Question

    The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.

“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name? ”

“Are you sure you want to hear it? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.

“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”

“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.

“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different — it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.

“You are clearing too much land,” warned one old man. “The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it.”

“Silly fool,” said Dennis to himself. “If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!”

“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping (渗透) to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”

“What happened?” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.

“The land hit back — just as the old man warned,” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”

“What a stupid story,” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t…” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted. The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

1.The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.

A.courage B.assistance

C.instruction D.challenge

2.Why did Tom scream and faint?

A.He saw Dennis’s shadow. B.He was scared by a plant.

C.His friends played a joke on him. D.The weather became extremely cold.

3.What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?

A.Grasp all, lose all.

B.No sweat, no sweet.

C.He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

D.It is no use crying over spilt milk.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。由在野营中一个孩子所讲故事为切入点，文章讲述了一块地是如何受到Dennis过度开发而变成沼泽地的，也同时告诉我们贪多必失的道理。

1.词义猜测题。根据第一段中The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place.可知，来自于篝火的光照亮了黑暗却不能阻止深入骨髓的Dennis沼泽地的湿气。这是一个奇怪的地方。由此可知，Martin 和 Tom希望他们没有接受Jack的这个挑战。故划线单词意思为“挑战”。故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据最后一段中Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face.可知，一些绿色的常青藤遮住了Tom的脸。由此可知，Tom尖叫和晕倒的原因是他被常春藤吓到了。故选B。

3.推理判断题。从文中的故事讲述可知，Dennis不顾一切地垦荒和对种植更多庄稼的贪婪之心，结局却是被水中植物拽入水中，一无所得，死不见尸。故A选项“贪多必失”最恰当。故选A。