高中英语故事类阅读阅读理解

“Mark Twain” was the name used by Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835～1910) when he wrote books.His father was a lawyer，but a poor one，who lived in Florida，Missouri.The family was so poor that Samuel did not receive much teaching.He had to learn all that he could from the people whom he met.His father died when he was very young，and then there was even less money than before.
Many of the men in this part of America worked in the ships on the great Mississippi River，and he did this himself at one time (1857).
Where did he find the name “Mark Twain”？ It came from the great river itself.It was part of one of the cries used by men who worked in the ships.When a man called “By the mark twain！” he meant that the river was “two marks deep” there，that is to say，six feet deep ( “Twain” is an old form of the word “Two”.) Samuel Clemens often heard these words when he was young，and he used them as a pen name all his life.
During his work on the Mississippi he met travelers of all kinds，and this helped him a great deal when he started to write.But the number of travelers became smaller when war started in America in 1861.Many of the great ships on the river stopped work.Samuel left then and went to Nevada with his brother，who was at that time Governor of Nevada.There，near the town of Carson，Samuel became a gold miner，but he never made much money at the time.He soon saw that life in the gold mines was not for him.He also tried writing for the newspapers in Nevada，and this seemed more hopeful.He found that he could write.
He went to Europe in 1867 and visited France and Italy.In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon，and two years later he was spending nearly all his time writing.Among his books is his own story (1908).
He is now always known as Mark Twain，and many people do not even know that his family name was Clemens.He traveled in America and in England，and went to Oxford in 1907.He was one of the great American writers of the time，and could make his readers laugh—a thing which few writers can do.He died in 1910.
“Mark Twain” was         .

A．a famous American writer

B．name of a book

C．a great river in America

D．a large ship

As a child，Samuel did not get much education because         .

A．his father died too early

B．the family was very poor

C．he disliked school very much

D．he could learn what he liked from the people he met

What gave him a great deal when he started writing?

A．His poor childhood.

B．The Mississippi River.

C．All kinds of travelers he met.

D．His brother.

We can infer（推断）from the passage that         .

A．Samuel loved writing from his early age

B．Samuel did not love writing at the beginning

C．his writings to the newspaper were successful

D．his brother encouraged him to write more

According to the writer of the passage，a good writer could         .

A．write a lot for his readers

B．make a lot of money for his family

C．cause his readers to laugh

D．travel everywhere he wanted

Thomas Lagos graduated from Wittenburg University in Ohio in only one year. His father, a Greek immigrant（移民）, said, “Whatever Tommy do, he’ll like to do fast.”
Thomas studied at Showee High School. He taught himself to read 750 words a minute. While he was in high school, he took  of the 36 credits（学分）he needed to graduate from university. He took another 12 credits at the university simply taking examinations without attending the courses. The remaining credits he took by the old fashioned method of attending classes.
He studied very well, so he graduated with the greatest honours. Now at the age of nineteen, he has entered the graduate school of Michigan University. He is studying law.
Thomas Lagos is        .

A．a Greek	B．an American in Greece
C．an immigrant	D．an American

Thomas’s father          .

A．speaks English poorly	B．speaks English perfectly
C．does not speak English	D．is an Englishman

The number of credits Thomas took by attending university courses was        .

A．36

B．

C．

D．12

Thomas entered Wittenburg University          .

A．at the age of 19	B．in one year
C．with the greatest honours	D．at the age of 18

Thomas’s course         .

A．can hardly be taken in an ordinary way	B．is unworthy
C．is good for boy students to take	D．should be widely taken

From Monday until Friday most people are busy working or studying, but in the evenings and on weekends they are free to relax and enjoy themselves. Some watch TV or go to the movies; others take part in sports. It depends on individual interest. There are many different ways to spend our spare time.
Almost everyone has some kind of hobby. It may be anything from collecting stamps to making model airplanes. Some hobbies are very expensive, but others don’t cost anything at all. Some collections are worth a lot of money; others are valuable only to their owners.
I know a man who has a coin collection worth several thousand dollars. A short time ago he bought a rare fifty-cent piece worth $250！He was very happy about his purchase (buying) and thought the price was reasonable. On the other hand, my youngest brother collects matchboxes. He has almost 600 of them but I doubt if they are worth any money. However, to my brother they are extremely valuable. Nothing makes him happier than to find a new matchbox for his collection.
That’s what a hobby means, I guess. It is something we like to do in our spare time simply for the fun of it. The value in dollars is not important, but the pleasure it gives us is.
The word “individual” in the first paragraph most probably means        .

A．different

B．strange

C．secret

D．one’s own

According to the passage, most people are          from Monday until Friday.

A．free to relax and enjoy themselves	B．busy working or studying
C．free to take part in sports games	D．busy watching TV and going to the cinema

Something that one enjoys doing in one’s spare time is a          .

A．job

B．pleasure

C．hobby

D．contribution

In the writer’s opinion,             .

A．all hobbies are very expensive	B．some hobbies don’t cost anything
C．hobbies are worthless	D．hobbies are valuable to everybody

When Callie Rogers won almost 1.9 million pounds on the lottery(彩票) at 16, she hoped it would help her put her troubles behind her. The teenager came from a broken home, had dropped out of school and was living in local authority care.
Rogers, from Cumbria, England, won the National Lottery in 2003. Then she began spending her money wildlly, buying four homes for her family, flash cars and designer clothes, partying and having some cosmetic (整容的) surgery. Two weeks after her win, she married and had two children. But then she spent 250, 000 pounds on cocaine (可卡因) and suffered depression. Earlier this year she lost the right to take care of her children because of her mental state.
She became addicted to drugs and attempted suicide three times as her life unraveled. She says the money brought her only misery. Now she is down to her last 100 000 pounds, but she has never been happier.
Now 22, she said：“Just a few months ago I was taking too many drugs and hated myself. I simply did not want to live any more. But now I have a new man and am finally becoming the woman I want to be. And it's only after I've spent most of my fortune that this has finally happened.”
“I need to get my act together and make my kids proud, and for the first time I really do think that's possible.” She credits her new boyfriend with giving her the stable home life she has always longed for and she now hopes to go to college and eventually become a counselor. “After all I've experienced, I think I have a lot of advice to offer，” she said.
Why was Rogers not allowed to look after her children?

A．She was in a bad mental state.	B．She was addicted to using drugs.
C．She was not responsible for them.	D．She was too poor to support them.

What can we learn about Rogers from Paragraph 3?

A．Being addicted to drugs cost her everything.

B．Money didn't bring her happiness as expected.

C．Rogers felt much happier with her money gone.

D．Too much money allowed her to do what she wanted.

What caused Rogers to change and start a new life?

A．The loss of money.	B．Her bitter past.
C．Her husband and children.	D．Her new boyfriend.

Why does Rogers hope to go to college?

A．She intends to find a good job.	B．She expects to become a professor.
C．She longs to improve her situation.	D．She wants to offer advice for others.

O．Henry，born in Greensboro，North Carolina，was the pen name of William Sydney Porter.His father，Algernon Sidney Porter，was a physician.When William was three years old，his mother died，and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt.William was a good reader，but at the age of fifteen he left school，and worked in a drug store and later on a Texas farm.After that，he moved to Houston，where he had a number of jobs，including that of bank clerk.After moving to Austin，Texas，in 1882，he married.
In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The  Rolling Stone.When the weekly failed，he joined The  Houston Post as a reporter and columnist(专栏作家)．In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial(财务的)dealings.While in prison，William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret.His first work，Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking(1899)，appeared in McClure’s Magazine.After serving three years of the five years’ sentence，he changed his name to O．Henry，hoping to forget his bitter past.
O．Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World，and also published the stories in other magazines.His first collection，Cabbages and Kings，appeared in 1904.Many other works quickly followed，such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room.O.Henry’s best known work is The Ransom of Red Chief.His stories always have surprising endings.He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.
O．Henry’s last years were shadowed by drinking，ill health，and financial problems.In 1907，he experienced a failed marriage.In 1910，O.Henry died after an illness.
What’s the passage mainly about?

A．A brief introduction to O．Henry.

B．O.Henry’s career and marriage.

C．How O．Henry became a wellknown writer.

D．O.Henry’s best known works.

It can be inferred from the passage that O．Henry ________.

A．didn’t like to study during his childhood

B．had little parental love as a child

C．was very interested in medicine and farming

D．took up only one job after he moved to Houston

Which is the right time order for the following events in O．Henry’s life?
①He moved to New York City.
②He joined The Houston Post.
③Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking came out.
④The Furnished Room came out.
⑤Cabbages and Kings appeared.

A．①②③④⑤

B．②①③⑤④

C．③②①④⑤

D．②③①⑤④

Which of the following works of O. Henry’s is the most popular according to the passage?

A．Cabbages and Kings.

B．The Gift of the Magi.

C．The Furnished Room.

D．The Ransom of Red Chief.

In the 1930s, a lot of people in the USA were out of work. Among these people was a man named Alfred Butts. He always had an interest in word games and so, to fill his time, he planned a game which he called ‘Lexico’. However, he was not completely satisfied with the game, so he made a number of changes to it and, in time, changed its name from ‘Lexico’ to ‘Alph’ and then to ‘Criss Cross’. He wanted to make some money from his new game but he didn't have any real commercial success.
In 1939, Butts happened to meet a man called Jim Brunot who showed an interest in the new game. The two men worked together on developing the game and in 1948 it was offered for sale in the United States under its new name —‘Scrabble’.
At first, it didn't sell very well. In the first year it sold just 2,250 sets and by 1951 it had only reached 8,500 sets a year.
Then, in 1952 the manager of Macy's department store in New York, Jack Strauss, happened to play ‘Scrabble’ while he was on holiday. He thought it was a wonderful game and, when he went back to work after his holiday, he insisted that Macy's should stock（储备）the game and make an effort to call the public's attention to it.
As a result, ‘scrabble’ became a big success in the United States and it soon spread to Australia and then to other English-speaking countries.
The text is mainly about       .

A．‘Lexico’

B．three men

C．a word game

D．Alfred Butts

Alfred Butts invented the game ‘Lexico’        .

A．to make himself famous

B．to make spelling simpler

C．when he was out of work and looking for a job

D．when he was playing word games to pass the time

Who made ‘Scrabble’ popular?

A．Alfred Butts.	B．Jack Strauss.
C．Alfred Butts and Jim Brunot.	D．Jack Strauss and Jim Brunot.

When did Alfred Butts first put his game on the market?

A．In 1939.	B．In 1948.
C．Before 1939.	D．Between 1939 and 1948.

In the suburban district of a city lived an old woman quite alone. Her husband died thirty years ago and two years later, her only son went away with lung cancer. So she had no family still living and her only friend was a little white dog who went everywhere with her - with one exception. The dog loved the fireplace in winter, and after the old woman went to bed he would sometimes go and lie in front of the warm coals. Usually though, the dog lay on a rug right next to the bed.
Deeply as the old woman loved her dog, she wouldn't allow the dog on the bed with her. However, if she became frightened or had a nightmare, she would put her hand down to her little white dog and he would lick it to calm her down.
One night she was reading the newspaper just before going to sleep. She trembled and pulled the duvet（羽绒被褥）up around her as she read that a mental patient had wandered out from a nearby hospital. No one knew if the patient was dangerous or not, but he was a suspect in the murders of several women who lived alone.
The woman turned off the lights and tried to sleep, but she was frightened, and turned over continually. Finally, she reached down to where her little white dog slept. Sure enough, a warm, wet tongue began to lick her hand. The woman felt reassured and safe, and left her hand hanging off the side of the bed. As she turned to settle in comfortably she opened her eyes for a moment and looked through the open door into the living room.
There in front of the fireplace, sat her little white dog, gazing at the coals and wagging his tail. And down beside her bed, something was still licking her hand.
From the first paragraph we can know that _________.

A．her husband died following her son

B．the old woman was through with her relatives

C．the dog wasn’t always keeping her company .

D．the dog sometimes was tired of her

Why didn’t she allow the dog on the bed with her?

A．Because the dog was too dirty.

B．Because she was fearful of dogs.

C．Because the author dislikes keeping dogs.

D．The author didn’t mention the reason for it.

The reason the old woman shivered was that _____________.

A．she was too old to stand the cold weather

B．the room temperature came down with a run

C．she was reading a frightening story

D．a news story was carried in the paper

Seeing the dog still sitting by the fireplace, __________.

A．the old woman would call him to her

B．the old woman would be frightened to half death

C．would be luck to have another dog

D．would feel puzzled what was under her bed

There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee(担任考试委员会主席), the students would be in fear, because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave. A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again. Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.
The professor began to ask. The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.
　　Then the professor asked about the cure (药剂) for illness, and the student, too, answered just as right.
“Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?”
“A full spoon”, answered the student.
“Now you may go out and wait for what you can get.”, said the professor. At the same time, the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given. Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer. “ A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I’ve made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for a patient. He can take only five drops.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” said the professor coldly, “But it’s too late. Your patient has died.”
The students were afraid of the professor because_________.

A．they often angered and disappointed him

B．their answers often astonished him

C．their answers seldom satisfied him

D．he often misunderstood them and gave them bad marks

The student’s description of the illness was           .

A．not correct

B．not satisfied

C．completely discouraging

D．accepted.

Before he left the room the student was almost sure that          .

A．he had passed the exam, and the only thing was to wait for the mark

B．his last answer was satisfying

C．he had made a mistake

D．he had not done well in the exam.

Which of the following is Not true?

A．The patient will be in danger if he’s taken as much as a full spoon.

B．The doctor will be in trouble if he’s given the patient a full spoon.

C．Since one spoon is less than five drops, the patient will be all right soon if he takes only one full spoon at a time.

D．If the patient wants to remain safe, he should take no more than five drops at a time.

There was once an 11-year-old boy who went fishing every time he went to an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.
On the day before bass (巴斯鱼) season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure (鱼饵) and put it into the lake. Suddenly the boy felt something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 pm — two hours before the season opened．He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said．
“Dad!” cried the boy. “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats could be seen in the moon-
light. He looked again at his father.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed．He threw the huge bass into the black water.
The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish. That
was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish ... again and again ... every time he has an ethical (道德的) decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.
．How did the father feel when he saw his son skillfully pulling a big fish out of the water?

A．Delighted．

B．Nervous.

C．Embarrassed．

D．Shocked．

What happened when it became clear that the big fish was a bass?

A．The boy and his father discussed what to do with the big fish.

B．The boy threw the bass back into the water willingly.

C．The father made a decision that the fish must be set free.

D．They worried other fishermen might know what they had done.

The successful architect went fishing with his children at the same place because            .

A．they might catch a big fish there	B．he remembered the moral lesson from his father
C．he wanted to remember his father	D．their children enjoyed fishing there

What does the author want to show in the story?

A．It is easy to say something, but difficult to do.

B．An ethical decision is not difficult to make.

C．It is hard to tell right from wrong sometimes.

D．Fishing helps you to make right ethical decisions.

Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated(躲避) into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.
In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely----a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “Creative voice.”
“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”
Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book tells about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school through graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book, and a short-story collection.
Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?

A．She had seven brothers.	B．She felt herself a nobody.
C．She was too shy to go to school.	D．She did not have any good teachers.

The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to _____.

A．work for a school magazine	B．run away from her family
C．make a lot of friends	D．develop her writing style

According to Cisneros, what played the decisive role in her success?

A．Her early years in college.	B．Her training in the Workshop.
C．Her feeling of being different.	D．Her childhood experience.

What do we learn about The House on Mango Street?

A．It is quite popular among students.

B．It is the only book ever written by Cisneros.

C．It wasn’t success as it was written in Spanish.

D．It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine.

Mrs. Keller had a big family .Her husband had a factory in the town .One of her sons was a lawyer and the other two were drivers .And her two daughters worked in the post office .The old woman stayed at home and could do all housework and wouldn’t employ anybody .
One evening ,the telephone rang while the old woman was preparing supper .She went to answer it .She was told that one of her sons died in a traffic accident .She heard this and fell in a faint .When she came back to life ,she was in hospital .And she needed to be helped after that .
Several months later she was told on the telephone her daughter died while she was being operated on .The old woman was so sad that she had to be in hospital again .From then on she was afraid to answer any telephones and sometimes she was afraid to hear the bell .Of course it brought them some trouble and some important business was held up .So her husband advised her to see a psychiatrist .The man examined her carefully and then asked her some questions.
“You will soon be all right if you follow my advice ,Mrs. Keller” said the psychiatrist.
The old woman took the medicine the doctor gave on time and tried to forget her dead son and daughter .And two months later she went to see the psychiatrist again .
“You have saved me, Doctor ,”the old woman said ,as soon as she saw him .
“Are you afraid to answer the telephone now?”
“No,” answered Keller .
“I dare answer it whether it rings or not ”
Mrs Keller could do all housework because ______.

A．she had no money to employ a helper.	B．she was strong enough to do all at home
C．she didn’t believe anybody	D．only she was free at home

The old woman fell in a faint because _____

A．she went to answer the telephone.	B．she was very ill that evening
C．she walked in the room carelessly	D．she heard the news about her son’s death.

After she came out of hospital , Mrs  Keller  wasn’t ___as before .

A．strong

B．able

C．clever

D．sad

One fine day, an old couple around the age of 70, walks into a lawyer's office. Apparently, they are there to file a divorce. Lawyer was very puzzled, after having a chat with them, he got their story.
This couple had been quarreling all their 40 years of marriage nothing ever seems to go right.
They hang on because of their children, afraid that it might affect their up-bringing. Now, all their children have already grown up, have their own family, there's nothing else the old couple have to worry about, all they wanted is to lead their own life free from all these years of unhappiness from their marriage, so both agree on a divorce.
While they were signing the papers, the wife told the husband. “I really love you, but I really can't carry on anymore, I'm sorry.”
"It's OK, I understand." said the husband.
Little did she know that, over the years, the husband has been trying all ways to please her, little did she know that drumsticks were the husband's favorite.
Little did he know that she never thought he understands her at all, little did he know that she hates drumsticks even though all he wants is the best for her.
That night, both of them couldn't sleep, toss and turn, toss and turn. After hours, the old man couldn't take it anymore, he knows that he still loves her, and he can't carry on life without her, he wants her back, he wants to tell her, he is sorry, he wants to tell her, "I love you."
He picked up the phone, started dialing her number. Ringing never stops. He never stops dialing.
On the other side, she was sad, she couldn't understand how come after all these years, he still doesn't understand her at all, she loves him a lot, but she just can't take it any more. Phone's ringing, she refuses to answer knowing that it's him. "I want to keep it this way, if not I will lose face. "She thought. Phone is still ringing. She has decided to pull out the cord.
Little did she remember, he had heart problems.
The next day, she received news that he had passed away. She rushed down to his apartment, saw his body, lying on the couch still holding on to the phone. He had a heart attack when he was still trying to get through (接通) her phone line.
The old couple wanted to file a divorce because __________.

A．they had no child.	B．their children didn’t like them.
C．they didn’t understand each other actually.	D．the old man didn’t love the old woman.

Why didn’t they file a divorce before they were at the age of 70?

A．Because they were loving each other then.

B．Because they had no time to lawyer’s office.

C．Because they wanted to make their divorce open.

D．Because they didn’t wish to affect their children’s up-bringing.

According to the passage we can know that ______.

A．the old man still loved his wife really.	B．the wife didn’t love her husband at all.
C．their children still lived with old couple.	D．they were in harmony over 40 years.

After the last paragraph the old woman would be _______.

A．wild with joy

B．wild with grief(悲伤)

C．unconcern about it

D．angry at that

A great French writer said that we should help everyone as much as possible because we often need help ourselves. The small even can help the great. To this effect, he tells a simple story. 
An ant was drinking at a small river and fell in. She tried hard to reach the side, but made no progress at all. The poor ant, almost tired out, was still bravely doing her best when a bird saw her. Moved with pity, the bird threw her a blade (叶片) of grass, which supported her like a boat, and thus she reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass she heard a man coming near. He was walking along barefooted and carrying a gun in his hand. As he saw the bird he wished to kill her, and he would certainly have done so, but the ant bit him in the foot just before he raised his gun to fire. He stopped to see what had bit him, and the bird immediately flew away. It was an animal much weaker and smaller than herself that had saved her life. 
According to the French writer, we often need help from others, therefore we should________. 

A．not help others	B．help those who may be helpful to us
C．get as much help as possible	D．help others as much as we can

The ant finally got on the bank _______.  

A．when the water pushed her	B．with the help of a piece of wood
C．with the help of a blade of grass	D．when the bird reached out a leg for her

The French writer tells the story in order to show _______.  

A．how an ant saved a bird	B．how brave the ant is
C．how clever the bird is	D．even the small can help the great

Early in the 18th century, Captain Cook, a famous explorer of Australia, unexpectedly caught sight of an unusual animal during his first visit to Australia. The animal had a large mouse like head and jumped along on its large legs. To his great surprise, the unusual animal carried its young in a special pocket of flesh. Captain Cook pointed to the animal which was eating grass in the distance and asked his native guide what the animal was referred to. The guide seemed not to know that he was pointing at and finally said “Kang-a-roo”, but their requests were met with puzzled looks of the native people. Before long they got to discover that the native guide who made the answer to Cook’s question really meant, “I don’t know what you pointing at. “ Funny enough, the name “ Kang-a-roo”, stuck and it is still in use today.
Which of the following sentences best expresses the main idea?

A．captain Cook’s guide made a joke.

B．Native Australians could not speak English in Cook’s time.

C．Some words have rather funny origins (起源).

D．Captain Cook was a lover of wild animals.

When the native guide said “Kang-a-roo ”, he really meant “ ______”

A．Ah, it is a special kind of animal

B．I wonder what you have said

C．What do you mean by pointing at that animal?

D．I have no idea of what you are referring to.

We can infer from this passage ______.

A．we should learn many different languages

B．Captain Cook made a mistake in understanding

C．Captain Cook was a foolish explorer

D．the importance of a language in common

Once a man named Grand found a box of old papers in a room at the top of his house. He burned most of them, because he didn’t like old things very much, But one of these papers was an old letter. At the bottom(底部) of the letter was the name of a well-known writer. “When this letter was written,” said Grant, “no one knew about the writer. But now everyone knows him. Some people like to buy letters like this. I may be able to get much money for the letter if I sell it to the right man.”
But there were a lot of dirty marks all over the letter.
“It doesn’t look nice,” he thought. “No one wants to buy a letter if it’s dirty. I’ll have to clean it.”
So he took a piece of cloth and some water and cleaned the letter. He worked hard and gave a lot of care. At last the letter looked better. And he was very pleased with his work.
“Now it looks nice,” he said to himself. “I’ll be able to sell it for a lot of money.”
He took the letter to a shop in London where old papers of this kind were bought and sold.
“I want to sell this letter,” Grant said to the man in the shop. “It was written by a well-known writer. You know about these things. How much will you give me for it?”
The man looked at him for a long time.
“I will give you two pounds for it,” he said at last.
“Only two pounds!” said Grant. “But people pay ten pounds for a letter like this. And just look! I’ve even cleaned it to make it look nice.”
“I can see that,” said the man. “That’s the trouble. People who buy old papers like them to be dirty.”
Which of the following is not right?

A．Grant found a box of old letters.	B．Grant didn’t like old things very much.
C．Grant didn’t burn the old letter.	D．The letter was written by a famous writer.

Grant didn’t burn the letter because______.

A．it was written by his father	B．he thought he could get much money by selling it
C．he wanted to keep it forever	D．he wanted to give it to the government

In order to sell it, Grant decided to _____ first.

A．make advertisement(广告)in the newspapers	B．show it to others around him
C．clean it to make it look nice	D．take it to an archeologist(考古学家)

Grant didn’t sell the letter at a good price because_______.

A．it was not an old letter	B．few people knew about the writer
C．it had been cleaned	D．the man didn’t like it