Question

In winter Hammerfest is a thirty-hour ride by bus from Oslo, though why anyone would want to go there in winter is a question worth considering. It is on the edge of the world, the northernmost town in Europe, as far from London as London is from Tunis, a place of dark and cruel winters, where the sun sinks into the Arctic Ocean in November and does not rise again for ten weeks.

I wanted to see the Northern Lights. Also, I had long harboured a half-formed urge to

experience what life was like in such a remote and forbidding place. Sitting at home in England with a glass of whisky and a book of maps, this had seemed an excellent idea. But now as I picked my way through the grey, late-December slush（融雪） of Oslo I was beginning to have my doubts.

Things had not started well. I had overslept at the hotel, missing breakfast, and had to leap into my clothes. I couldn't find a cab and had to drag my unreasonably overweighted bag eight blocks through slush to the central bus station. I had had huge difficulty persuading the staff at the Kreditkassen Bank on Karl Johans Gate to cash sufficient traveller's cheques to pay the overcharged 1,200-kroner bus fare-they simply could not be made to grasp that the William McGuire Bryson on my passport and the Bill Bryson on my traveller's cheques were both me-and now here I was arriving at the station two minutes before departure, breathless and steaming from the endless uphill exertion（费力）that is my life, and the girl at the ticket counter was telling me that she had no record of my reservation.

"This isn't happening," I said. "I'm still at home in England enjoying Christmas．Pass me a

drop more port, will you, darling?" Actually, I said, "There must be some mistake. Please look

again."

The girl studied the passenger list. "No, Mr Bryson, your name is not here·”

But I could see it, even upside-down. "There it is, second from the bottom.”

"No," the girl decided, "that says Bemt Bjornson. That's a Norwegian name·”

"It doesn't say Bernt Bjornson. It says Bill Bryson. Look at the loop（圆圈） of the 'y', the two

‘I's. Miss, please." But she wouldn't have it. "If I miss this bus when does the next one go?"

"Next week at the same time．，，

Oh, splendid.

"Miss, believe me, it says Bill Bryson."

"No, it doesn't."

"Miss, look, I've come from England. I'm carrying some medicine that could save a child's

life.”She didn't buy this. "I want to see the manager."

"He's in Stavanger.”

"Listen, I made a reservation by telephone．If I don't get on this bus I’m going to write a letter to your manager that will cast a shadow over your career prospects（前景）for the rest of this century." This clearly did not alarm her. Then it occurred to me. "If this Bemt Bjornson doesn't show up, can I have his seat?"

"Sure.”

Why don't I think of these things in the first place and save myself the suffering? "Thank you," I said, and dragged my bag outside.

1.What words can best describe Hammerfest in winter?

A. Grey and dirty. B. Dark and cold.

C. Unfriendly and expensive. D. Wild and forbidden.

2.Why did the author mention the Kreditkassen Bank on Karl Johans Gate?

A. To suggest that people there could be ridiculous and stubborn.

B. To introduce the cultural differences in northern Europe and England.

C. To give an example of an interesting story during his journey.

D. To indicate that the bus fare was very expensive．

3.What could be inferred from the passage?

A. The author booked his bus ticket with a Norwegian name.

B. The author paid the bus fare by traveller's cheque.

C. The author would hopefully get on the bus．

D. The girl at the ticket counter cared about the author's complaints.

4.According to the last paragraph, the author probably felt＿at that moment.

A. embarrassed B. contented

C. regretful D. grateful

5.We can learn from the passage that＿．

A. the author's journey to the north was not worthwhile

B. the Europeans didn't welcome visitors

C. the author wrote a letter to the girl's manager

D. the author's journey to the north was not smooth

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.C

5.D

【解析】

试题分析: 本文是一篇记叙文，讲述了作者去Hammerfest的旅途经历。Hammerfest位于欧洲的最北边，冬天有极夜现象。作者想去看那里的极光，于是踏上了旅途，但是他的旅途之初却是非常的不愉快。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一段中a place of dark and cruel winters, where the sun sinks into the Arctic Ocean in November and does not rise again for ten weeks.可知Hammerfest在冬天是又冷又黑的，选B。

2.推理判断题、根据文章第三段以及后面的对话内容可知作者因为售票员对他名字的误会而不得不额外付费，说明这些人非常顽固可笑，选A。

3.推理判断题。根据文章倒数后三段中"If this Bemt Bjornson doesn't show up, can I have his seat?""Sure.”可以判断如果有乘客不到的话作者是可以乘坐这个汽车的，选C。

4.推理判断题。从文章末段Why don't I think of these things in the first place and save myself the suffering? "可以推断作者因为自己开头没想到这一点而大费周章，浪费口舌而感到后悔，选C。

5.推理判断题。从文章第三段Things had not started well. I had overslept at the hotel, missing breakfast, and had to leap into my clothes. I couldn't find a cab以及后面发生的事情可知作者可以判断作者的旅途非常不顺利，答案选D。

考点：考查故事类短文阅读