Question

Coincidences happen all the time to ordinary people, but the following events are perhaps some of the strangest of them all.

1. In the 19th century, the famous writer, Edgar Allan Poe, wrote a book called The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. It was about four survivors of a shipwreck (船只失事) who were in an open boat for many days before three of them decided to kill and eat the cabin boy whose name was Richard Parker. Some years later, in 1884, the boat Mignonette sank, and only four survivors were left in an open boat for many days. Finally the three older members killed and ate the cabin boy. The name of the cabin boy was Richard Parker.

2. In Monza, Italy, King Umberto I went to a small restaurant for dinner. When the owner took King Umberto I’s order, the King noticed that he and the restaurant owner were doubles, in face and in build. Both men began discussing the resemblance between each other and found many more similarities. Both men were born in the same place, on the same day, of the same year (March 14, 1844, Turin, Italy). On the day that the King married Queen Margherita, the restaurant owner had married a lady named Margherita. The restaurant owner opened his restaurant on the same day that King Umberto I was crowned(加冕) King of Italy. On July 29, 1900, King Umberto I was informed that the restaurant owner had died that day in a shooting accident, and as he expressed his regret, someone in the crowd killed him!

3. Mark Twain was a popular American author who wrote famous books such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley’s Comet(哈雷彗星) in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said: “I came in with Halley’s Comet in1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.”

1.In The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, _________.

A. the boat was named Mignonette

B. the ship sank after the cabin boy’s death

C. three people in all eventually survived the shipwreck

D. Richard Parker was unfriendly to the other survivors

2. Whose story is related to astronomy?_________.

A. Mark Twain’s B. Edgar Allan Poe’s

C. King Umberto I’s D. Queen Margherita’s

3.The author wrote the text with a feeling of __________.

A. worry B. regret

C. amazement D. satisfaction

4.What’s the best title for the text?_________.

A. Unexplained deaths

B. Terrible events in the world

C. Well-known people in history

D. Strangest coincidences in history

Answer 1