Hercule Poirot looked over the small gate which gave admission to Pine Crest. It was a modern nicely-built house. It was on a hill top, and the hill top was planted with a few sparse pines. It had a small neat garden and a large elderly man was watering with a big tin.
Spence’s hair was now grey all over. He had not shrunk much in girth(围长), though. He stopped watering and looked at the visitor at the gate. Hercule Poirot stood there without moving.
“God bless my soul,” said Spence. “It must be. It can’t be but it is. Yes, it must be Hercule Poirot!”
“Aha,” said Poirot, “you remember me. I’m grateful.”
Spence abandoned the watering can and came down to the gate.
“What brings you down here?”
“What has brought me to many places in my time,” said Poirot, “and what once a good many years ago brought you to see me. Murder, Spence.”
“I’m done with murder since I retired,” said Spence, “except in the case of weeds. Killing weeds is never easy as you think, something’s always wrong. How did you know where to find me?” he asked as he opened the gate and Poirot passed through.
“You sent me a Christmas card. It had your new address on it.”
“Ah yes, so I did. I’m old-fashioned, you know, I like to send round cards at Christmas time to a few old friends. I’m an old man now.”
“We both are.”
“Not much grey in your hair,” said Spence.
“I take care of my hair with a bottle,” said Poirot. “There is no need to appear in public with grey hair unless you wish to do so. By the way, why have you come to live in Woodleigh Common?”
“As a matter of fact, I came here to join forces with a sister of mine. She lost her husband, her children are married and living abroad. So I moved in here. Pensions(退休金)don’t go far nowadays, but we do comfortably living together.”
【小题1】From their dialogue, we can learn about _______.
A.their common friends | B.Spence’s sister’s characters |
C.their relationship | D.Poirot’s recent life |
A.Spence used to deal with murder. |
B.Poirot didn’t care about his appearance. |
C.Spence moved to join his sister for lack of money. |
D.Poirot came specially to reunite with his old friend. |
A.meet Spence’s family | B.discuss about a murder |
C.visit Spence’s new home | D.water the garden together |
【小题1】C
【小题2】A
【小题3】B
解析试题分析:文章通过两个人的对话,告诉我们Spence退休后和姐姐住在乡村,Hercule Poirot来见Spence是为了一个杀人犯。
【小题1】细节题:从文章的句子:“God bless my soul,” said Spence. “It must be. It can’t be but it is. Yes, it must be Hercule Poirot!”我们可以推断出两人是过去认识的,但是多年未见了,但是从文章中不能看出他们是朋友,也不知道Spence姐姐的性格,也未提到Poirot最近的生活。选C。
【小题2】细节题:从文章的句子:“I’m done with murder since I retired,” said Spence, 可知Spence过去是和杀人犯打交道的选A
【小题3】推理题:从文章的句子:“What has brought me to many places in my time,” said Poirot, “and what once a good many years ago brought you to see me. Murder, Spence.”可知Hercule Poirot来见Spence是为了一个杀人犯,所以接下来应该谈论这个杀人犯,选B
考点:考查故事类短文
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favor I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.
【小题1】The author(作者) had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because____________ .
A.the town was far away from Sydney |
B.she was going home for her holidays |
C.she missed the only train back home |
D.her work delayed her trip to Sydney |
A.He helped the girl find a ride. |
B.He gave the girl a ride back home. |
C.He bought sandwiches for the girl. |
D.He watched the girl for three hours. |
A.she realized he was Gordon |
B.she had known him for decades |
C.she was going to the nearby town |
D.she wanted to pay back the help she once got |
A.People should offer free rides to others. |
B.Those who give rides will be repaid. |
C.Good manners bring about happiness. |
D.Sometimes giving produces nice results. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
When 19yearold Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the MakeAWish Foundation (基金会),nobody understood what she was talking about.But Sophia knew just how important MakeAWish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one of her best friends.We were interested in finding out more,so we went along to meet Sophia and listen to what she had to say.
Sophia told us that MakeAWish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980.“It’s a charity(慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses.MakeAWish helps children feel happy even though they are sick,by making their wishes and dreams come true,”Sophia explained.
We asked Sophia how MakeAWish had first started.She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris,who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman.Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris’s dream come true-so,with everybody’s help,Chris,only seven years old at the time,had been a“policeman”for a day.“When people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true,they decided to try and help other sick children too,and that was the beginning of MakeAWish,”explained Sophia.
Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special,happy time.A MakeAWish volunteer visits the families and asks the children what they would wish for if they could have anything in the world.Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true.They do this either by providing things that are necessary,or by raising money or helping out in whatever way they can.
【小题1】Sophia found out about MakeAWish because her best friend had________.
A.benefited from it |
B.volunteered to help it |
C.dreamed about it |
D.told the author about it |
A.is an international charity |
B.was understood by nobody at first |
C.raises money for very poor families |
D.started by drawing the interest of the public |
A.He has been a policeman since he was seven. |
B.He gave people the idea of starting MakeAWish. |
C.He wanted people to help make his dream come true. |
D.He was the first child MakeAWish helped after it had been set up. |
A.They are important for making wishes come true. |
B.They try to help children get over their illnesses. |
C.They visit sick children to make them feel special. |
D.They provide what is necessary to make MakeAWish popular. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
I knew I was all right now. Nobody else would come ahunting after me. I got my traps out of the canoe and made me a nice camp in the thick woods. I made a tent out of my blankets to put my things under so the rain couldn't get at them. I caught a catfish and towards sundown I started my camp fire and had supper.
When it was dark I sat by my camp fire, feeling pretty satisfied; but by and by it got sort of lonesome, so I went and sat on the bank and listened to the current crashing along, and counted the stars and drift logs and rafts that came down, and then went to bed; there was no better way to put in time when you are lonesome; you can't stay so, and you soon get it over.
And so for three days and nights. No difference—just the same thing. But the next day I went exploring around the island. I was boss of it; it all belonged to me, and I wanted to know all about it; but mainly I wanted to spend the time. I found plenty of strawberries and green summer grapes; and the green blackberries were just beginning to show.
Well, I went fooling along in the deep woods till I judged I wasn't far from the foot of the island. I had my gun along, but I had shot nothing; it was for protection. About this time I almost stepped on a goodsized snake, and it moved quietly and smoothly through the grass and flowers, and I was after it, trying to get a shot at it. I clipped along, and all of a sudden I bounded right on to the ashes of a camp fire that was still smoking.
My heart jumped up among my lungs. I never waited to look further, but unlocked my gun and went sneaking back on my tiptoes as fast as I could. Every now and then I stopped a second among the thick leaves and listened, but my breath came so hard that I couldn't hear anything else. I moved quietly along another piece further, then listened again; and so on. If I saw a stump(树桩), I took it for a man; if I stepped on a stick and broke it, it made me feel that a person had cut one of my breaths in two and I only got half, and the short half, too.
【小题1】The underlined part “put in time” in the second paragraph probably means _____.
A.take the time | B.kill the time |
C.employ the time | D.waste the time |
A.To show off his gun. |
B.To protect himself. |
C.To hunt some animals for food. |
D.To play with it for fun. |
A.Surprised. | B.Excited. | C.Frightened. | D.Puzzled. |
A.The boy felt a bit lonely on the island. |
B.The boy brought with himself a tent. |
C.The boy was surely the only person on the island at that time. |
D.The boy might be bitten by some animal when the story happened. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
On August 16, 1977, Elvis Presley saved me.
The previous afternoon, I played with my six-year-old peers in Heather Peters’ backyard. I was enjoying my cake, when Heather asked me where my sleeping bag was. Only then did I know this party was a sleepover. The word “sleep-over” to a six-year-old bed-wetter is like what “cancer” means to an adult. But what if I told them I was a bed-wetter? At least with cancer, people gather at your bedside instead of running from it.
I thought of a way to escape. I would explain that I needed my mother’s permission to spend the nights. But as I called my Mom, Heather stood beside me to listen. She granted permission! Then I would be sleeping in the same living room as the other girls. I didn't bring my own nightdress, so Mrs. Peters offered me Heather's nightdress.
As the other girls drifted into their sweet dreams, I tried to stay awake. “Do I need to go again? I’ll stay up to go one more time...”. Of course, I finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I was the first to wake up. I was warm! I lay in panic for what seemed like hours before the other girls started to wake up. I did the only thing I could do—I pretended that the bed-wetting didn't happen. I got up, took off Heather's nightdress and changed into my clothes like the other girls.
Mrs. Peters walked into the room, and before she could say anything, she stepped right onto the pile of my wet nightdress. My heart stopped as I watched her face burn red. “WHO DID THIS?” She screamed, with a look so scary. Should I answer? And that was when it happened—Mr. Peters came in and grabbed his wife, “Elvis Presley died!”
The news of the King’s death overtook Mrs. Peters, and I was narrowly excused. Then, we left Peters’ together but without the other girls knowing what had happened.
【小题1】The author had to spend the night at Peters’ because ________.
A.they had fun together and played too late |
B.she was offered the nightdress |
C.the famous singer Elvis Presley died that night |
D.she and her friends were having a sleepover party |
A.she found the nightdress wet |
B.Elvis Presley died that morning |
C.her husband grabbed her |
D.not all the girls behaved themselves |
A.a crazy and strict woman |
B.a devoted fan of Elvis Presley |
C.a woman for perfection |
D.a woman with a strong fear of getting dirty |
A.How I escaped Mrs. Peters’ punishment. |
B.How Elvis Presley saved my life. |
C.An embarrassing escape in my life. |
D.An unforgettable party in my memory. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be canceled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited and waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn't care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone, "Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?"
At that time I didn't realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, "Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone!" And she swept it into the wastebasket.
I stood watching her, speechless. What on earth?
She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, "Now hear this! All objects in this room—if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!"
Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, "Honey, you just have to learn how to take control." With that, she left the room.
After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood had changed. I was laughing. How could I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.
【小题1】Why did the author shout at the telephone?
A.He was mad at the telephone. |
B.He was angry with his agent. |
C.He was anxious about his wife. |
D.He was impatient with the secretary. |
A.She said nothing. | B.She shouted at him. |
C.She called the agent. | D.She threw the phone away. |
A.His own crazy behavior. | B.His wife’s suggestions. |
C.His changeable feeling. | D.His wife’s sweet kiss. |
A.Smart words | B.Unusual actions. | C.Surprising looks. | D.Anxious feelings |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Nelson Mandela was a figure of international fame, and many details of his life and career were public knowledge. But here are four things you may not have known about the late South African leader.
1. He was a boxing fan.
In his youth, Nelson Mandela enjoyed boxing and long-distance running. Even during the 27 years he spent in prison, he would exercise every morning. "I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was curious by how one moved one's body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match," he wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
2. His original name was not Nelson.
Rolihlahla Mandela was nine years old when a teacher at the primary Methodist school where he was studying in Qunu, South Africa, gave him an English name “Nelson” in accordance with the custom to give all school children Christian names.
3. He forgot his glasses when he was released from prison.
Mr. Mandela's release on 11 February 1990 followed years of political pressure against apartheid(种族隔离). Mr. Mandela's reading glasses stayed behind in prison Mr. Mandela and his then-wife Winnie were taken to the centre of Cape Town to address a huge and exciting crowd. But when he pulled out the text of his speech, he realized he had forgotten his glasses and had to borrow Winnie's.
4. He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree.
Mr. Mandela studied law on and off for 50 years from 1939, failing about half the courses he took. A two-year diploma(学位证书) in law on top of his university degree allowed him to practice, and in August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo, in Johannesburg. He kept on studying hard to finally secure a law degree while in prison in 1989.
【小题1】What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Nelson Mandela’s life in the prison. |
B.The achievements of Nelson Mandela. |
C.Nelson Mandela’s hobbies and career. |
D.Unknown things about Nelson Mandela. |
A.Because he wanted to be a boxer. |
B.Because he enjoyed the violence of boxing. |
C.Because he appreciated the strategy in boxing. |
D.Because he had nothing else to do in the prison. |
A.He broke his glasses into pieces. |
B.He had to use his wife’s glasses. |
C.He left his own glasses at home. |
D.His wife wanted to borrow his glasses. |
A.Nelson Mandela was not his original name. |
B.Nelson Mandela was the name given by his teacher. |
C.Nelson Mandela had been studying the law nonstop for 50 years. |
D.Nelson Mandela had started his own law firm before he got a law degree. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Jerry was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.” I reflected on what Jerry said. Later, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, he forgot the password, nervous. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments(碎片) of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked. Jerry continued, “The doctors and nurses were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big, strong nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic (过敏的)to anything. “Yes,” I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, “Bullets!” Over their laughter, I told them. “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
【小题1】The author left Jerry’s restaurant because he___________.
A.wanted to start business on his own |
B.was afraid of another robbery later |
C.was not equal to the job any longer |
D.didn’t get along well with others |
A.Because he left the back door open. |
B.Because he opened the safe too slowly. |
C.Because he pretended to forget the password. |
D.Because he didn’t open the safe in time. |
A.The doctors and nurses gave him up. |
B.He decided to take action to live again. |
C.He saw the expressions of the doctors and nurses. |
D.He might not be saved by doctors and nurses. |
A.no longer positive to his life after the operation |
B.optimistic even when things were at their worst |
C.Jerry influenced all his colleges in many ways |
D.badly injured and stayed in hospital for six months |
A.Where there is life, there is hope. |
B.Everything comes to him who waits. |
C.Humor is the best medicine that creates miracle. |
D.Attitude determines everything. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
There was great excitement on the planet of Venus (金星) . Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since.
The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan, named after the great Venusian astronomer Professor. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20000 light years ago.
Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to feasibility (可行性) of a manned flying saucer landing on Earth. A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology.
"We have come to the conclusion, based on last week's satellite landing," Prof. Zog said, "that there is no life on Earth."
"How do you know this?" the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked.
"For one thing, Earth's surface in the area of Manhattan is made up of solid concrete and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive."
"What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?"
"We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than originally planned."
"Are there any other dangers that you discovered in your studies?"
"Take a look at this photo. You see this dark black cloud hovering (盘旋) over the surface of Earth? We don't know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have further tests before we send a Venus Being there."
"Over here you will notice what seems to be a river, but the satellite findings indicates it is polluted and the water is unfit to drink. This means we shall have to carry our own water, which will add even greater weight to the saucer."
"If all you say is true, won't this set back the flying saucer program several years?"
"Yes, but we shall continue as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds(资金)." Profession. Zog replied.
【小题1】According to the passage, the Venusian scientists succeeded in getting important information about _____.
A.the feasibility of landing a satellite on Earth |
B.the possibility of making a first-rate flying saucer |
C.the feasibility of sending a Venus Being to Earth |
D.the possibility of directing a flying saucer into Manhattan |
A.they need it in their way to the planet of Earth |
B.the Earth's atmosphere is filled with deadly gases |
C.there is a low level of oxygen for Venusians |
D.there is no air on the planet of Earth |
A.landing a manned flying saucer on Earth will be carried out soon |
B.Venusians will land on Earth to help to stop serious pollution |
C.it’s unnecessary to land a manned flying saucer on Earth at present |
D.pollution on Earth makes it impossible for Venusians to survive there |
A.In a popular magazine. | B.In a fairy tale. |
C.In an observation journal | D.In science fiction |
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