Dr．Ferguson energetically pushed the preparations for his departure，and in person directed the construction of his balloon．For a long time past he had been applying himself to the study of the Arab language and the various Mandingoe idioms，and，thanks to his talents in language，he had made rapid progress．

In the meanwhile，his friend，the sportsman，never let him out of

his sight-afraid，no doubt，that the doctor might take his departure，without saying a word to anybody．On this subject，he tried to discourage him with the most persuasive arguments，which，however，did NOT persuade Samuel Ferguson，and wasted his breath，by which the latter seemed to be but slightly moved．In fine，Dick felt that the doctor was slipping through his fingers．

? The poor Scot was really to be pitied．He could not look upon the

blue sky without a wild terror: when asleep，he felt dizziness(眩晕)that made his head turn around；and every night he had visions of crashing down from immeasurable heights．

We must add that，during these nightmares，he once or twice fell out of bed. His first care then was to show Ferguson a severe bump(肿块)that he had received on the fall．“And yet，”he

would add，with warmth，“that was at the height of only three feet一not an inch more一and such a bump as this! Only think，then!”

This appeal，full of sad meaning as it was，did not seem to touch the doctor's heart．Not even the shadow of a doubt was ever suggested；and Samuel made an intolerable misuse of the first person plural：“‘Our’balloon，‘our’ car ；‘our’expedition.”

???? Dick trembled at them，although he was determined not to go ; he did not want to annoy his friend．Let us also disclose the fact that，without knowing exactly why himself，he had sent to Edinburgh for a certain selection of heavy clothing，and his best hunting-tools and fire-arms．

1.Why did Dr．Ferguson start to learn new languages?

A．To keep himself occupied．

B．To get ready for the departure．

C．To show his talent in language．

D．To Know more about? balloon construction．

2.We Call infer from the passage that Dick ＿＿＿＿.

A．suffered from a disease during the nights

B．got hurt in a fall from the balloon in the evening

C．decided to take the adventure with the doctor at last

D．equipped himself with arms to frighten his friend

3.Which word best describes Dr．Ferguson’s attitude towards his balloon flight?

A．Excited．???? B．Optimistic．? C．Worried.??? D．Determined

4.What’s the writing pattern of the passage?

A．News．?????? B．Fiction．???? C．Journal．?? D．Biography．

Below is a page adapted from an English dictionary

stick  
verb (stuck, stuck )
push sth in
[+adv./prep.] to push sth, usually a sharp object, into sth; to be pushed into sth: [VN] The nurse stuck the needle into my arm. ◆ Don't stick your fingers through the bars of the cage. ◆ [V] I found a nail sticking in the tyre.
attach
[+adv./prep.] to fix sth to sth else, usually with a sticky substance; to become fixed to sth in this way: [VN] He stuck a stamp on the envelope. ◆ We used glue to stick the broken pieces together. ◆ I stuck the photos into an album. ◆ [V] Her wet clothes were sticking to her body. ◆ The glue's useless-the pieces just won't stick.
put
[VN +adv./prep.] (informal) to put sth in a place, especially quickly or carelessly: Stick your bags down there. ◆ He stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled off. ◆ Can you stick this on the noticeboard? ◆ Peter stuck his head around the door and said, 'Coffee, anyone?' ◆ (spoken) Stick 'em up! (= put your hands above your head-I have a gun)
become fixed
[V] ~ (in sth) to become fixed in one position and impossible to move: The key has stuck in the lock. ◆ This drawer keeps sticking.
difficult situation
(BrE, informal) (usually used in negative sentences and questions) to accept a difficult or unpleasant situation or person: [VN] I don't know how you stick that job. ◆ They're always arguing-I can't stick it any longer. ◆ The problem is, my mother can't stick my boyfriend. ◆ [V -ing] John can't stick living with his parents.
become accepted
[V] to become accepted: The police couldn't make the charges stick (= show them to be true). ◆ His friends called him Bart and the name has stuck (= has become the name that everyone calls him).
[V] to not take any more cards
Idioms: stick in your mind (of a memory, an image, etc.) to be remembered for a long time: One of his paintings in particular sticks in my mind.
stick in your throat / craw (informal)
(of words) to be difficult or impossible to say: She wanted to say how sorry she was but the words seemed to stick in her throat.
(of a situation) to be difficult or impossible to accept; to make you angry
stick your neck out (informal) to do or say sth when there is a risk that you may be wrong: I'll stick my neck out and say that Bill is definitely the best candidate for the job.
stick to your guns (informal) to refuse to change your mind about sth even when other people are trying to persuade you that you are wrong
Phrasal Verbs: stick around (informal) to stay in a place, waiting for sth to happen or for sb to arrive: Stick around; we'll need you to help us later.
stick at sth to work in a serious and determined way to achieve sth: If you want to play an instrument well, you've got to stick at it.
stick by sb [no passive] to be loyal to a person and support them, especially in a difficult situation: Her husband was charged with fraud but she stuck by him.
stick by sth [no passive] to do what you promised or planned to do: They stuck by their decision.
stick sth<->down (informal) to write sth somewhere: I think I'll stick my name down on the list.
stick out to be noticeable or easily seen: They wrote the notice in big red letters so that it would stick out.
stick sth<->out (of sth) to be further out than sth else or come through a hole; to push sth further out than sth else or through a hole: His ears stick out. ◆ She stuck her tongue out at me. ◆ Don't stick your arm out of the car window.
stick to sth
to continue doing sth in spite of difficulties: She finds it impossible to stick to a diet.
to continue doing or using sth and not want to change it: He promised to help us and he stuck to his word (= he did as he had promised). ◆ 'Shall we meet on Friday this week?' 'No, let's stick to Saturday.' ◆ She stuck to her story.
stick together (informal) (of people) to stay together and support each other: We were the only British people in the town so we tended to stick together.
stick up to point upwards or be above a surface: The branch was sticking up out of the water.
stick with sb/sth [no passive] (informal)
to stay close to sb so that they can help you: Stick with me and I'll make you a millionaire!
to continue with sth or continue doing sth: They decided to stick with their original plan.
noun
from tree
[C] a thin piece of wood that has fallen or been broken from a tree: We collected dry sticks to start a fire. ◆ The boys were throwing sticks and stones at the dog. ◆ Her arms and legs were like sticks (= very thin).
for walking
[C] (especially BrE) = WALKING STICK: The old lady leant on her stick as she talked.
in sport
[C] a long thin object that is used in some sports to hit or control the ball: a hockey stick
long thin piece
[C] (often in compounds) a long thin piece of sth: a stick of dynamite ◆ carrot sticks ◆ (AmE) a stick of butter
[C] (often in compounds) a thin piece of wood or plastic that you use for a particular purpose: pieces of pineapple on sticks ◆ The men were carrying spades and measuring sticks.
in plane / vehicle
[C] (informal, especially AmE) the control stick of a plane
[C] (informal, especially AmE) a handle used to change the GEARS of a vehicle
for orchestra
[C] a BATON, used by the person who CONDUCTS an orchestra
criticism
[U] (BrE, informal) criticism or harsh words: The referee got a lot of stick from the home fans.
country areas
(the sticks) [pl.] (informal) country areas, a long way from cities: We live out in the sticks.
person
[C] (old-fashioned, BrE, informal) a person: He's not such a bad old stick.

46. When Jimmy says: “Every morning, I have to take the crowded bus to school, which I really can’t stick.”, he may feel ________.

A. worried                      B. curious                            C. annoyed                   D. discouraged

47.  Due to her fashionable dress, the woman stuck out when she was walking in the street. “stuck out” in this sentence means “________”.

A. be noticeable              B. be followed                      C. be admired               D. be envied

48. When I was in trouble, Paul was the only one who _______ to help me.

A. stuck in his throat              B. stuck together                  C. stuck up                   D. stuck his neck out

49. Sally said to me: “Try a peaceful life out in the sticks, and you will experience something totally different.” She means ________.

A. I should go to the woods to enjoy a new life.

B. I should ignore the criticism and enjoy myself.

C. I should go to the remote areas to have a change.

D. I should go out by plane instead of by train to change my feelings.

He held the blazing(点燃) matches to a piece of wood. After a while, he became aware that he could smell his hands burning. Then he began to feel the pain. He opened his hands, and the blazing matches fell on to the snow. The flame went out in a puff of gray smoke.
The man looked up. The dog was still watching him. The man got an idea. He would kill the dog and bury his hands inside its warm body. When the feeling came back to his fingers, he could build another fire. He called to the dog. The dog heard danger in the man's voice. It backed away.
The man called again. This time the dog came closer. The man reached for his knife. But he had forgotten that he could not bend his fingers. He could not kill the dog, because he could not hold his knife.
The fear of death came over the man. He jumped up and began to run. The running began to make him feel better. Maybe running would make his feet warm. If he ran far enough, he would reach his friends at Henderson Creek. They would take care of him.
It felt strange to run and not feel his feet when they hit the ground. He fell several times. He decided to rest a while. As he lay in the snow, he noticed that he was not shaking. He could not feel his nose or fingers or feet. Yet, he was feeling quite warm and comfortable. He realized he was going to die. Well, he decided, he might as well take it like a man. There were worse ways to die. The man closed his eyes and floated into the most comfortable sleep he had ever known.
The dog sat facing him, waiting. Finally, the dog moved closer to the man and caught the smell of death. The animal threw back its head. It let out a long, soft cry to the cold stars in the black sky.
And then it tuned and ran toward Henderson Creek... where it knew there was food and a fire

1. 1.

   Put the following statements in the correct order.
   ① The thought to kill the dog occurred to the man.
   ② The man failed to build a fire.
   ③ The dog headed for Henderson Creek.
   ④ The man’s life came to an end.
   ⑤ The man tried to warm by running on his frozen feet

   1. A.
      ②①⑤④③
   2. B.
      ①②⑤③④
   3. C.
      ①②③④⑤
   4. D.
      ②①⑤③④
2. 2.

   Why did the dog back away from the man?

   1. A.
      It never trusted human
   2. B.
      It smelt food somewhere
   3. C.
      It sensed murderous atmosphere
   4. D.
      It caught sight of the knife
3. 3.

   What does the underlined word “it” mean in the 5th paragraph?

   1. A.
      The dog
   2. B.
      The weather
   3. C.
      The death
   4. D.
      The cry
4. 4.

   It can be concluded from the passage that________

   1. A.
      Man can conquer nature
   2. B.
      the man tried hard to survive
   3. C.
      the dog obeyed human beings
   4. D.
      the man met death without dignity