Question

Norah had a cottage on a cliff above a big bay. In winter it could be very nasty because of strong winds and sea spray. In fact, when a gale was blowing, Norah and her husband got used to sleeping in a small room downstairs, because their bedroom upstairs, which faced the gales, had a very big window, and they were afraid that an extra violent gust might break it and blow pieces of broken glass over them.

Also, the salt spray from the sea put an end to many of the colourful plants Norah planted in her garden. She tried putting up a fence to protect them, but the wind just hit it, went up over the top and then down the other side, so in the end she filled the garden with trees and bushes that liked salt.

But most of the summer Norah enjoyed her cottage and garden very much. At weekends she could sit out of doors in the sun, looking at the beautiful view, with interesting ships and boats passing by, and she could very easily cycle down to the sea for a swim.

Now, Norah and her husband had plenty of friends and relations. In the summer lots of them used to come to enjoy the beautiful place, and in the end it really became quite annoying for Norah and her husband. When they were at home, they found friends and relations arriving, expecting to be given unlimited drinks and meals, and to sit in the sun for hours, talking as if Norah and her husband had nothing else to do but entertain and listen to them.

This went on for several years. Norah did not wish to appear rude by refusing to let her friends and relations in, but on the other hand, she was getting tired every summer.Then one day Norah was complaining about this to her hairdresser while she was doing her hair. “You’re disturbed by too many uninvited guests, are you?” said the hairdresser. “Why don’t you try my way of escaping?”

“What’s that?” asked Norah.

“Well,” the hairdresser answered, “when the bell rings, I put on my coat and take my shopping bag. If it’s someone I don’t want to see, I say innocently,’ I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go out.’ But...”

1.The underlined word “cycle” can be replaced by_______________.

A. ride by bike    B. drive

C. walk    D. go by ship

2.We can infer that________________.

A. a lot of friends came to visit them in winter

B. few friends came to visit them in winter

C. friends came to visit them only for drinks and meals

D. Norah was a good cook

3.Which of the following is the best title ？

A. A Good Place of Enjoying the Sea

B. A Warm-hearted Couple

C. A Clever Way of Escaping

D. A Visit to Norah

4.What is the hairdresser likely to continue to say in the end?

A. If I am tired, I say, “Sorry, can you come next time?”

B. If it’s someone I like to see, I say, “How lucky! I’ve just come in!”

C. If it’s someone I like to see, I say, “How happy to see you! I was going shopping, but now I’ve changed my mind.”

D. If it is fine that day, I say, “I’m tired of this, but I’ll show you around the place, anyhow.”

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.B

【解析】这是一篇记叙文。主要讲述了Norah和她的丈夫在海湾边的悬崖上有一所小屋，以及他们的日常生活和这种环境带给他们的好处与不足。后来，他们的邻居教给他们一个躲避烦人的朋友的办法：假装要出门购物。

1.词义猜测题。题目中画线单词为“cycle”骑自行车，A选项“ride by bike”骑车、B选项“drive”开车、C选项“walk”步行、D选项“go by ship”乘船，只有A与题目单词相符，故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据“In the summer lots of them used to come to enjoy the beautiful place, and in the end it really became quite annoying for Norah and her husband.”夏天的时候，他们很多人都会来看看这个美丽的地方，最后却让Norah和她的丈夫很苦恼。可知，夏天因为景色优美所以来拜访的朋友比较多，冬天则有很少人来，故选B。

3.主旨大意题。浏览全文可知本文说的是Norah和她的丈夫在海湾边的悬崖的小屋的日常生活，和这种环境带给他们的好处与不足。他们的邻居教给他们一个躲避烦人的朋友的办法：假装要出门购物。全文的重点是Norah想知道怎样逃避朋友令人不快的来访，而邻居给出了巧妙的答案。故选C。

4.细节理解题。根据“If it’s someone I don’t want to see, I say innocently,’ I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go out.’”如果是我不想见的人，我会无辜地说: “抱歉，但我刚好要出门。”可推测出，如果是愿意见的人来访，那么可以装作刚回家的样子。故选B。