Question

The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.

         “So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name ? ”

         “Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.

         “Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”

         “Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.

         “Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in . In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.

         “ ‘You are clearing too much land, ’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’

         “ ‘ Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”

         “Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”

         “What happened? ” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.

         “The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned, ” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”

         “What a stupid story, ” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

1.The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.

A. courage                           B. assistance                        C. instruction                       D. challenge

2.Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?

A. To frighten them.

B. To satisfy their curiosity.

C. To warn them of the danger of the place.

D. To persuade them to camp in the swamp.

3.Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?

A. The old man envied him.

B. The old man was foolish

C. He was too busy to listen to others.

D. He was greedy for more crops.

4.Why did Tom scream and faint?

A. He saw Dennis’s shadow

B. He was scared by a plant

C. His friends played a joke on him.

D. The weather became extremely cold.

5.What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?

A. Grasp all, lose all.

B. No sweat, no sweet.

C. It is no use crying over spilt milk.

D. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.Ｄ

2.Ｂ

3.Ｄ

4.Ｂ

5.Ａ

【解析】

试题解析：哲理故事类阅读。本文讲述了马丁和杰克在走进沼泽地之后用篝火取暖并听马克讲述这个沼泽地名字的由来的故事，教育人们不要固执己见，一意孤行必遭恶果的 。

1.Ｄ词义猜测题。根据文中原句“Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare.”不少考生会主观根据dare动词性的词义“敢”，而认为这里指的是A选项courage，而事实是，若考生认够仔细理解这句话前后句的句意，“这个沼泽地寒气逼人，让人感到怪异。”以及“Martin和Tom喜欢野营，但不是在这个沼泽附近”可以更好地帮助考生理解题目中的dare是表达challenge这个意思。

2.Ｂ细节理解题。“根据第四五行Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.

“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”可以得出Jack tell Tom and Martin the story是为了满足他们的好奇心。

3.Ｄ细节理解题。根据‘You are clearing too much land, ’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’ ‘ Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’可以知道他不听劝告是为了种更多的庄稼，所以D正确。

4.Ｂ细节理解题。根据最后一段中“Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒)可以得出B正确。

5.Ａ推理判断题。A. Grasp all, lose all.      抓住一切，失去一切        B. No sweat, no sweet.不劳则五获C. It is no use crying over spilt milk.覆水难收 D. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.根据对故事内容的的理解当然是A，人不能太贪婪，渴望得到一切就会失去一切。

想不犯错误，就一事无成

考点：考查哲理故事类的理解。