Question

    When Stephen Mills spotted a dusty old safe (保险箱) in a museum in Canada, he thought he’d try to crack the code (破解密码), “just like in the movies”. But when he began turning the dial, he wasn’t expecting a Hollywood ending.

For years, anyone who visited the Vermillion Heritage Museum in Alberta would have passed by a large, black metal box. Staff knew it had come from the long-gone Brunswick hotel and was donated to the museum in the 1990s, but its code and contents remained a mystery for decades — until Mills unexpectedly cracked the code.

Mills, who lived in Fort McMurray, Alberta, was visiting the museum with his family last month over a holiday weekend. As they wandered around the exhibits with the museum guide, Tom Kibblewhite, they spotted the safe.

Kibblewhite told the family what he told all other guests: the 900kg black box with a silver dial had remained closed for generations. For years, the safe has confused volunteers at the museum. The manufacturer was unable to provide advice on how to open its thick door.

A locksmith (锁匠) once suggested that years of inactivity might have slowed down the gears, making it inoperable. But Mills, who is a “mechanically-minded person”, asked whether he could give it a try. “Kibblewhite kept saying no one had opened it and that it was a mystery what was inside,” Mills said. “I thought this would be a great thing to do for a laugh for the kids. Maybe they can find some interesting historical things in it — like a time capsule.”

After pressing his ear against the cool metal, he began spinning the dial. With numbers ranging from zero to 60, he turned clockwise (顺时针方向地) three times to 20, counter-clockwise two times to 40, and then clockwise one time to 60. He was astonished to hear a click. “I jumped up and told everyone I’m buying a lottery ticket (彩票),” he said.

1.What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph mean?

A.He didn’t think he would open the safe.

B.The museum trip was like a Hollywood film.

C.He didn’t want to turn the dial in the beginning.

D.It was unbelievable for him to win a lottery ticket in the end.

2.What do we know about the safe?

A.The dial on the safe was broken.

B.It was a donation from a rich businessman.

C.It was one of the most valuable exhibits in the museum.

D.It has been long closed since it was brought to the museum.

3.Why did Mills compare the safe to a time capsule?

A.To tell people how fast time flies.

B.To remind visitors of the time limit.

C.To indicate the safe’s special meaning.

D.To explain the content of the safe.

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A.Mills won a prize for cracking the code.

B.Mills had plenty of luck to break the code.

C.Mills knew what the code was in advance.

D.Mills tried a dozen times until he cracked the code.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了博物馆的保险箱被游客轻易打开，官方曾说无法破解。

1.词义猜测题。根据第一段第一句可知，当Stephen Mills在加拿大的一个博物馆里发现一个满是灰尘的旧保险箱时，他想试试看破解密码，“就像电影里演的那样”。再根据第二段until Mills unexpectedly cracked the code.可知，直到 Mills意外破解了密码。由此可知，“他根本没指望会有个好莱坞式的结局。”指的是他没有想到自己会破解密码，打开保险箱。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段Staff knew it had come from the long-gone Brunswick hotel and was donated to the museum in the 1990s, but its code and contents remained a mystery for decades — until Mills unexpectedly cracked the code.可知，工作人员都知道它来自消失已久的布伦瑞克酒店，是在上世纪90年代被捐赠给了博物馆。但它的密码和里面的东西几十年来一直是个谜——直到米尔斯意外破解了密码。由此可知，自从它被带到博物馆以来，很长时间都是关闭着的。故选D。

3.推理判断题。根据第五段“Kibblewhite kept saying no one had opened it and that it was a mystery what was inside,” Mills said. “I thought this would be a great thing to do for a laugh for the kids. Maybe they can find some interesting historical things in it — like a time capsule.”可知，米尔斯说:“吉布怀特一直说没有人打开过它，里面的东西是个谜。”“我想这会是一件让孩子们开怀大笑的好事情。也许他们能在里面找到一些有趣的历史东西——比如一个时间胶囊。”由此推知，Mills把保险箱比作时间胶囊是为了指明保险箱的特殊意义。故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段He was astonished to hear a click. “I jumped up and told everyone I’m buying a lottery ticket (彩票),” he said.可知，听到咔哒一声，他吃了一惊。他说：“我跳起来告诉所有人我在买彩票。”由此推知，Mills很幸运，破解了密码。故选B。