Question

    In November,a cold,unseen stranger that killed many people came to visit the city..

Johnsy lay on her bed,seriously ill.Her friend Sue saw she was looking out the window and counting-counting backward.”Twelve,”she said,and a little later”eleven”;and then”ten”and”nine”;and then”eight”“and”seven,”almost together.

Sue looked out the window.An old ivy vine(常青藤)，going bad at the roots,climbed half way up the wall.The cold breath of autumn had stricken leaves from the plant until its branches, almost bare(光秃秃的)，hung on the bricks.

“What is it,dear?”asked Sue.

“Leaves.On the plant.When the last one falls I must go,too.”

“Oh,what have old ivy leaves to do with your getting well?Try to eat some soup now,”said Sue.”And,I must call Mister Behrman up to be my model for my drawing.Don’t try to move until I come back.”

Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor.Behrman was a failure in art.For years,he had always been planning to paint a work of art,but had never yet begun it.He was a fierce(暴躁的)，little,old man who protected the two young women in the studio apartment above him.

Sue told him about Johnsy and how she feared that her friend would float away like a leaf.

Old Behrman was angered at such an idea.”This is not any place in which one so.good as Miss Johnsy shall lie sick,”yelled Behrman.”Some day I will paint a masterpiece,and we shall all go away.”

The next morning,Johnsy and Sue were surprised to find there yet stood against the wall one ivy leaf after the beating rain and fierce wind that blew through the night.It was the last one on the vine.It was still dark green at the center.But its edges were colored with the yellow.It hung bravely from the branch about seven meters above the ground.

“It is the last one,”said Johnsy.”It will fall today and I shall go at the same time.”

But the next morning,the ivy leaf was still there.Johnsy lay for a long time,looking at it. And then she called to Sue,who was preparing chicken soup.”

Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how bad I was.It is wrong to want to die.You may bring me a little soup now.”said Johnsy.

The next day,the doctor came,and told Sue Johnsy was out of danger.

Later that day,Sue came to the bed where Johnsy lay,and put one arm around her.”Mr. Behrman died of pneumonia(肺炎)today.He was sick only two days.They found him the morning of the first day in his room downstairs helpless with pain.His shoes and clothing were completely wet and icy cold.They could not imagine where he had been on such a terrible night. And then they found a lantern,still lighted.And a ladder that had been moved from its place. And art supplies and a painting board with green and yellow colors mixed on it.”

“Look out the window,dear,at the last ivy leaf on the wall.Didn’t you wonder why it never moved when the wind blew?Ah,darling,it is Behrman’s masterpiece-he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell.”

1.In the first paragraph,”a cold,unseen stranger”refers to____

A.a person B.an illness C.a beast D.an object

2.What does Johnsy mean when she says”when the last one falls I must go,too.”?

A.She will leave the city. B.She will die soon.

C.She will fall with the leaf. D.She will recover.

3.Who plays the most important part in helping Johnsy recover?

A.Sue. B.The doctor. C.Behrman. D.Johnsy herself.

4.What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A.The last leaf B.A kind painter C.A deadly disease D.The valuable friendship

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇故事类说明文。文章摘自美国短篇小说作家欧.亨利的作品《最后一片叶子》，Johnsy得了肺炎，生命危在旦夕，她把生存的希望寄托于窗外一棵常春藤树的最后一片叶子。她说最后一片叶子落下时，自己也应该要去世了。老画家Behrman画了最后一片叶子，给了Johnsy生的希望，让她战胜病魔，活了下来，而Behrman老人却因着凉而染上严重的肺炎去世了，他用自己的生命创作了一生中最杰出的作品。

1.

推理判断题。根据第二段第一句Johnsy lay on her bed, seriously ill.( Johnsy躺在床上，病得很重。)和倒数第三段The next day, the doctor came, and told Sue Johnsy was out of danger.( 第二天，医生来了，告诉Sue, Johnsy已经脱离危险。)可知推知，a cold, unseen stranger 指的是疾病，因为疾病一般是看不见的，也是冷酷无情的。故选B。

2.

词义猜测题。根据第8段Sue told him about Johnsy and how she feared that her friend would float away like a leaf.可知，Sue告诉他关于Johnsy的事，以及她是如何担心她的朋友Johnsy会像一片树叶一样随风飘逝。由此可推知，当最后一片树叶落下时，Johnsy也会去世，也是说她很快会死了。故选B。

3.

推理判断题。根据最后一段it is Behrman’s masterpiece-he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell.”可知，这是Behrman的杰作，最后一片叶子掉下来的那天晚上，他在那儿画的。由前文可知，Johnsy认为最后一片叶子掉了，自己也就死了；她一直看到的叶子是Behrman画的，由此可知，Behrman在Johnsy身体康复中起到了重要的作用。故选C。

4.

主旨大意题。阅读文章可知，Johnsy得了肺炎，生命危在旦夕，她把生存的希望寄托于窗外一棵常春藤树的最后一片叶子。她说最后一片叶子落下时，自己也应该要去世了。老画家Behrman画了最后一片叶子，给了Johnsy生的希望，让她战胜病魔，活了下来，而Behrman老人却因着凉而染上严重的肺炎去世了，他用自己的生命创作了一生中最杰出的作品。由此可知，本文的最佳标题是最后一片叶子，选项A符合题意。故选A。