A tall figure appeared from the dark door of the tent. It was a smoking young man about twenty three or four. He had an almost black face, though smooth. His moustache was black with curled points. There was an unusual force in his face, and in his daring rolling eyes. cef

　　Rebecca still stood hesitating like a swimmer about to make his dive, hardly knowing whether to return or move forward.

         "Hi, my beauty, what can I do for you?" said he, approaching. Realizing that she was quite at a loss, the man spoke in a gentle voice, "Never mind. I am Mr. Thackeray. Have you come to see me or my mother?"

　　This scene differed greatly from what Rebecca had expected. She had dreamed of an aged and dignified(威严的) face. She told herself to be calm and answered "I came to see your mother, sir."

　　"I am afraid you cannot see her-she is ill in bed," replied the representative of the house; for this was Mr. Alee Thackeray, the only son of the noble family. "What is the business you wish to see her about?"

　　"It isn't business-it is-I can hardly say what!"

　　"Pleasure?"

　　"Oh no. Why, sir, if I tell you, it will seem..."

　　Rebecca's sense of a certain ridicule(奚落，讥笑) was now so obvious and strong that, despite her general discomfort at being here, her rosy lips curved(弯曲) towards a smile, much to the attraction of the young man.

　　"It is so foolish", she murmured. "I fear I can't tell you!"

　　"Never mind; I like foolish things. Try again, my dear," said he kindly.

　　"Mother told me to come," Rebecca continued; "and, indeed, I was in the mind to do so myself. But I did not expect it would turn out like this. I came…sir, I came to tell you that we are of the same family as you."

　　"Ho Ho! Poor relations?"

　　"Yes."

　　"Rossetti?"

　　"No. Thackeray."

　　"Ay, ay; I mean Thackeray."

　　"Our names are worn away to Durbeyfield; but we have several proofs that we are Thackeray. The local scholars hold the view that we are, and...and we have an old seal and a silver spoon marked with the same castle as yours. So mother said we ought to make ourselves known to you, as we've lost our horse by a bad accident. We can hardly make a living."

    "It’s very kind of your mother, I'm sure." Alec looked at Rebecca as he spoke, in a way that made her uneasy. "And so, my pretty girl, you've come on a friendly visit to us, as relations?"

　　"I suppose I have," looking less confident and uncomfortable again.

"Well, there's no harm in it. I mean it doesn’t hurt to come and make yourself known to me. Where do you live? What are you?" …

1.While meeting with Alec, Rebecca feels _______during the whole course.

A. nervous and uneasy

B. excited and hopeful

C. amazed and comfortable

D. pleased but embarrassed.

2.Which of the following is suitable to describe Rebecca’s impression of Alec?

A. unfriendly and ta lkative

B. forceful and daring

C. gentle and reliable

D. older than expected

3.What is Rebecca’s real purpose of making this visit?

A. To see Alec himself.

B. To see Alec's mother.

C. To confirm that they are of the same family.

D. To make known their relationship and seek help.

4.From the passage, we can conclude that Alec appears quite friendly to Rebecca largely because __________.

A. Rebecca is his distant relation

B. Rebecca looks polite to him

C. Rebecca is a pretty girl

D. Rebecca looks ridiculous

 

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，掌握其大意，然后从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。

　　Bird flu has puzzled scientists by striking millions of chickens in several Asian countries within a very short period of time, with the worst hit areas in Thailand, China and Viet Nam and by February 10,2004 at least 13 people were reported to have died.

　　The following is a chronology of the most recent bird flu outbreak in Asia, which also suffered outbreaks in 1997 and 1998:

　　Dec. 15, 2003--South Korea confirms a highly contagious type of bird flu at a chicken farm near the capital, Seoul, and begins a mass killing of poultry(家禽) when the virus rapidly spreads across the country.

　　Dec. 31, 2003--Taiwan reports its first case of the virus. It later destroys thousands of chickens suffering from a mild form of bird flu.

　　Jan. 8, 2004--Viet Nam confirms that bird flu has been found on many of its poultry farms.

　　Jan.11, 2004--Japan says 6,000 chickens have died of bird flu on a farm, and says it is the first time the disease has been confirmed in the country.

　　Jan. 13, 2004--The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that the deaths of three people in Viet Nam are linked to bird flu.

　　Jan. 23, 2004--Cambodia confirms an outbreak of bird flu at a farm on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

　　Jan. 25, 2004--Indonesia discovers an outbreak of bird flu among chickens but has no evidence that the disease has spread to humans. Pakistan says 2 million chickens have died of a mild form of bird flu.

　　Jan. 26, 2004--Thailand confirms the death of a six-year-old boy, its first human death from bird flu.

　　Jan. 27, 2004--The bird flu virus kills ducks in southern parts of China, which begins a killing of 14,000 birds to stop the spread. The agriculture ministry in Laos confirms bird flu in the area around Vientiane(万象).

　　Jan. 30, 2004--China says tests confirm the H5N1 virus in Hubei and Hunan provinces as well as the southern region of Guangxi.

　　Feb. 1, 2004--China's state television reports five more areas with suspected cases of bird flu in poultry. The WHO says two sisters have died in Viet Nam after contracting bird flu and they may have caught the virus from their brother, who had also died.

　　Fed. 2, 2004--An 18 year-old person dies of bird flu in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing to nine the fatalities (死亡事件) in Viet Nam. A Thai woman dies of bird flu, taking that country's toll from the virus to three. The total number of fatalities stands at 12.

1．In how many countries and regions in Asia has bird flu broken out by Feb. 2, 2004?

[　　]

A．8.　　　　　　B．9.

C．10.　　　　　 D．11.

2．What does the underlined word“chronology”probably mean?

[　　]

A．A list of events in the order in which they happen.

B．A list of dates.

C．All kinds of bird flu.

D．A list of countries where bird flu has broken out.

3．Which of the following is not true, according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Three people died of bird flu in Thailand.

B．Nine people died of bird flu in Viet Nam.

C．Tests confirm the H5N1 Virus in eight areas in China.

D．Japan says it's the first time bird flu has broken out in the country.

4．What would be the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．Millions of chickens killed in Asia

B．Many people dying of bird flu in Asia

C．Scientists finding out the cause of bird flu

D．Bird flu spreading in Asia

Outside our hotel in Ho Chi Ming City, Vietnam, a seemingly ancient woman waited beside the door with her hand outstretched (张开的). Every day I put my hand in hers as our eyes met. She never failed to return my smile, my grasp, and my greeting.

　On the last day of our visit, I found myself alone on a busy corner across the street from our hotel. Bicycles and motorbikes rushed in front of me. As I hesitated on the sidewalk, I felt a hand on my elbow and looked down to see the smile of my small beggar friend looking up at me. She nodded her head toward the street, indicating that she would take me across. Together, we moved slowly into the chaos.

　 Then we moved on toward the sidewalk, where she pulled my face down to hers, kissed me on both cheeks, and then left, still smiling and waving back to me.

Traveling in poorer nations, I have witnessed a variety of ways to deal with beggars. The most common response of tourists faced with the poverty-stricken is to ignore them and focus their eyes elsewhere. I have seen people push away an outstretched hand in angry annoyance. A few may drop a few coins into the hand in a hurry, hoping that other ragged pursuers won’t immediately appear on the scene.

For many reasons, giving money is not the best response to an outstretched hand. Many world travelers have discovered that the greatest gift they can give is their time and respect. Everyone needs recognition, to be seen as worthy of being known, to feel appreciated and loved. And I believe that everyone is worthy and worth knowing.

31. The woman beggars helped the author go across the busy street because __________.

A．the author gave her material assistance　　　　　 B．the author treated her kindly and friendly

C．the author would help her as a reward　　　　　 D．the author was a foreigner

32. From the story, what position of the beggars in the author’s mind might be?

　　　 A．equal　 　　 B．superior　 C．lower　 D．valuable

33. In common cases, people will do the following things to the beggars EXCEPT for ________.

　　　 A．pretending to see nothing　　　　 　　　　　 　B．handing out some money

　　　 C．refusing them angrily　　　　　　 　　　　　 　D．greeting them normally

34. According to the author, the most important things beggars really need are _________.

　　　 A．mercy and pity 　　 B．money and food

C．smile and greeting　 D．attention and respect

35. The purpose of the passage is to _________.

　　　 A．show how poor the beggars are in Vietnam

　　　 B．offer some advice on dealing with begging

　　　 C．express what we should offer the beggars

　　　 D．describe an experience with a beggar