Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him.
He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present. He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens. What he saw shocked and terrified him. A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him.
With no time to waste, Andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding furiously—but without knowing how to escape the swarm. With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously, he sped down the rough road. As the bees came closer, his panic increased. Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇). The last sting had landed him in hospital—and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days. Suddenly, his father’s words came to him. “When you are in a tight situation, don’t panic. Use your brain and think your way out of it.”
On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home. “Bees don’t like smoke,” he thought. “They couldn’t get into the house.” Andy raced towards the Nelson house, but the bees were gaining ground. Andy knew he could not reach the house in time. He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden. Off his bike and into the cool water he lived, disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects. After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone. Dragging himself out of the dam, he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother.
“You’ll really need that fishing break to help you recover,” laughed his mother with relief. “Thank goodness you didn’t panic!” But Andy did not hear her. He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow.
1.Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?
A. He was riding to school.
B. He was listening to a strange sound.
C. He was going fishing with his father.
D. He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip.
2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?
A. They crowded like a black cloud.
B. They shocked and terrified Andy.
C. They tried to attack Andy in a mass.
D. They made Andy stay in hospital for two days.
3.How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?
A. He asked Mr. Nelson for help.
B. He did himself under the water.
C. He rushed into the Nelson house.
D. He rode off in the opposite direction.
4.Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?
A. No pains, no gains.
B. Once bitten, twice shy.
C. Where there is a will, there is a way.
D. In time of danger, one’s mind works fast.
When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she wasn’t nervous. She was certainly not afraid of the dark. __1_, it was only a 15-minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish that she hadn’t been so __2__.
As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly __3__ cold — very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it became hard to ride.
With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move __4__ that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also __5__. Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something __6__. Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear,” said the old lady. “I need __7__. I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes.”
“Airport? You __8__ are lost,” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers __9__ you reach the T-junction. Turn left and __10__ for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the __11__ to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no __12__ you’ll get there in five minutes!”
“Thank you very much, dear,” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry — I’ll __13__ in time.”
The __14__ moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it __15__ and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something __16__ happened. The car began changing. First, its color __17__from black to silvery-grey. Then, the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward, __18__ just above the ground. As the car __19__ into the dark sky, the big red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint whistling __20__, the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…
1.A However B Besides C Therefore D Otherwise
2.A brave B excited C curious D stubborn
3.A fell B seemed C proved D grew
4.A aside B around C forward D backward
5.A arrived B stopped C stayed D started
6.A gathered B existed C dropped D moved
7.A help B gas C rest D water
8.A necessarily B normally C basically D certainly
9.A if B until C unless D as
10.A drive B walk C follow D march
11.A address B signs C notices D guidance
12.A doubt B room C time D way
13.A have it B get it C make it D finish it
14.A door B window C headlight D wheel
15.A passed B rushed C turned D continued
16.A strange B sensitive C imaginable D horrible
17.A developed B appeared C spread D faded
18.A rolling B floating C drawing D flashing
19.A pointed B returned C broke D rose
20.A tune B voice C sound D tone
Last year the number of students who graduated with a driving license reached 200,000, a (n) ______ of 40,000 per year.
A average B number C amount D quantity
Nowadays some hospitals refer to patients ______ name, not case number.
A of B as C by D with
Not until he left his home ______ to know how important the family was for him.
A did he begin B had he begun C he began D he had begun
There were many talented actors out there just waiting ______.
A to discover B to be discovered C discovered D being discovered
