Question

At Blossom End Railroad Station, 22-year-old Stanley Vine sat, waiting for his new employer. The surrounding green fields were so unlike the muddy landscape of war-torn France. After four horrible years as an army private fighting in Europe, Stanley had returned to England in February 1946. Armed now with some savings and with no prospects for a job in England, he answered a newspaper ad for farm help in Canada. Two months later he was on his way.

When the old car rumbled (发着辘辘声) toward the tiny station, Stanley rose to his feet, trying to make the most of his five foot and four inches frame. The farmer, Alphonse Lapine, shook his head and complained, “You’re a skinny thing.” On the way to his dairy farm, Alphonse explained that he had a wife and seven kids. “Money is tight. You’ll get room and board. You’ll get up at dawn for milking, and then help me around the farm until evening milking time again. Ten dollars a week. Sundays off.” Stanley nodded. He had never been on a farm before, but he took the job.

From the beginning Stanley was treated horribly by the whole family. They made fun of the way he dressed and talked. He could do nothing right. The humourless farmer frequently lost his temper, criticizing Stanley for the slightest mistake. The oldest son, 13-year-old Armand, constantly played tricks on him. But the kind-hearted Stanley never responded.

Stanley never became part of the Lapine family. After work, they ignored him. He spend his nights alone in a tiny bedroom. However, each evening before retiring, he lovingly cared for the farmer’s horses, eagerly awaiting him at the field gate. He called them his gentle giants. On Saturday nights he hitch-hiked into the nearest town and wandered the streets or enjoyed a restaurant meal before returning to the farm.

Early one November morning Alphonse Lapine discovered that Stanley had disappeared, after only six months as his farmhand. The railway station master, when questioned later that week, said he had not seen him. In fact no one in the community ever heard of him again. That is, until one evening, almost 20 years later, when Armand, opened an American sports magazine and came across a shocking headline, “Millionaire jockey (赛马骑师), Stanley Vine, ex-British soldier and 5-time horse riding champion, began life in North America as a farmhand in Canada.”

1.Stanley Vine decided to go to Canada because ___________.

A．he wanted to escape from war-torn France

B．he wanted to serve in the Canadian army

C．he couldn’t find a job in England

D．he loved working as a farmhand

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Stanley joined the French army when he was 18 years old.

B．On the farm Stanley had to milk the cows 14 times a week.

C．The Lapine family were very rich but cruel to Stanley.

D．Stanely read about the job offer in a newspaper.

3.What did Stanley like doing after work each day?

A．Hitch-hiking to different towns.

B．Caring for the farmer’s horses.

C．Wandering around the farm alone.

D．Preparing meals on the farm.

4.Why was Armand so astonished when he read about Stanley in the magazine?

A．He didn’t know Stanley had been a British soldier.

B．He had no idea Stanley had always been a wealthy man.

C．He didn’t know his father paid Stanley so little money.

D．He didn’t expect Stanley to become such a success.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.B

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：文章讲述了Stanley Vine的人生经历，在历经了在加拿大一位农场主一家人的刁蛮，依然能够忍受，最终他在赛马的事业上取得了自己的成功。

1.细节题。从第一段Armed now with some savings and with no prospects for a job in England, he answered a newspaper ad for farm help in Canada.可知，Stanley Vine自己不能在英国找到一个工作，所以去了加拿大，故选C

2.细节判断题。从第一段he answered a newspaper ad for farm help in Canada.可知，Stanley Vine的工作时通过在报纸上看到的，故选D

3.细节题。从第四自然段he lovingly cared for the farmer’s horses, eagerly awaiting him at the field gate. 可知他下班后就非常悉心的照顾农场主的马，故选B

4.推断题。从最后三段来看，Alphonse Lapine一家人对Stanley Vine非常的苛刻，也很瞧不起他，Armand 没有意料到多年之后，Stanley Vine会是如此的成功，故选D

考点：人物传记类记叙文