Though I have traveled in hundreds of trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me.But one day in a train something did happen.I do not mean that I was hurt:no one was hurt.
I do my work in a hot country far away from England.Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come back to England to have a rest.So every September I go to Paris and take a train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.
There is one very fast train from Paris to Mendova, and it suits me well.It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in.It is called The Flying Bluebird.It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the morning, and it is never late.
A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven, and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well.I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go from the station to the ship.That is more than enough time.
Well, one September night, I took my place in The Flying Bluebird as usual.The train leaves Paris at nine o’clock every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight.There were three or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train.When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in the corridor(走廊).In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more travelers to get into the train.
I could see a lot of other people outside the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris without them.The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions:“Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married? How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?”
He asked questions for about twenty minutes but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to read the paper.
I usually sleep quite well in the train, but this time I slept only a little.There were too many people, and there were too many things:small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and food.As usual, we got angry about the window.Most people wanted it shut, and two of us wanted it open.But that always happens.It was shut all night, as usual.
When I awoke in the early morning I felt hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end.At seven minutes past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped.We were at Mendova, and I stood up thankfully.I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to move towards the door into the corridor.In order to get out of the train, I had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end.There was no other way out.
I could not even into the corridor.There was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way.I felt a touch of fear.I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship, which left at half past eleven.And the train did not stop again until it reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.
“I must get out!” I cried.Everyone there understood me, but no one could move.
At last I was able to put one foot over the suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor.But then, very slowly, the train began to move.It was taking me away!
“Stop!” I cried.“I want to get out!” But no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care much.The train moved a little faster.What could I do? I was not even in the corridor.
Fear made me think quickly.In front of my eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the train.I had to pull an iron thing near the notice.I did not waste time.I pulled it.
Well, a noise started above our heads.That was to show everyone that there was something wrong.It was not a small sound.Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it.Then the train stopped.
No one likes to stop a train if there is no need.But I had to catch my ship.That was the only thought in my mind:to get out and catch my ship.
(1)
The purpose of the author writing the first paragraph is to _________.
[ ]
A.
answer some questions
B.
express some unusual feelings
C.
arouse the readers’ curiosity
D.
give some advice in advance
(2)
What do we know about the author and the man sitting next to him?
[ ]
A.
They talked with each other all night
B.
They got angry about the window
C.
The author didn’t understand the man’s words
D.
The author didn’t like the man’s foolish questions
(3)
On this journey on The Flying Bluebird, the author felt uncomfortable because _________.
[ ]
A.
he couldn’t find a seat by the window
B.
he was angry with the man sitting next to him
C.
there were too many people on the train
D.
the window was kept shut all night
(4)
It can be learned from Para.10 that the author was afraid that _________.
[ ]
A.
he would have to spend another sleepless night on the train
B.
he would miss the ship that went where he worked
C.
more people might crowd into the train
D.
he would have to buy another ticket
(5)
The noise in the underlined sentence “a noise started above our heads”(Para.15)was made by _________.
[ ]
A.
the angry passengers shouting at the top of their voices
B.
the ship that was lying two miles away
C.
the falling of boxes and suitcases to the floor
D.
the train itself telling people that something was wrong
My father made a deal with me that he would match whatever I could come up with to buy my fir st car.From the time I wa s a saver.My allowance, back in tho se day s, wa s twenty five cent s a week.I grew up on a farm near a small town called Ventura.In tho se day s the area wa s mo stly agricultural.The climate wa s and still i s a s clo se to perfect a s you could get.I earned some of my money picking one crop or another.When I wa s about ten, a school friend' s family owned walnut orchard s(果园)and it wa s harve st time.She told me we could earn five dollar s for every bag of walnut s we picked.I certainly learned about picking walnut s that day.Not surprisingly, that wa s my fir st and la st time a s a walnut picker.
In 1960 my grandmother pa s sed away.She left me 100 share s of AT&T.One hundred share s of stock don't seem like much today but back then tho se share s paid me$240 per year in dividend s(利息).That wa s huge for a kid my age.
By the time I wa s seventeen.I had saved up $ 1, 300 and I knew exactly that I wanted.Ithink my father wa s somewhat suri sed when I announced I had saved up $ 1, 300 and wa s ready to buy my new car.I'll never forget the evening my father said, “Let' s go see about that car”.I wa s so excited.
My father could have ea sily ju st given me the car but he alway s in si sted that hi s children work for what they got.Thi s wa s not a bad thing.I learned self-reliance.Self-reliance i s equal to freedom.Now that I think about it I need to be thanking my father.
(1)
Which one of the following s didn't belong to the saving of $1, 300?
[ ]
A.
Weekly allowance.
B.
Her earning s by picking crop s.
C.
Share s left by grandma.
D.
Money earned from selling share s.
(2)
The underlined part in the second paragraph probably meant ________.
[ ]
A.
she didn't have the chance of picking walnut s
B.
enough money had been earned for her car
C.
the work wa s too hard for children like her
D.
she had no time to do that again for some rea son
(3)
We can know from the pa s sage the author got her car at the age of ________.
[ ]
A.
16
B.
17
C.
18
D.
19
(4)
The purpo se of the author' s father doing like that wa s to ________.
[ ]
A.
give the author freedom
B.
be unwilling to buy the author a car
C.
teach the author to learn self-reliance
D.
give the author a big surpri se
阅读理解
Two year s ago, Wendy Ha snip, 47,experienced a brain injury that left her speechle s s for two week s.When she finally recovered, she found her self talking with what seemed to be a French accent.“I phoned a friend the other day, and she spent the fir st ten minute s laughing, ” Ha snip said at the time, “while I have nothing again st the French.”
Ha snip suffered from foreign accent syndrome(外国口音综合症), a rare condition in which people find them selve s speaking their own language like someone from a foreign country.The condition u sually occur s in people who have experienced a head injury or a stroke-a sudden lo s s of con sciou sne s s, sen sation, or movement cau sed by a blocked or broken blood ve s selin the brain.
The condition wa s fir st identified during the Second World War in a Norwegian woman who se head wa s injured during an attack by the German military.The woman recovered but wa s left with a German-sounding accent, to the horror of fellow villager s who avoided her after that.
Re searcher s have di scovered that the combined effect of the damage to several part s of the brain make s victim s lengthen certain syllable, mi spronounce sound s, and change the normal pitch(音高)of their voice.Tho se change s in speech add up to what sound s like a foreign accent.
Another re searcher, a phonetician, say s victim s of the syndrome don't acquire a true foreign accent.Their strangely changed speech only re semble s the foreign accent with which it ha s a few sound s in common.
When an Engli sh woman named Annie recently developed foreign accent syndrome after a stroke, she spoke with what seemed to be a Scotti sh accent.However, Annie' s Scotti sh coworker s said she didn't sound at all like a Scot.
(1)
According to the pa s sage, people ________ may have foreign accent syndrome.
[ ]
A.
who se parent ha s experienced a head injury
B.
who have lived in a foreign country for a long time
C.
who have lo st their con sciou sne s s owing to a stroke
D.
who have learned foreign language from their coworker s
(2)
If a per son suffer s foreign accent syndrome, ________.
[ ]
A.
hi s coworker s will be afraid of him and avoid contacting with him
B.
he ha s more chance of suffering stroke again
C.
he will speak a fluent foreign language like native speaker s
D.
hi s speech only ha s a few sound s in common with the foreign accent
(3)
Writing thi s pa s sage, the writer' s main purpo se i s to ________.
[ ]
A.
introduce foreign accent syndrome and some related information
B.
warn people not to be at the ri sk of experiencing a stroke
C.
make it clear that foreign accent syndrome can be cured
D.
tell a story of an injured woman during the Second World War