Question

In 1977, a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a 19-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world.

In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar, near Saudi Arabia. Doctors were unable to find out the cause of her illness with confidence, so she was sent to Hammersmith Hospital in London. She was then only semi-conscious and on the "Dangerously Ill" list. A team of doctors hurried to examine the baby only to discover that they, too, were confused by the very unusual symptoms (症状). While they were discussing the baby's case, a nurse asked to speak to them. "Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitlan, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium (铊) poisoning."

"What makes you think that?" Dr. Brown asked. "Thallium poisoning is extremely rare."

"A few days ago, I was reading a novel called A Pale Horse by Agatha Christie," Nurse Maitlan explained. "In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are described. They're exactly the same as the baby's."

"You're very thoughtful and you may be right," another doctor said. "We'll carry out some tests and find out whether it's thallium or not."

Tests showed that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium, a rare metallic substance used in making special glass. Once they knew the cause of the illness, the doctors were able to give the baby the correct treatment. She soon recovered and was sent back to Qatar. Later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (杀虫剂) used in Qatar.

1.The one who first suggested the correct cause of the baby's illness was _____.

A．a doctor in Qatar	B．Dr. Brown
C．Nurse Maitlan	D．Agatha Christie

2.As far as we can tell from the passage, Agatha Christie _____.

A．had spent a long time studying the baby's case

B．visited the baby in the hospital at Hammersmith

C．had never met this baby

D．gave Nurse Maitlan some advice on the phone

3.It seems likely from the passage that the baby's illness had something to do with _____.

A．a harmful substance used to kill insects

B．a dangerous pair of glasses

C．the water in Qatar

D．a dead writer

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.A

【解析】

试题分析：

1.细节推断题。第二段While they were discussing the baby's case, a nurse asked to speak to them. "Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitlan, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium (铊) poisoning." 可知，医生们正在讨论小孩的情况时，护士Marsha Maitlan提出孩子是中了铊毒，所以她是第一人说出女孩病因的人。

2.推断题。第四段，护士解释道几天前她在读一本名叫A Pale Horse的小说，它的作者是Agatha Christie，在书中描述了中了铊毒的症状，而且从文章第一句可知Agatha Christie已经死了。所以可知Agatha Christie别没有见过这个女孩。

3.细节题。第六自然段最后一句Later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (杀虫剂) used in Qatar.后来，据报道毒药可能是来自于一种杀虫剂，故选A，一种被用来杀害昆虫的有害物质。

考点：记叙文