Question

Grandma Pugh sized up the baby like a pig at the farmers’ market. There was a pause and then she pronounced. “He’s got nice long legs.” She clapped her hands once in approval. But then she frowned and leaned forward. Everyone waited anxiously. The baby had opened his eyes and was staring up. “But those cross eyes won’t do,” she declared firmly, shaking her head in disappointment.

That had been Freddie Pilcher’s first meeting with Grandma Pugh. Since then, ten years had passed. Much to his grandmother’s satisfaction, she’d been proven right about the boy’s legs. He was a regular beanpole. Grandma Pugh had also been correct about his eyes. Freddie had been wearing glasses to correct his vision since he was two years old. His current pair was thick, and cheap-looking, but at least he could see.

Freddie not only had poor eyesight, but he was also clumsy. He wasn’t good at schoolwork either. But there was one thing that the boy was good at and it was all on account of the length of his legs. He could jump.

Freddie was the best jumper in school. Not only could he leap the furthest but also the highest. At breaktimes, he entertained the little ones by leaping over the school wall into Mrs Hobson’s garden and then rapidly jumping back. She had been up to see the head teacher several times because somebody had been crushing her vegetables.

It was badgers (獾), Freddie suggested, when quizzed by Miss Harpy — definitely badgers; no doubt about it. His dad had terrible problems with badgers. Only last week he had lost two rows of carrots. Freddie had woken one night and heard them tearing through the garden, a whole herd of them. They rooted up the lawn and dug up the vegetables. Terrible things, badgers. All the other children nodded their heads wisely. There was a moment’s pause in Class Three as everyone thought about the dreadful damage that badgers could do.

1.What do we know about Grandma Pugh?

A. She was present at the birth of baby Freddie.

B. She was unwilling to listen to the ideas of others.

C. She was a figure of great importance in the family.

D. She valued physical appearance over all other things.

2.Why did Freddie jump over the school wall?

A. To annoy his teacher.

B. To escape from school.

C. To amuse his schoolmates.

D. To damage Mrs Hobson’s vegetables.

3.Which of the following best describes Freddie’s physical appearance?

A.     B.

C.     D.

4.Why does Freddie talk about badgers in the final paragraph?

A. To explain the cause of the damage.

B. To warn the class about their danger.

C. To describe what happened to his father’s garden.

D. To make up an excuse for the cause of the damage.

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】文章大意：本文讲述了Freddie Pilcher长大后，不出祖母的预料，两岁以后就开始戴眼镜，并且腿比较长，是学校里优秀的跳高、跳远者。经常在学校和Hobson女士的花园间跳跃，并为Harpy的爸爸找出了蔬菜被破坏的原因是因为獾的侵入。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段Grandma Pugh sized up the baby like a pig at the farmers’ market. 以及pronounced宣告，declared firmly坚定地宣布，shaking her head in disappointment.失望地摇着头等词语，可以看出来，外婆Pugh是家庭里的一个重要人物，故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段he entertained the little ones by leaping over the school wall into Mrs Hobson’s garden and then rapidly jumping back.可知，Freddie在学校墙和Hobson之间跳跃是为了娱乐学校同学，故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据第二段Freddie had been wearing glasses to correct his vision since he was two years old.以及 it was all on account of the length of his legs. He could jump.可知，Freddie戴眼镜并且腿比较长，故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段Freddie had woken one night and heard them tearing through the garden, a whole herd of them. They rooted up the lawn and dug up the vegetables. Terrible things, badgers. 可知，Freddie（Freddie某天晚上整晚都是清醒着的，听见一整群獾在花园里撕扯，它们把草坪连根拔起，把蔬菜挖出来，对农作物带来了可怕的伤害）可知，Freddie谈论獾是为了解释发生损害的原因，故选D。