高中英语故事类阅读试题

A farmer grew some vegetables in his garden. One day his wife was ill and he had no money. He had to sell some cabbages and carrots in the market. The next morning he took two baskets of vegetables to town. But it was raining hard that afternoon and there were few people in the street. When his vegetables were sold out, it was dark. He bought some medicine and hurried to his village.
On his way home he saw a person lying on the snow. He placed his baskets on the ground and was going to help the person to get up. At that time he found it was a dead man and there was much blood on his body. He was so afraid that he ran away quickly, without taking the baskets with him.
The next afternoon the farmer was sent to the police station. Having shown the baskets, an officer asked: “Are these yours?” “Yes, sir.” the farmer answered timidly(胆怯地)。”Have you killed the man?” “No, no, sir.” the farmer said in a hurry.” When did you see the dead man?” ”About seven last evening.” “Did you see who killed the man?” “No, Sir.” The officer brought out a knife and asked, “Have you seen it yet?” ”No, Sir.’ The officer became angry and told the policemen to beat him up and send him into prison.
That evening the officer went on trying .Pointing to the knife, he asked again,” Have you seen it yet?” ”Yes, Sir.” The officer was happy and asked,” When and where?” “I saw it here this afternoon, sir.”
The farmer decided to sell the vegetables to           .

A．buy some food for his family

B．buy some medicine for his wife

C．go to see a doctor

D．go to the cinema

The farmer didn’t sell out his vegetables until the evening because           .

A．they were too bad

B．they were very expensive

C．it rained hard that morning

D．few people liked to go out on such a bad day

As          , the farmer decided to help the person to stand up.

A．he wanted to get some money from him.

B．the person was one of his friends

C．he thought the person would thank him.

D．he thought the person had drunk too much

The farmer ran away quickly because        .

A．the policemen were coming towards him.

B．his wife was waiting for him at home

C．he was afraid to see a dead man.

D．it was so late that he couldn’t stay there any longer.

The officer tried the farmer to        .
A know who had killed the man.
B. know if he had seen the dead man
C .ask when he saw the dead man
D .ask if he had seen the knife

Billy and Bobby were small boys. They were brothers, and they often fought each other.
Last Saturday their mother said to them, “I’m going to cook our lunch now, go out and play in the garden……and be good.”
“Yes, Mum,” the two boys answered, and they went out.
They played in the garden for half an hour, and then Billy ran in. “Mum,” he said, “Bobby’s broken a window in Mrs Allen’s house.” Mrs Allen was one of their neighbours.
“He’s a bad boy,” his mother said. “How did he break it?”
“I threw a stone at him,” Billy answered, “and he quickly moved down.”
Billy and Bobby were           .

A．sisters

B．classmates

C．not often kind to each other

D．always kind to each other

Last Saturday their mother asked them           .

A．not to play in the garden	B．to cook their lunch
C．not to go out	D．to be good

          broke the window.

A．Mrs Allen

B．Billy

C．Bobby

D．The mother

Mrs Allen was            .

A．Billy’s mother

B．their neighbour

C．their mother

D．Bobby’s aunt

Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents on inventions than any other American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power would be shut off in homes, streets, and factories. Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was impossible.
On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his countrymen's fingertips.
This selection says that Thomas Edison ________.

A．was the only important American inventor

B．received the first American patent

C．received more patents than any other American

D．was the first American inventor

People decided to honor Edison when ________.

A．he made the first electric light

B．electric power was 100 years

C．the country realized electricity's importance

D．he died in 1931

The suggested plan was to ________.

A．turn off the lights in factories and schools

B．observe a few minutes of total silence

C．dim all electric lights

D．shut off all electricity for a short time

Jack Brown，an office worker，lives in Washington．He inherited(继承)  a million dollars when he was 23，but he wasn’t happy at all．When his college friends were looking for their jobs，he didn’t have to．Jack decided to living a simple life like everyone else．He gave $l0,000 of his money to a charity(慈善机构)to help poor children live a better life．Today he is 36．He still wears cheap shoes and clothes and drives a small car only，but he is Very happy．
Up to now Jack has helped some children from poor countries all over the world，by sending them each$200 a month．The money was used for the children’s study, food, medicine and clothing．Jack receives a report each year on the children’s progress(进步)．They can write to each other．but usually the children do not speak English．
When Jack first heard about these children，he wanted to help them．“It was nothing special,” he said．“Until  I  went to these countries and met the children I was helping，I didn’t know anything about their life．” Once Jack went to meet a little girl in Africa．He said that the meeting was Very exciting．“When I met her．I felt very ,very happy．"he said．“ I saw that the money was used for a good cause．It brought me happiness．I want to do everything I can to go on helping those children.”
Jack didn’t need to look for a job ___________.

A．before he went to college	B．after he went to Africa
C．because he got one million dollars	D．before he received a report

Jack has sent them each $200 a month to help some poor children _______．

A．only in Washington	B．only in England
C．only in Africa	D．around the world

Jack learned about the children’s progress by ________.

A．visiting them each year	B．getting a report every year
C．staying with them	D．talking to them in English

The underlined(划线的)words “for a good cause ”means“________” in Chinese．

A．施舍

B．行善

C．优惠

D．赏赐

What’s the main idea of the story?

A．Help others，and you will feel happy．

B．It’s necessary to write letters to poor children．

C．Live a simple life，and you can give others help．

D．Enjoy life.

Nothing was going right for Dr.Turner at the hospital. He made a mistake while operating on a patient. He felt sure he was no longer trusted and decided to change his job . One day he learned from the paper that a doctor was looking for a partner (合作者). The doc-tor, whose name was Johnson , lived in Thorby, a small town in the north of England.
A few days later Dr. Turner went to Thorby, and arrived at Dr.Johnson's home early in the afternoon. Though old and a little deaf, Dr.Johnson still had a good brain. He kept talking to the visitor about the town and its people. When they turned to the question of partnership,it was already seven in the evening. Dr. Johnson invited Dr . Turner to have dinner with him in a restaurant before catching the train back to London. Dr . Turner noticed that Dr. Johnson was fond of good food and expensive wines . They had an excellent meal. When the bill was brought, Dr. Johnson felt in his pocket." Oh, dear," he said. "I've forgotten my money." "That's all right,"Dr. Turner said."I'll pay the bill."As he did so,he began to wonder whether Dr. Johnson was worthy of trust.
Dr. Turner decided to leave his present job because       .

A．he had never been trusted

B．it demanded too great skills

C．he believed it offered little hope for his future

D．he thought the hospital would like him to leave

The two doctors spent most of the afternoon talking about        .

A．things of no interest to Dr. Johnson

B．things of no importance to Dr. Turner

C．health matters

D．food and drink

The story suggests that               .

A．Dr. Johnson did notlike Dr. Turner

B．the two doctors would become friends

C．the two doctors would not work together

D．Dr. Turner decided to stay at his present job

The words did so  in the last sentence mean               .

A．caught the train back to London	B．felt in his pocket
C．paid the bill	D．said those words

Thanks a Million, Dad
I was born disabled．A difficult birth, feet first, my head stuck．By my first birthday, I couldn't stand or walk．
When I was three, the doctor told dad I had cerebral palsy （脑瘫）．A loss of oxygen to my brain had destroyed brain signals to the right side of my body．
But no son of my dad' s was going to be disabled．Every morning before breakfast and every evening before bed, my dad placed me on the bedroom floor to exercise my right leg．The muscles were shrunk and twisted together．Back and forth up and down, my dad pushed and pulled the muscles into shape．
But my dad' s exercise of passion didn't stop there．For my 13th birthday, he threw me a special party．When everybody was gone, he brought me to open a large box, it was a-set of boxing gloves．We put them on．My dad kept on beating me mercilessly．Each time I tried to get up, leather kissed my nose, eyes and jaw．I "begged him to stop．He said he beat me to get me ready for the tough world．
That same year, I was the only kid in my neighbourhood that wasn't picked for Little League．Two weeks later．Dad started the Shedd Park Minor League, and every kid played．Dad coached us and made me a pitcher （棒球投手）．
The power of my dad' s love guaranteed I walked and more．In high school, I became a football star．
In 1997, a brain surgeon in San Jose told me I didn’t t have cerebral palsy after all．He explained how and where the doctor' s forceps （镊子） at birth had damaged my brain．
My dad never knew the whole truth since he passed away years ago．But all that counts is the bottom line．After all his madness, on this Father' s Day, like every Father' s Day, I' m no longer disabled．
What caused the author' s disability?

A．A failed operation．	B．The doctor's forceps．
C．An accident in a game．	D．Shrunken and twisted muscles．

What do we learn from the passage?

A．The author has a talent for boxing．

B．The author achieved a lot thanks to his father' s love．

C．The author became a baseball star with the help of his father．

D．The author doesn't think his father should be so strict with him．

Paragraph 3 suggests that the author' s father____．

A．wouldn't give up hope easily

B．believed his son was a normal child

C．blamed the doctors for his son' s disability

D．couldn't accept the truth that his son was disabled

The author wrote the passage to ____．

A．remember his father

B．encourage disabled children

C．show the difficulty the disabled face

D．give advice to the parents of disabled children

Dad came in the midnight. We heard every sound, but we pretended to be asleep.
Next morning he looked weak and thin, sitting in a chair by the kitchen fire. The light of the fire shone through his long empty sleeve. Everything went as usual. Grandma found something to do in the bedroom. Grandpa went out for some water. Mother, with her back to us, was getting the cakes ready for breakfast.
But nothing was right. When grandma came out of the bedroom, she walked on tiptoe. When grandpa came back, he said nothing about the weather. At breakfast Mother passed us the fruit and said something, but her voice was too high.
At last my sister, Lou, pushed back her chair. “It’s your turn to wash the dishes.” But I had washed the dishes the night before. I said nothing because it was not right to quarrel in front of Dad just home with the empty sleeve.
“It is your turn,” Lou said again. I looked at her in surprise.
“It is not,” I said because I suddenly remembered Mother had told us to go on as usual.
“Children, children,” Mother said in a quiet, glad kind of voice.
And Dad was smiling because he felt at home at last.
What do you know happened to Dad in the story?

A．He was badly ill.	B．He had a long journey.
C．He drank too much.	D．He lost one of his arms.

The family       when they saw Dad’s empty sleeve.

A．was too surprised to do anything	B．felt sad and cried a lot
C．tried not to show their feelings	D．showed no worry at all

From the story, we know         .

A．the two sisters often quarreled about who should wash the dishes

B．the family liked seeing the two sisters quarrelling after breakfast

C．Dad loved the two sisters very much though they often quarreled

D．Mother told the two sisters to quarrel with each other the night before

Which of the following can be the best title of the story?

A．The Quarrelling Sisters	B．Dad Was Back
C．After the Accident	D．An Empty Sleeve

When he took office, George W. Bush, son of former president George Herbert Walker Bush, became the first son to follow his father into the White House since John Quiney Adams followed John Adams in the early 19th century.
Bush was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, the first child of George Herbert Walker Bush and Barbara Pierce Bush. Although George Herbert Walker Bush began his career in the oil industry, he finally served as a congressman(国会议员), and vice(副) president and president of the United States.
At the age of two,Bush moved with his parents from Connecticut to Odessa, Texas, where his father took up the oil business. After a year in Texas, the family moved to California for business reasons. A year later, the family returned to Texas and settled in Midland, where Bush lived from 1950 to 1959.
In 1959, again for business reasons, the family moved to Houston, Texas. In 1961 Bush left Texas and went to Andover, Massachusetts, to attend Phillips Academy, aboarding school(寄宿学校) that his father had also attended.
At Phillips, Bush played basketball, baseball, and football. He was best known for being head cheerleader. In 1964 he enrolled at Yale University in Connecticut.His father and grandfather had also attended Yale. At Yale, Bush was considered an average student, but he was popular with his classmates.
Bush graduated from Yale with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1968. Then he joined the Air National Guard and remained in the Guard until 1973. After earning his MBA from Harvard in 1975, Bush returned to Midland. Like his father, he first entered the oil industry as a “landsman(新手)”. However, Bush’s oil companies never enjoyed great success. He took more interest in politics. He helped his father to become president and in 1994 he himself was elected governor of Texas.
In the summer of 1999, Bush began to run for the president of the USA and on January 20, 2001, George W. Bush, hand raised, took the oath(宣誓) of office to become the 43rd president of the US.
What does the writer intend to tell us in the first paragraph?

A．George W. Bush is the first son in American history to follow his father into the White House.

B．George W. Bush is the first son of former president George Herbert Walker Bush.

C．John Quincy Adams and his father were both former American presidents.

D．George W. Bush is the second one in American history to follow his father into the White House.

We may learn from the text that young Bush ______.

A．got on very well at the universities

B．was very good at basketball, baseball and football

C．did everything as his father had done

D．was a very successful politician like his father

Which of the following is NOT true about George W. Bush?

A．Young Bush lived with his family in Texas from 1948 to 1961.

B．He once studied at a university that his father and grandfather had also attended.

C．He once ruled over an American state before he entered the White House.

D．He once served at the Air National Guard for about five years.

It was a dark and cold night. The car driver didn’t have even one passenger all day. When he went by the railway station, he saw a young man coming out with two bags in his hands. So he quickly opened the door of the car and asked, “Where do you want to go, sir?”
“To the Star Hotel,” the young man answered. When the car driver heard that, he didn’t feel happy. The young man would give him only three dollars because the hotel was not far from the railway station. But suddenly, he had an idea. He took the passenger through many streets of the big city.
After a long time, the car finally arrived at the hotel. “You should pay me fifteen dollars,” the car driver said to the young man. “What! Fifteen dollars? Do you think I’m a fool? Only last week I took a car from the railway station to this same hotel and I only gave the driver thirteen dollars. I know how much I have to pay for the trip. I won’t pay you one dollar more than I paid to the other car driver last week.”
Which of the following is true?____________

A．The young man went past the railway station.

B．The young man was working in the railway station

C．The young man had just got off a train.

D．The you man was waiting for his friend there.

What do you think of the car driver?__________

A．He was a nice and clever man.	B．He liked to work very hard.
C．He was good at driving	D．He was not an honest person.

The driver felt very _________ when he saw the young man coming out of the railway station.

A．sad

B．sorry

C．happy

D．worried

From the passage we know that the young man__________.

A．knew clearly how far it was from the station to the hotel.

B．Had been to the hotel several times.

C．Didn’t want to stay in this city.

D．Must be a stranger and didn’t know the city very well.

Australia is the largest island in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is in the south of the earth. Australia is big, but its population is small. The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai.
Enough laws have been made to fight against pollution. The cities in Australia have got little air or water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers. Plants grow very well.
Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flowers' exhibition (展览).There we saw a large number of wild flowers we had never seen before. We had a wonderful time. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers. In spring every year Perth has the wild flowers' exhibition. After visiting Perth, we spent a day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves.
Suddenly we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.
Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos. After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself in the middle of white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere are sheep.
Australia is                       

A．the largest country in the world	B．larger than China
C．as large as Shanghai	D．not so large as China

Enough laws have been made to__

A．increase the population	B．grow more plants
C．fight against pollution	D．show wild flowers

Perth is_       

A．the capital of Australia	B．in the west of Australia
C．in the east of Australia	D．the biggest city in Australia

In Perth you may visit a wild flowers' exhibition in        

A．October

B．January

C．May

D．July

Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A．All the big cities in Australia are seriously polluted.

B．Australia .is famous for its sheep, kangaroos and large population.

C．We ran back to the car because we were in the middle of the white sheep..

D．If you go to the countryside in Australia, you will see a large number of White sheep.

Henry Ford was the first person to build cars which were cheap，strong and fast．He was able to se11 millions of cars because he could produce them in large numbers at a time；that is，he made many cars of the same kind．Ford’s father hoped that his son would become a farmer，but the young man did not like the idea and he went to Detroit（底特律）where he worked as a mechanic（机械师）．By the age of 29，in 1892，he had built his first car．However，the car made in this way，the famous “ Model T ” did not appear until 1908. Five years ago, Ford started his great motor car factory．This kind of car showed to be well-known that it remained unchanged for twenty year．Since Ford’s time，this way of producing cars in large numbers has become common in industry and has reduced the price of many goods which would be very expensive．
Henry Ford was the man to built _____ cars．

A．cheap and strong	B．cheap and long
C．fast and expensive	D．strong and slow

Ford was able to sell millions of cars，because_____．

A．he made many cars	B．his cars are many
C．he made lots of cars of the same kind	D．both A and B

The young man became a mechanic，_______．

A．which was his father’s will	B．which was against his own will
C．which was against his father’s will	D．which was his teacher’s will

The “ Model T ” was very famous_____．

A．before 1908	B．between 1982 and 1908
C．before 1892	D．after 1908

Ford built his own car factory_____．

A．in 1903

B．in 1908

C．in 1913

D．in 1897

Crazy is our new normal. With two teenage boys and three little boys, our family is restless—to the baseball field, track field(田径场)and piano lessons. Even though we’ve limited each boy’s activities and try our best to defend our family time, it seems that we’re in a constant state of flight.
“Embrace it. Roll with it,” my husband, Lonny, says, “It’s going to be like this for a while.”
He is right. It’s likely that life will continue to go forward before it slows down. But I remembered the still, quiet days that our family used to enjoy. I missed long walks through the park when we held the boys’ little hands. I longed for(渴望) lazy Saturday afternoons under the tree in our backyard. I wanted to slip back a few years, when busyness was the exception and not the rule.
One night, after a particularly full day and evening games, our family gathered on the porch(门廊)for ice cream. Two parents, two teens, and three small boys piled on one old swing and a couple of rocking chairs. We were together, in one place, for a small slice of time.
The moon was full. The Mississippi River, flowing past our home, was smooth as glass. I wrapped my own arms around the son who sat on my lap and breathed deeply to inhale his little-boy scent(气味)—dirt and sweat. My heart was still and content(满足的).
I realized that while crazy is our new normal happiness is as usual. They may look different from before, but they are still there—even if they’re in the form of a single moment on the porch. Maybe I just need the eyes to see.
What does the author mainly talk about?

A．Her anger at her busy life.

B．Her family’s struggle for a better life.

C．Her new feelings about the present life.

D．The pleasure of staying with her children.

How did the author feel about life before the night sitting on the porch with the family?

A．Confused.

B．Satisfied.

C．Bored.

D．Terrified.

The underlined word “inhale” in the fifth paragraph probably means ______.

A．describe

B．breathe out

C．remove

D．breathe in

Which of the following could describe the author’s present life?

A．Busy and boring.	B．Busy but happy.
C．Crazy and unbearable.	D．Normal but exciting.

Which of the following statements might the author agree to?

A．Life is nothing but bitterness, busyness and horror.

B．Happiness is everywhere, but we have to discover it.

C．Parents should earn much money for their kids’ better life.

D．Life in the countryside is charming, wonderful, and sweet.

Laura was married for 6 months. Her husband was using drugs. She didn’t want her son or her unborn baby to live that way, but she was afraid to ask her husband to leave. She left him a note instead. After reading the note, Laura’s husband waited for her to come home and then beat her and
her son.
He smashed（使……碎）dishes, pictures and toys and left the house in a terrible mess（混杂）. He said it was all her fault. After Laura cleaned up the mess she went to the hospital. She was badly hurt all over her body, but the baby was fine.
Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job. She was ashamed to ask for help from the police, courts or women’s shelters. Laura wanted her marriage and family to work. Sometimes her husband was very nice to her. She decided to try harder se her children could have a home and a father. Laura joined a church and told a priest（牧师）about her problem.
But her husband kept using drugs and hurting the family. Finally, she told her husband she loved him, but they should live apart for a while. He beat her again. The priest had called and could tell Laura was in trouble. He came over to talk to her, He asked the husband to go out for a while. Laura packed up her kids and left. Her husband went to jail. Laura got a lot of help from groups that help women who have been beaten. Now she is in college, has her own apartment and works on special projects at a women’s shelter. “We got out , and it changed the life for me and my children. You can do it. You can break the cycle.” Laura said.
Laura’s husband treated her ________.

A．carefully

B．badly

C．coldly

D．carelessly

. Why did Laura not leave her husband in the beginning?

A．Because she loved him very much.

B．Because he could make her live a rich life.

C．Because he was her son’s father.

D．Because she hoped to keep the family.

. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Now Laura works on a special project at a women’s shelter.
B. Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job.
C. After Laura cleaned up the mess, she went to the church.
D. Laura was ashamed to ask for help from organizations.
. Which do you think is this passage about?

A．Educational and social problems.	B．Working and housing.
C．Family violence（暴力）.	D．Relationship between husband and wife.

请阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own。We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies Beyond our everyday lives.
This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists（幻想）literature or movies like the lord of the rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other，to the world around us ,and to the world of make-believe.but have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?
Human beings，as biologists have suggested，possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms，However, people，especially in big eities，often lead rather isolated lives，In a study of  British schoolchildren，it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than common wildlife.without modem technology，a small Pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants，insects，birds，and animals 。when we lack meaning（交互）with the world around us,and somethings even with our families and friends，we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen。
The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad,but when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet（出路）for our sense of wonder，then we are really missing something，we are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful wonderful worlds exist all around us.but even more interesting is that if we look closely enough，we can see that these worlds,in a broad sense,are really part of our own.
The popularity of the lord of the rings.proves       

A．the close connection between man and the fantasy world

B．the wonderful achievements of fantasy literature

C．the fine taste of moviegoers around the world

D．the general existence of the sense of curiosity

What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3?

A．people are far less familiar witn the world of fantasy

B．the world around us could serve as a source of wonder

C．the world of fantasy can be mirrored by a small and lively pond.

D．Modern technology prevents us from developing our sense of wonder

If our sense of wonder relies totally on the world of make-believe,we will       

A．fail to appreciate the joy in our lives

B．be confused by the world of make-believe

C．miss the chance to recognize the fantasy world

D．be trapped by other worlds existing all around us

What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To show us the hidden beauty in our world.

B．to warn us not to get lost in the fantasy world.

C．To argue against the misuse of the sense of wonder.

D．To discuss the influence of the world of make-believe.

Mr. Briggs got a job with an insurance company(保险公司) after he left school and went around visiting people in their homes to sell them life insurance. One day, after he had been working for the company for about a year, the insurance manager sent for him and said, “Mr. Briggs, I have been looking at your record as a salesman with our company, and there is one thing that surprises me about it. Why have you been selling insurance only to people over 95 years old, and why have you been giving them such generous（宽厚的）conditions? You’ll ruin our company if you go on like that.”
“Oh, no, sir,” answered Mr. Briggs at once, “Before I started work, I looked at the figures(数字) for deaths in this country during the past ten years, and I can tell you that few people die at the age of 95.”
Before he worked in an insurance company, what was Mr. Briggs?______.

A．He was a worker.	B．He was an official.
C．He was a student.	D．He was a businessman.

The word “ruin” in the second paragraph means       .

A．lose

B．break

C．leave

D．destroy

Which of the following is true according to the passage?      

A．Mr. Briggs had studied the figures for deaths for several years.

B．Mr. Briggs began to look at the figures after he started work.

C．A great number of very old people die every year.

D．The number of the very old people who died every year is small.