Thepossibilitythatpleasantsmel-优题课

I was the middle child of three, but there was a gap of five years on either side, and I hardly saw my father before I was eight. For this and other reasons I was somewhat lonely. I had the lonely child’s habit of making up stories and holding conversations with imaginary persons, and I think from the very start my literary ambitions（文学志向） were mixed up with the feeling of being isolated（孤独） and undervalued. I knew that I had a natural ability with words and a power of facing unpleasant facts, and I felt that this created a sort of private world in which I could get my own back for my failure in everyday life.
However, the quantity of serious writing which I produced all through my childhood would not add up to half a dozen pages. I wrote my first poem at the age of four or five, my mother taking it down to dictation. I cannot remember anything about it except that it was about a tiger and the tiger had “chair-like teeth” - a good enough expression. At eleven, when the war of 1914-18 broke out, I wrote a poem which was printed in the local（地方的） newspaper, as was another, two years later, on the death of Kitchener. From time to time, when I was a bit older, I wrote bad and usually unfinished “nature poems”. I also, about twice, attempted a short story which was a failure. That was the total of the would-be serious work that I actually set down on paper during all those years.
56.The underlined word“it” in paragraph 2 refers to___________.
A.the quantity of serious writing B.the writer’s first poem
C.the writer’s childhood D.the tiger in the poem
57.From the text, we learn that as a little boy the writer________.
A.had no playmates B.showed his gift for writing
C.put out lots of poems and stories D.got his first poem published in 1916
58.What can be inferred about the writer?
A.He was least favoured in his family. B.He had much difficulty in talking with others.
C.He had an unhappy childhood for lack of care.
D.His loneliness resulted in his interest in writing.

Buster Brown was a thief—and a good one，too，he thought. He’d never been caught by the police because he never took chances. He was always Prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency.
Confidently，he stood outside the house of his intended victim(受害者)and read the sign on the front gate of the house. “Don't worry about the dog—be aware of the owner !” it said. Buster smiled and found his way in.
The house looked quite normal outside，but inside it was very exotic with fascinating objects on display. As he began putting them into his bag，a dog came into the room. It stopped when it saw Buster，then wagged its tail madly and went over to him，licking his outstretched hand. “Good boy，” Buster whispered. “What a great guard dog you are—trying to lick me to death.”
Satisfied he’d made friends with the dog，Buster began to wander round the house，choosing items to put in his bag. His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques(古董)：a pair of silver candleholders，a silver tea-and-coffee service，etc. His new friend，the dog，sat and watched，as if wondering what was happening.
“Well，boy，”Buster whispered，finally. “That might do. Any more and I won’t be able to carry it!” He swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just as the lights came on, nearly blinding him. He shielded his eyes with his hand.
“You’re a very silly person,” the figure in the doorway said, his voice dry as dust. As the man came closer, Buster could see he was well dressed. His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn’t quite place where he had seen him before.
“You should have taken more notice of the sign outside,” the man rasped. “I knew about this attempted robbery last week and I also know you will end up behind bars for 20 years. Fancy trying to rob the house of the world’s greatest fortune-teller!”
60. Why was Buster so confident?
A. He was not afraid of dogs. B. He knew the owner of the house lived alone
C. He had never been caught by the police. D. The house had no security alarm.
61. Which of the definitions is closest in meaning to the word “exotic” in the third paragraph?
A. Messy and untidy. B. Rich and expensive.
C. Comfortable and calming. D. Foreign and unusual.
62. How did Buster decide which objects to take?
A. He took those that were easy to carry in his bag.
B. He took only the best antiques.
C. He took those that he knew he could sell easily.
D. He looked for silver objects.
63. What punishment waits for Buster Brown?
A. A prison sentence with hard labour.B. A long prison sentence.
C. A heavy fine. D. Community service for 20 years.

The incident took place on Sunday，the 25th of June. On that particular day，a south wind had been gusting(劲吹) on and off all morning. It was not strong enough to cause us any concern，so we carried on our daily work, not suspecting what was about to happen.
The storm gave us very little warning. Black clouds loomed over the distant horizon(地平线) so suddenly that we were taken by surprise. Even then，we were not really worried，as the clouds seemed to be moving over our house and towards the distant mountains. Then，just as the clouds had moved inland，the wind suddenly swung around in a full circle and we were facing a major storm.
Instantly，we were busily preparing for the worst. The whole family had experienced such a storm before and everyone remembered the damage it had caused to stock and crops. There was very little we could do about the crops. But we needed to protect the animals in case the river flooded again. My older brother called his sheep-dog and began driving our small flock of sheep to higher ground above the river. If the river flooded，they should be safe there.
In the meantime，my father was mending a shed roof that had partly fallen down after many years of fine service. If the tin flew off，it could damage the house. My younger brother began hurriedly carrying firewood under the shelter. My job was to help Mum board up the windows. If the storm developed into a cyclone(旋风)，the boards would protect the glass.
The storm raged for four hours，pouring more rain on us than we had seen in the last five years. As expected，the river broke its banks and came slowly up towards the house and the stock..
Then，just as we were beginning to lose hope，the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun. The animals were safe，and the roof was still nailed on. “All’s well that ends well ,”said my mother.
56.When the black clouds appeared suddenly in the distance, .
A. the family were surprised B. they were extremely worried
C. they were preparing for the worst D. they faced the storm bravely
57.“There was very little we could do about the crops” indicates that .
A. little damage would be done to the crops B. they had everything ready for the crops
C. they felt unable to protect the crops D. the crops should be safe enough there
58. The underlined word “ stock” in the third paragraph refers to .
A. money owned by the family B. goods for sale
C. supplies for family use D. farm animals .
59.It can be inferred from what the mother said that ·
A. they had no damage at all B. everything went beyond their expectation
C. everything was under control D. the family could have suffered a greater loss

He's an old cobbler (修鞋匠) with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven't time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street ; he'll fix them for you right away.”
But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman (手艺人). “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well.”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait”— without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, andwhen they have finished sewing back a sandal strap (鞋带) you might as well just throw away thepair.
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled. He wiped his hands on his blue apron ( 围裙), looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said,“Come back in a week.”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work.. ”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange,dusty felt hot, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption (消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.
60. Which of the following is true about the old cobbler.'?
A. He was equipped with the best repairing tools. B. He was the only cobbler in the Marais.
C. He was proud of his skills. D. He was a native Parisian.
61. The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend.” ( paragraph 7 ) implies that
A. nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him
B. it was difficult to communicate with this man
C. the man was very strange D. the man was too old
62. According to the author, many people work just to .
A. realize their abilities B. gain happiness C. make money D. gain respect
63. This story wants to tell us that.
A. craftsmen make a lot of money B. whatever you do, do it well
C. craftsmen need self-respect D. people are born equal

The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches (串) of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. "Banana 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira"He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill He didn't have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it's not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the comer selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.
I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What's up?” I asked him. “I...I don't have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills."Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. "Thank you, sir," he said. “Thank you very much.”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for school-books. What if he's a cheat (骗子)? And then I wondered why I did it .Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn't know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
"Oh, gosh! Long time."
"Are you in school now?” I asked.
He nodded.
"That's good," I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. "Here," I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. "What's wrong?” I asked. "It's a gift."
He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat (汗水). He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, "I've been waiting to give these to you."
64. What was the author's first impression of the boy?
A. He seemed to be poor and greedy. B. He seemed to have suffered a lot
C. He seemed younger than his age. D. He seemed good at bargaining
65. The second time the author met the boy, the boy________.
A. told him his purpose of selling fruit and nutsB. wanted to express his thanks
C. asked him for money for his schoolbooks D. tried to take advantage of him
66. Why did the author give his money to the boy?
A. Because he had enough money to do that.
B. Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.
C. Because he held a higher position in the society.
D. Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.
67. Which of the following best describes the boy?
A. Brave and polite. B. Kind and smart C. Honest and thankful. D. Shy and nervous.