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.D

2.B

3.D

4.B

5.A

【解析】

【文章大意】在黑沉沉的夜晚，三个朋友Martin，Tom and Jack来到了一片阴湿恐怖的沼泽地。篝火旁聊起了它名字的缘由。故事的主人公Dennis贪婪成性，乱砍乱伐。开垦地树没了，动物走了，变成了一块沼泽地。他受到大地的报应——被沼泽植物拖入水中而亡。听后，Tom晕了！他脸上竟然爬满了常春藤。一个着实恐怖的笑话！

1.词义推测题 阴湿寒冷的沼泽地，又显得十分怪诞。Martin and Tom后悔来到了这里，确是个挑战！宁愿不试这个胆量。dare [ dε? ] n. a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy。如：He only entered the competition for a dare. 他只是因为受人激将才参加竞赛。courage n. a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger of pain without showing fear. 勇气，信心如：She showed remarkable courage when she heard the bad news.她听到这坏消息时, 表现出非凡的勇气。在文中不强调勇气之意。所以A项不选。

2.推理判断题 第二段中，Martin和Jack对话里谈到是否听这个恐怖故事时有一句话： “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!” 。意为“若没一点恐怖味，那早不要选这个地方！”。话里透露出一股猎奇心。

3.细节理解题听完老人的警告，Dennis反应是said … to himself. “‘Silly fool …‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’” Dennis要开垦更多的土地，种更多的作物，自个儿就越富有。显然是一种不惜生态环境的贪婪。

4.细节理解题传说中…believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.” 沼泽植物从水中爬上来，把Dennis拖入水里而亡；Tom听完故事后，“Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. ”，这么一联想，不怕才怪呢！

5.大意理解题  Grasp all, lose all欲尽得，必尽失No sweat, no sweet 不劳则无获It is no use crying over spilt milk覆水难收He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. 想不犯错误，就一事无成。沼泽地名称由来的故事讲的是主人公Dennis贪婪成性，受到大地的报应——被沼泽植物拖入水中而亡。那只有Grasp all, lose all（欲尽得，必尽失）一言可以概括。