Question

Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.

“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast.

“And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in the town!”

George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse.

Then Richard married a mysterious girl. The couple spent their honeymoon on the coast—but Richard never came back. The police found his wallet on a deserted beach but the body was never found. He must have drowned.

Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his formal rival. Perhaps he missed him?

George was very interested in old dictionaries. He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading.

“Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rival Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.”

1.George and Richard were ______ at school.

A. roommatesB. good friends

C. competitorsD. booksellers

2.How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?

A. He envied Richard’s marriage.

B. He thought of Richard from time to time.

C. He felt lucky with no rival in town.

D. He was guilty of Richard’s death.

3.What can we infer from this article?

A. Richard’ wife played an important part in his career.

B. Competition could make close friends become rivals.

C. George got information about Richard from the wrapping paper of a book.

D. Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

【解析】

试题分析:从上学开始，乔治和理查德就是竞争对手，两人各在街角开了两家书店，最终理查德成了澳大利亚最大的书商，身价数百万，而仍然固守自己的小书店的乔治，没有取得大成就。

1.C细节理解题。由第一段“Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.”可知从上学开始，乔治和理查德就是竞争对手。A、B、D三项没有根据，可排除，故选C。

2.B细节理解题。由第五段“But sometimes he sat in his narrow , old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window , thinking about his former rival （竞争对手）, Perhaps he missed him?”可知理查德消失后乔治常常想起他来，故B项正确。A、D两项文中没有交代，属于主观臆测。C项也无从推断出乔治在没有了竞争对手后感到很幸运，故选B。

3.The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.可知理查德成了澳大利亚最大的书商，身价数百万，而仍然固守自己的小书店的乔治，没有取得大成就，故选D。

考点：考查故事类短文阅读

【名师点睛】

故事类阅读应试技巧：

1、抓住文章的6个要素：

阅读时要学会从事情本身的发展去理解故事情节而不要只看事件在文中出现的先后顺序。因此，无论是顺叙还是倒叙，阅读此类文章时，必须要找到它结构中的5个W（when, where, who, why, what）和1个H（how），不过不是每篇都会完整地交待六个要素。毫无疑问，寻出这些元素是能够正确快速解题的一个先决条件。读完本文可知主人公为George 和 Richard，两人从小就是竞争对手，长大后各自开了书店，但是最后一个成了有名的书商，一个却默默无闻的守着自己的小书店。怀着这样的故事情节在去做题，会比较容易理解。

2、注意作者的议论和抒情：

高考英语阅读理解故事类文章常伴随着作者思想情感的流露和表达，因此议论和抒情往往夹杂其中。行文时或按事情发生发展的先后时间进行或按事情发生发展的地点来转换，也可能按事情发展的阶段来布局。在引出话题，讲完一件事情后，作者往往会表达个人感悟或提出建议等。这些体现作者观点或思想的语句在阅读时可以划线，它们往往体现文章中心或者写作意图，属于必考点，所以要仔细体会。

3、结合前两点归纳文章中心，把握作者态度：

故事类文章是通过记叙一件事来表达中心思想的，它是文章的灵魂。归纳文章中心思想时，尤其要分析文章的结尾，因为很多文章卒章显志，用简短的议论、抒情揭示文章中心；文章中议论抒情的句子往往与中心密切相关；也有的文章需要在结合概括各段大意的基础上归纳中心。另外，叙述一件事必有其目的，或阐明某一观点，或赞美某种品德，或抨击某种陋习，这就要求我们在阅读时，通过对细节（第1点中的六要素）的理解，把握作者的态度。

4、有章有据进行解题判断：

分析文章，归纳主题，属于分析、概括、综合的表述能力的考查。切忌脱离文章，架空分析，一定让分析在文章中有依据。本篇文章主要考细节题，如第22题，题文为How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance，可在文中But sometimes he sat in his narrow , old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window , thinking about his former rival （竞争对手）, Perhaps he missed him?找到证据证明乔治有时会想起理查德，故选C项。