you live? What are you?‖ 1. How does Tess feel in the whole course of the meeting with Alec? A. Excited and hopeful C. Surprised but comfortable 2. In the eyes of Tess, Alec is _________. A. forceful and daring C. gentle and reliable
B. unfriendly and talkative D. older than she had expected
B. Nervous and uncomfortable D. Pleased but embarrassed
3. Why does Tess pay the visit to the d‘Urbervilles? A. To see Alec himself.
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B. To see Alec‘s mother.
C. To confirm that they are of the same family. D. To make known their relationship and seek help.
4. Alec appears quite friendly to Tess mainly because _________. A. Tess is his distant relation C. Tess is a pretty girl
B. Tess looks polite to him D. Tess looks ridiculous
Passage 5
An old man in a faded yellow shirt sat in a windowless room on a raised concrete form. The only source of heat came from somewhere beneath the plastic mattress and the rough blanket the blank-faced police woman had handed him after taking his thumb prints.
At the front desk a tired looking policeman handed the old man back his belongings. The policeman dramatically held the blue plastic bag at an arm‘s length to the old man who took it and made sure its contents were undamaged: the goat meat, palm oil, leaves and spices. He ignored the confused expression on the officer‘s face and signed the document declaring he had been returned the possessions they had taken off him the night before.
No one spoke to him as he walked slowly towards the exit.
―Mr. Easy-nwa?‖ He stopped and prayed to the God who now took care of Evelyn to please take him far away from this unhappy place of expressionless faces, clipped accents and people who did not even attempt to pronounce his name right.
―Ezenwa,‖ He said and looked at a woman with full lips, her name tag said Jessica Harlow, Social Services. ―A bit far from home,‖ she said as she drove fast and with confidence the way Evelyn used to. At last she drew up outside the block of flats where he lived.
Back home, he carefully rolled up the sleeves of the oversize bomber jacket he wore and turned on the tap to wash his hands, delighted the pipes were not frozen. In a clean pan he placed the chopped pieces of goat meat. The herbs and spices that had taken him three months to track down, the uziza seeds had taken him into the heart of Granby Market in Liverpool, his uchanwu leaves down a shady back alley in Manchester, and yesterday, among other food items, the finest goat meat from a Sierra Leonean Butcher in Birmingham. That had taken some time, so much he missed the last train and when the police found him shivering outside the locked up station, so cold he couldn‘t answer loudly enough the pink-faced big policeman who yelled in his face, ―What‘s your name sir?‖ spraying his face with spittle (吐沫）as he did so, leaving them with no choice but to search an exhausted, frozen old black man and finding him in possession of mysterious condiments (调味品）including a bag of dried bitter-leaf which could of course be mistaken for anything that resulted in him getting read his rights and charged with ...possession???
He lifted the lid of the bubbling soup, the room was filled with the rich and spicy scent of his culinary (烹饪的）effort. He served two bowls, taking the chipped one and placing the other opposite where Evelyn would have sat. He would tell her about his adventure, it was their anniversary and this was the perfect pepper soup to celebrate.
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