Question

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people werr not willing to work on farms along the Atlantic because they worried about the terrible storms that would destroy buildings and crops. The farmer received a steady stream of refusals at the interview for a farmhand.

Finally, a short, thin man approached the farmer. “Are you a good farmhand?” the farmer asked him.

^“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows. ” answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer ，the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm ，busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly from offshore. Jumping out of bed，the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled， “ Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they are blown away! ”

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows. ”

Enraged (激怒）by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot . Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement，he discovered that all of the hay had been covered. The cows were in the barn，the chickens were in the coops，and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could be blown away.

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he also returned to his bed to sleep while the wind was still blowing.

1.Why did the farmer constantly advertise for hired hands?

A. Because he needed hired hands all the year round.

B. Because there was too much work to do on the farm.

C. Because he could hardly hire a farmhand.

D. Because he offered poor conditions for the hired hands.

2. The farmer felt amazed because _______.

A. the little man was sleeping

B. everything was in safety

C. the wind was too strong

D. he could not open the doors

3. What did the man mean by saying “I can sleep when the wind blows” ?

A. He needed much sleep after working hard on the farm.

B. He was very brave and not afraid of wind

C. He enjoyed sleeping when the wind blew.

D. He would get everything done before the wind blew.

4.Which of the following statements about the little man is TRUE?

A. He was not afraid of storms.

B. He was a heavy sleeper under any condition.

C. He was hard-working and devoted to his work.

D. He was fired shortly after he tied everything down.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文介绍了一位很有前瞻性的工人，在风暴到来之前就把所有事情安排得很好，做到真正的有备无患。

1.C 推理题。根据第一段第三句Most people were not willing to work on farms along the Atlantic because they worried about the terrible storms that would destroy buildings and crops.因为很多人不愿意来到大西洋沿岸的农场干活，因为这里的风暴会把所有东西都刮走。所以这个农场主不得不一直在招聘帮手。故C正确。

2.B 推理题。根据To his amazement，he discovered that all of the hay had been covered. The cows were in the barn，the chickens were in the coops，and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured.从中可知这个工人把所有事情都做的很好，风暴不会造成任何破坏。故B正确。

3.D 推理题。从文章中的叙述To his amazement，he discovered that all of the hay had been covered. The cows were in the barn，the chickens were in the coops，and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured可知在风暴来临之前，他把所有物品都保护得很好。风暴不会造成任何伤害。故该句是指D项含义。

4.C 推理题。根据To his amazement，he discovered that all of the hay had been covered. The cows were in the barn，the chickens were in the coops，and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured可知这位个人干活很细致认真，而且有前瞻性，未雨绸缪，事先把所有的事情都做好了，真正的有备无患。故C正确。

【名师点睛】

推理判断题不仅要求考生读懂文章中的每个句子的意思还要推理它们之间的关系，结合自己的生活常识和经验，再通过逻辑推理和判断，理解文章的言外之意，从而揭示文章的深层涵义。任何一篇文章都有其特定的写作目的，考生应当知道如何去做或按照某种方式传递思考问题。推理判断题的答案不可能在文章中直接找到，因此推理时我们务必要忠于原文，在文章中寻找并确定可推论的依据，即：已知部分－推论的前提，从中推测出未知部分－推理的结论，切忌妄加评论，把自己的观点当成作者的观点。

以本文25题为例：本文属于直接推理。Why did the farmer constantly advertise for hired hands?为什么农场主要一直登广告招聘工人？根据第一段第三句Most people were not willing to work on farms along the Atlantic得知几乎没有人愿意到这里来工作，所以他才会要一直招聘工人。

再以27题为例，该题属于间接推理，根据几个事实推断出一个结论。题目：What did the man mean by saying “I can sleep when the wind blows” ?这个工人为什么会说：当风吼叫的时候，我还是能够睡着？结合文章中To his amazement，he discovered that all of the hay had been covered. The cows were in the barn，the chickens were in the coops，and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured这些事例的叙述告诉我们这名工人是意为很细致的工人，会提前考虑一切。所以D正确。

考点：考查记叙文阅读