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 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 (晕倒). 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 Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?

A．To frighten them.

B．To satisfy their curiosity.

C．To warn them of the danger of the place.

D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp.

3.Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?

A．The old man envied him.                  B．The old man was foolish

C．He was too busy to listen to others.          D．He was greedy for more crops.

4.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.

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

A．Grasp all, lose all

B．No sweat, no sweet.

C．It is no use crying over spilt milk

D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

— Tom, could you go to the supermarket with me?
— I’d like to, but my homework ______ and I have to hand it in tomorrow.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将选项涂黑。
One day Tom bought , for two dollars , a large number of second-hand books . He put them in a  21  and pulled them to the   22   . He had to remain at work  23   three in the morning .
At three , he began to walk home . The streets were dark . Tom could  24   wait to arrive home to begin reading his new books . “  25   ! ” a voice shouted . But Tom was too  26    to hear the shout . A moment later , a gunshot went  27   his ear . He heard the shot . Tom turned to see what was  28   . An angry policeman ran towards him . The policeman didn’t  29   that the bag was Tom’s . He shouted at Tom , “   30    it !”
“Open it ! ” the policeman   31    .
Tom opened it and the old books fell out of it .
“Why did you not stop  32   when I shouted ?” the policeman asked , “If I could shoot  33   , you would be dead .”
“I didn’t  34   you , ” Tom said , “ I am almost deaf . ”
The policeman told Tom he was  35   for having shot at him . “  36   would be better for you not to walk on the  37   at night . ” he said .
Tom smiled , and told the policeman that his job   38   a clerk in the telegraph office was a  39   job . The policeman could think of  40   to answer this .