Question

    Muriel’s home was a pleasant three-bedroomed house in a suburb（郊区） of Manchester. The family, made up of two girls and a boy, had been raised there. One had already left home, and the day was not far off when the other two would leave for London and the start of their careers.

The house now lacked for nothing. The expensive days schooling and providing for a growing family were over. The husband’s salary as an engineer provided holidays in Spain, a-year-old family car, a colour television (not rented now, thanks to a bargain offer in a January sale).

Life was good until Muriel, returning from shopping in the city centre, found she had been burgled. It was bad enough that the windows in the dining-room had been forced open and $20 in cash in the kitchen drawer stolen, but the damage aged Muriel immediately.

A booted foot had broken the television screen. House plants had been torn from their pots and threw against walls. There was a horror in the kitchen. Three fish were dead on the floor, their heads stamped and crushed（碎）. The water from the fish tank had soaked（浸泡） the fitted carpet. Kitchen drawers had been pulled out and the contents were everywhere over the floor.

It was the same story in each room. Muriel found she could not sleep. The extra sherry（雪莉酒） at night did not work. The doctor later gave her tranquilizers（镇静剂）. Finally her husband made the only decision he could. They had to sell and move from the home where they had planned to spend the rest of their lives.

The tragedy is that each year there are many thousands of Muriels.

1.The incident was particularly sad for Muriel because ________

A.she had her $20 stolen

B.she became old immediately

C.her hard days of providing for a growing family were just over

D.the house was completely in a terrible mess .

2.What happened to the fish in the kitchen?

A.The burglars ate them.

B.They ran away from home when Muriel was shopping.

C.They jumped out of the fish tank and travelled around the house.

D.They were dead.

3.The word “burgle” means   ________.

A.谋杀 B.抢劫 C.失窃 D.纵火

4.Why couldn’t Muriel sleep?  ________.

A.Because she drank too much wine

B.Because her children would leave her

C.Because she wanted to move house

D.Because she was shocked badly by the incident

5.What can we learn from this passage?

A.The Muriel incident is a daily occurrence nowadays.

B.Muriel reported the incident to the police as soon as she found she had been burgled.

C.Muriel used to be an engineer.

D.Muriel spent the rest of her life in Spain.

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.C

4.D

5.A

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，主要讲述了住在英国的曼彻斯特郊区的穆丽尔，有一天从市中心购物回来后发现自己的家被盗了，屋子里的东西都被损毁了，她很担心，最终不得不卖掉房子，离开了原本计划要终老的房子。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段“but the damage aged Muriel immediately.”这些损害立即使得穆丽尔变老了。故可知这次事故穆丽尔难过是因为屋子里乱七八糟，损失很大。故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段“Three fish were dead on the floor, their heads stamped and crushed” 地上有三条鱼死了，它们的头被踩扁了，可知三条鱼死了。故选D。

3.词句猜测题。根据“It was bad enough that the windows in the dining-room had been forced open and $20 in cash in the kitchen drawer stolen”餐厅的窗户被强行打开，厨房抽屉里的20美元现金被偷走，这已经够糟糕的了。可知现金被偷盗了，故此处burgle表示“失窃”的含义。故选C。

4.细节理解题。根据第五段“It was the same story in each room. Muriel found she could not sleep.” 每个房间都是一样的。穆丽尔发现自己无法入睡。可知，穆丽尔睡不着是因为每个房间都损失了，严重的损失让她大为震惊。故选D。

5.主旨大意题。根据“The tragedy is that each year there are many thousands of Muriels.”悲剧是每年都有成千上万个穆丽尔。可知穆丽尔的事件在今天是家常便饭。故选A。