There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. Sadly, she went to the holy man and asked, “What magical things do you have to bring my son back to life?”
Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her, “Fetch me a mustard (芥菜) seed from a home that has never known sadness. We will use it to drive the sadness out of your life.” The woman happily went off at once in search of that magical mustard seed.
She first came to a splendid house, knocked at the door and said, “I am looking for a home that has never known sadness. Is it such a place? It is very important to me.”
They told her “You’ve certainly come to the wrong place” and began to describe all the tragic things that had happened to them recently.
The woman said to herself, “I have had misfortune of my own. Who is able to help these poor, unfortunate people?” She stayed to comfort them, and then went on in search of a home that had never known sadness. But wherever she went, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune. She became so involved in other people’s sorrow that finally she forgot about her search for the magical mustard seed, never realizing that it had, in fact, driven the sadness out of her life.
小题1:Which of the following does the story lead us to believe?| A．Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. | | B．Time passed cannot be called back again. | | C．You can’t feel happy unless compared with others. | | D．You can’t expect to know the result until you have tried. |
小题2:Instead of sending the woman away, the holy man .| A．asked her to help him first | | B．tried to comfort her with kind words | | C．asked her to look for a thing that didn’t exist at all | | D．tried to encourage her by talking with her |
小题3:Leaving the holy man, the woman .| A．was full of hope | B．was filled with sadness | | C．was determined to try again | D．became discouraged |
小题4:The best title for the text would be “ ”.| A．A woman’s misfortune | B．A nice surprise | | C．The holy man’s faith | D．Cure for sadness |
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小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:A
小题4:D |
试题分析：本文叙述了作者由于自己的儿子去世，很伤心，于是她请神圣的人那里问：有什么方法让她的儿子复活。这位神圣的人建议她去寻找魔幻的芥菜种子，但是她所到之处，她发现一个又一个故事的悲伤和不幸。她忘了自己的伤心了。
小题1:细节理解题。根据She became so involved in other people’s sorrow 与别人分享忧愁，才会觉得快乐故选C。
小题2:细节理解题。根据Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her, “Fetch me a mustard (芥菜) seed from a home that has never known sadness. 让她去寻找一种根本不存在的东西，故选C。
小题3:推理判断题。根据The woman happily went off at once in search of that magical mustard seed. 根据happily可知她是充满希望的，故选A。
小题4:标题归纳题。根据never realizing that it had, in fact, driven the sadness out of her life.故选D。
点评：标题是文章中心思想的精炼表达，多为词组或短语，涵盖性强。做这类题目时，要在阅读全文的基础上，以文章话题为核心，通过比较选项的概括性或 覆盖面，得出正确的标题。正确标题的归纳范围要恰如其分，避免过于具体或断章取义。错误的干扰往往是局部信息，以事实细节替代概括大意。 |
核心考点
试题【There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. Sadly, she went 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Gwendolyn Brooks wrote hundreds of poems during her lifetime. She was known around the world for using poetry to increase understanding of black culture in America.
During the 1940’s and the 1950’s, Gwendolyn Brooks used her poems to describe conditions among the poor, racial (种族的) inequality and drug use in the black community. She also wrote poems about the struggles of black women.
But her skill was more than her ability to write about struggling black people. She combined traditional European poetry styles with the African American experience.
Gwendolyn Brooks once said that she wrote about what she saw and heard in the street. She said she found most of her materials through looking out of the window of her second-floor apartment in Chicago, Illinois.
In her early poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the South Side of Chicago, where many black people live. In her poems, the South Side is called Bronzeville. It was “A Street in Bronzeville” that gained the attention of literary experts in 1945. Critics praised her poetic skills and her powerful descriptions about the black experience during the time. The Bronzeville poems were her first published collection.
In 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. She won the prize for her second book of poems called “Annie Allen”. “Annie Allen” is a collection of poetry about a Bronzeville girl as a daughter, a wife and a mother. She experiences loneliness, loss, death and poverty (贫穷).
Gwendolyn Brooks said that winning the prize changed her life.
Her next work was a novel written in 1953 called “Maud Martha”. “Maud Martha” attracted little attention when it was first published. But now it is considered an important work by some critics. Its main ideas about the difficult lives of many women are popular among female writers today.
小题1:Gwendolyn Brooks became world-famous because .| A．she was an expert on the language of poetry | | B．she introduced black culture by writing poems | | C．she fought for black rights by writing poems | | D．her poems showed the lives of black women |
小题2:Which of the following can we learn from the text?| A．Gwendolyn Brooks’ poems focused on black people in Africa. | | B．Winning the Pulitzer Prize for Literature was important to Brooks. | | C．Gwendolyn Brooks used to suffer a lot from drugs. | | D．Gwendolyn Brooks was very strict with herself. |
小题3:How did Gwendolyn Brooks get ideas for most of her poems?| A．By observing life. | B．By having talks. | | C．By reading widely. | D．By traveling. |
小题4:We can infer that the book “Annie Allen” mainly deals with .| A．family life | B．inequality | C．adventure | D．failure |
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Two men, both seriously ill, were in the same hospital room. One man was allowed to 46 in his bed for an hour each afternoon for treatment. His 47 was next to the room"s only window. The other man 48 spend all his time flat on his back. Every 49 when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he 50 pass the time by describing(描述) to his 51 all the things he could see outside the window. The window overlooked（远眺） a 52 with a lovely lake. Ducks played on the water while children 53 their model boats. Young lovers walked 54 among flowers. As the man by the window described all this beautifully, the other man would close his eyes and 55 the scene.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the 56 body of the man by the window, who had died 57 in his sleep. She was sad and 58 the hospital attendants (服务员) to take the body away. 59 it seemed appropriate (合适的), the other man asked if he could 60 next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch（调换）, and after 61 he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly and painfully, he sat up to take his 62 look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the 63 of seeing it for himself. He strained (紧张地) to slowly turn to 64 the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have forced his dead roommate to 65 those wonderful things outside this window. The nurse answered that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”
| 小题1: | | A．stand up | B．lie down | C．sit up | D．sit down |
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| 小题3: | | A．had to | B．would rather | C．prefer to | D．rather than |
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| 小题4: | | A．morning | B．evening | C．afternoon | D．dawn |
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| 小题5: | | A．will | B．would | C．should | D．might |
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| 小题6: | | A．nurse | B．workmate | C．roommate | D．doctor |
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| 小题7: | | A．park | B．street | C．farm | D．field |
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| 小题8: | | A．played | B．made | C．started | D．sailed |
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| 小题9: | | A．face to face | B．shoulder to shoulder | C．arm in arm | D．back to back |
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| 小题10: | | A．describe | B．tell | C．hear | D．imagine |
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| 小题11: | | A．strong | B．warm | C．sick | D．lifeless |
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| 小题12: | | A．peacefully | B．sadly | C．secretly | D．completely |
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| 小题13: | | A．looked | B．found | C．called | D．saw |
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| 小题14: | | A．Before | B．As soon as | C．Although | D．As far as |
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| 小题15: | | A．changed | B．sit | C．be moved | D．be taken |
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| 小题16: | | A．making sure | B．depending on | C．making up | D．accounting for |
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| 小题17: | | A．next | B．first | C．last | D．another |
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| 小题18: | | A．surprise | B．feeling | C．try | D．joy |
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| 小题19: | | A．look out | B．look at | C．glare at | D．stare at |
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| 小题20: | | A．remember | B．describe | C．write | D．talk |
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Mrs Smith"s husband went off on a business trip to Australia. He wanted to catch the 3:30 plane to Darwin. She was very surprised when he telephoned her at 5 o"clock and said that he was still at the airport.
"What happened?" asked Mrs Smith.
"Well," said Mr Smith, "everything was going fine. I got my ticket, checked my luggage and waited in line at the gate. I walked across the runway to the airplane and I saw my friend Jack Scott. Jack was an airplane engineer. I shouted to him and a policeman caught me."
"Why did he catch you?"
"I don"t know," said Mr Smith," All I said was ‘Hi, Jack! ""
The word "hijack" means "to take control of a plane by force".
小题1:Why did Mr Smith want to fly to Australia? Because____________.| A．he was an Australian businessman | | B．he was leaving for Australia on business | | C．his wife wanted him to | | D．he wanted" to see his wife |
小题2:Mrs Smith was very surprised because| A．Mr Smith didn"t arrive in Darwin | B．Mr Smith telephoned her later | | C．Mr Smith didn"t leave the airport | D．Mr Smith was in Darwin |
小题3:Mr Smith couldn"t get on the plane because| A．he met with his friend Jack | | B．he didn"t get the ticket | | C．there was something wrong with the airplane engine | | D．he was stopped by a policeman |
小题4:Which of the following is NOT true?| A．The police didn"t know Mr Smith was Jack Scott"s friend. | | B．Jack Scott worked as an airplane engineer. | | C．The policeman misunderstood Mr Smith. | | D．Mr Smith knew why the policeman caught him. |
小题5:Why was Mr Smith caught by the policeman?| A．Because he didn"t keep silence at the airport. | | B．Because he greeted an airport engineer named Jack. | | C．Because the pronunciation of "Hi, Jack" has another frightful meaning. | | D．Because the policeman didn"t know English. |
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Her frozen fingers touched the flame trying to feel alive. She could feel the warmth but it was a cold heat, as if the candle was rejecting her.
Her arms turned red because of the cold, her short sleeved shirt not giving her enough warmth. The winter air grabbed(抓住) at her arms, causing her pain, but she didn’t mind. She knew she should put her jacket on, it was winter in Connecticut, but that would be giving up. Up here, in this tree she felt safe.
She looked at the candle, surrounded by hardening wax(蜡). She placed her fingers gently on the warm green wax. This candle was a reminder of her life inside that house, a life she would have to return to eventually.
As a child, she had gotten this candle. She spent all she had on it. The beautiful crystal box （水晶盒）had caught her eye. Five whole nickels（五分币） had brought her that candle.
She gave it to her mother for Mother’s Day. Her mother had managed a smile and put it on a shelf. “It’s very pretty, honey! I will put it right here.” Since then that candle had never been moved, never been lighted, sitting dusty on a cluttered shelf that no one could see. Later on, her parents got divorced.
By now the candle was colder than the air and the darkness was complete. The snow on the ground made the night lighter and less satisfying than it had been before the first snowfall. She liked the darkness because she felt safe in it. From the glances of her friends who liked the girl she used to be. From the boys who could never figure out who she was. From her guidance counselor(顾问) whose endless worried looks never made her feel any better.
No one was outside at this time of night. She was alone in the world, just how she liked it. Just as she was about to lean back against the branch, she heard a sound.
She heard footsteps breaking the ice in the snow, heading toward her. He was making his way toward the white fence at the edge of the building, right against the road. Normally she would have ignored this person and stayed on her branch faraway from human contact, but this figure had something with him. He trudged(吃力地走) toward the white fence carrying a case. The figure reached the fence, opened the case and took out a shiny object.
She took her eyes off this figure only long enough to climb down the tree to get a better view of him. She reached the bottom and saw that the person had turned to face the street, sitting on the white fence that she and her friends once sat on. She stepped carefully on the ice, making her way toward him.
And then a beautiful sound of music came from the shiny object. She stopped and listened to it. She started walking towards the guy again. Just as she was about to step onto the snow banks, she slipped on the ice crashing to the ground. The figure turned around in surprise and a sudden recognition fell upon them both.
小题1:The girl was hiding in the tree at deep night to ______.| A．keep herself from the cold | B．wait for the boy to come | | C．want to be left alone | D．seek safety from any hurt |
小题2:From the story, we can learn that ______.| A．the girl suffered a lot in her life | | B．the girl’s parents divorced because of her | | C．teachers and friends treated the girl badly | | D．the girl used to stay in the tree when feeling sad |
小题3:The underlined word “it” in the story refers to ______.| A．leaning back against the branch | B．being alone in the world | | C．not being disturbed at night | D．it being dark with snow around |
小题4:From the end of the story, it can be known that the girl _______.| A．knew the person | B．knew what the object was | | C．realized her wishes | D．would never feel alone any more |
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Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house.
There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl into the house.“Look！In comes one，”she said to the man in the house. The thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside，“She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him，so he said，“Let us two try to crawl into the house together.”At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house，too. The woman saw the mice and shouted，“In come two，catch them！” The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said，“You saw them come in but where are they？ I will catch them tonight.”The two thieves started running away at once.
The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rein（缰绳）broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said，“How they look like the two of last night.”The man said，“I asked you to fetch a rope，why don’t you hurry for it？”The two thieves ran away quickly without their sweet potatoes.
小题1:The two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because______.| A．they were found out | | B．they were frightened by what they had heard in the house | | C．they didn’t work together well with each other | | D．mice stopped them from doing so |
小题2:From the last paragraph，we know that ______.| A．the two thieves were famous selling sweet potatoes | | B．the woman recognized the two thieves | | C．the woman pretended to know nothing about the two thieves and made fun of them | | D．the two thieves didn’t know that they were not found at all |
小题3:“______”is the best title for this passage.| A．Two Clever Thieves | B．Terrible Mice | | C．Hit the Mark by a Fluke | D．A Clever Couple |
小题4:Which of the following statements is FALSE？| A．The two thieves not only failed to steal things but also lost their sweet potatoes. | | B．Whenever they found mice，the people in the house would try to catch them. | | C．The two thieves ran away at once，because they thought the woman had seen them. | | D．The man let the woman go home for a rope，which would be used for catching the thieves. |
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