中考英语阅读理解实战演练之趣味幽默篇

Section II 趣味幽默篇

Passage 13

Henry was an office worker in a big city. He worked very hard and enjoyed traveling in his holidays.

He usually went to the seaside, but one year he saw an advertisement in a newspaper. “Enjoy country life. Spend a few weeks at West Hill Farm. Good food. Fresh air. Horse riding. Walking. Fishing. Cheap and interesting.”

“This sounds a good idea,” he thought. “I?ll spend a month at West Hill Farm. I think I can enjoy horse riding, walking and fishing. They?ll make a change from sitting by the seaside and swimming.”

He wrote to the farmer. In the letter he said that he would like to spend all of July there. Then on the first of July, he left for West Hill Farm.

But four days later, he returned home.

“What was wrong with West Hill Farm?” his best friend, Ed, asked him. “Didn?t you enjoy country life?”

“Country life was very good,” Henry said. “But there was another problem.”

“Oh. What?”

“Well,” he said, “the first day I was there a sheep died, and we had roast mutton for dinner.”

“What's wrong with that?” Ed asked. “Fresh meat is the best.”

“I know, but on the second day a cow died, and we had roast beef for dinner.”

“Lucky you!”

“You don't understand,” Henry said. “On the third day a pig died and we had roast pork for dinner.”

“A different meat every day,” Ed said loudly, “ and you are complaining!”

“Let me finish,” Henry said. “On the fourth day the farmer died, and I didn't dare (敢)stay for dinner!”

1.How did Henry find out about the farm?

A. He saw it in a newspaper advertisement.

B. His best friend told him.

C. He wrote to the farmer.

D. Maybe he learned it from the radio.

2. Henry came back home several days later because ______________.

A. he didn't like the country life at all

B. the farmer wasn?t friendly to him

C. his holiday was over

D. he thought he might have to eat the farmer

3. “…and you are complaining!”, the word “complain” means __________.

A.夸奖

B.说三道四

C.抱怨

D.故弄玄虚

4.Which of the following sentences is true?

A. Ed could eat a different kind of meat every day.

B. Henry thought he could enjoy a change.

C. Henry couldn't think of anything else to do, so he went to the farm.

D. The farmer died because of the bad meat he ate.

5.Which is the best title for the passage?

A. What a beautiful farm!

B. Have a good time.

C.A short holiday

D. Henry and the farmer.

Passage 14

After returning from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes me 12 pounds,” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office.” You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me 12 pounds.”

Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “I?ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”

The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could h e have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn?t have sold her a

ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sun burnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”

“Yes,” she answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”

“That?s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can?t swim a bit yet. Of course, she?s only three…”

“I?m four,” the child said proudly. “I?ll be four and a half.”

Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, Madam,” he said. “But you didn?t get one for your daughter, did you?”

“Er, well…” the woman looked at the child. “I mean…she hasn?t started school yet, she?s only four.”

“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child?s return ticket to Jersey costs …let me see… 13.50 pounds. The law is the law, but since the mistake is mine….”

The woman stood up, took the child?s hand and left the office.

1. The woman was angry because __________.

A. she couldn?t use the ticket for her round trip

B. she had to return home a day earlier than she had planned

C. she spent more money than she had expected

D. Harry had sold her a ticket to Jersey where there was no sailing

2. Harry was worried __________.

A.the woman was angry with him

B.he had not done his work carefully

C.the Jersey timetable was wrong

D.the little girl didn?t have a return ticket

3. Harry started talking to the little girl ___________.

A.because he was in trouble and did not know what to do

B.because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl

C.because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice

D.when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl

4. When Harry said, “The law is the law, but since the mistake was mine…” he meant that ____.

A.they must follow it without other choice, even though the mistake was his

B.he had to be strict with the woman because of the law, although he didn?t want to

C.the woman had to pay him 1.50 pounds and the railway would pay her for the hotel

D.she should pay 1.50 pounds, but he had made a mistake, she could go without paying

5. The woman left the office without saying anything because _______________.

A.she wanted to go home and get money for the child?s ticket

B.she was so angry that she didn?t want to have anything more to do with the young man

C.she was moved (感动) by Harry?s kindness

D.she knew she would have to pay the railway if she insisted (坚持)

Passage 15

Three travelers, Allan, Carl and Paul were sitting on the chairs in a train station. They were waiting for a train that was very late.

To pass the time, they began talking to each other.

At first, they talked about the weather and their work. Then Paul said, "Tell me—what would you most like to do if your doctor tell you that you have only three months to live?"

The other two men thought about this for a while, then Carl spoke.

“Well,” he said, “if I have only three months to live, I?ll take all my money out of the bank and go to foreign countries for holidays with my best friend, Erik. I'd like to travel to the places in the world as many as possible. And I'll stay at the best hotels and then eat the best food. I think I'll have a wonderful time.”

“That's very interesting.” Paul said.

With these w ords, he turned to the other man, saying, “And what about you?”

“I'll tell you a secret,” Allan said. “I always want to be a racing driver. So if I have only three months to live, the first thing I'd like to do is to sell my house. With the money I?ll bu y the fastest car in the world. Maybe I can enter all the big motor races.”

Then he laughed, "I might even end up (以……而告终) world champion.”

“Now it's your turn,” Allan went on, “If your doctor tell you the bad news, what would you most like to do?”

“Oh,” said Paul with a smile. “I?ll go and see another doctor.”

1.The three men were talking _____________.

A. in the post office

B. in the waiting room

C. on the train

D. on the chairs

2.The man called ________ answered the question first.

A. Carl

B. Allan

C. Erik

D. Paul

3.The men began to talk about the weather and the work because they __________.

A. didn't know anything new

B. wanted to pass the time quickly

C. had nothing to do

D. were very interested in each other's work

4."I might even end up world champion." Here the word "champion" means ________in Chinese.

A.名人

B.赛车手

C.大款

D.冠军

5.Which sentence is right according to the passage?

A. The train didn't arrive on time.

B. Paul wanted to buy a racing car very much.

C. Allan was the second man to answer the question.

D. Carl didn't like traveling at all.

Passage 16

An English traveler found himself in Norway with only enough money to buy the ticket for his journey back home. As he knew that it would take him only two days to get to England, he decided that he could easily spend the time without food. So he bought a ticket and got on the ship. The man closed his ears to the sound of the lunch bell. When dinnertime came, he didn?t go to dinning room, saying that he was not feeling very well.

The next morning he still didn?t have breakfast and at lunchtime he again stayed in his room. But at dinnertime he was so hungry that he went to the dinning room and ate everything the waiter put in front of him. He got ready for the quarrel.

“Bring me the bill,” he said. “The bill, sir?” said the waiter in surprise. “There isn?t any bill. On our ship meals are included (包括) in the money for the ticket,” said the waiter.

1.The story happened _______.

A. in England

B. on a ship from Norway to England

C. in Norway

D. on a ship from England to Norway

2.Why didn?t the traveler go to the dinning room first?

A.Because he had no money

B.Because he didn?t feel very well

C.Because he didn?t want to eat anything

D.Because he didn?t hear the sound of the bell

3.The traveler went to the dinning room to eat something because _______.

A.his friend had given him some money

B.the waiter had asked him to change his mind

C.he learned that there was no bill on the ship

D.he was too hungry

4.How many meals did the traveler have on the ship?

A. Only one

B. Two

C. Three

D. None

5.After the traveler finished eating, ________.

A.he had a quarrel with waiter over the bill

B.he drank a lot

C.he asked the waiter to bring him the change(零钱)

D.he came to know that travelers on the ship had free meals

Passage 17 A farmer had a cow. He took very good care of this cow and one day when it was ill, he was very worried. He telephoned the vet.

“What?s the problem?” The vet asked him when he ar rived.

“My cow's ill,” the farmer said. “I don?t know what's the matter with her. She?s lying down and won?t eat. She's making a strange noise.”

The vet looked over the cow. "She's certainly ill," he said, "and she needs to take some very strong medicine."

He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand and said, "Give her these. The pills should make her better."

“How should I give them to her?” the farmer asked.

The vet gave him a tube (管子)and said, "Put this tube in her mouth, then put the pills in the tube and blow. That'll make it."

The next day the vet came to the farm again. The farmer was sitting outside his house and looked more worried.

“How's your cow?” the vet asked.

“No change,” the farmer said, “and I?m feeling very strange myself.”

“Oh?” the vet said, "Why?"

“I did what you said,” the farmer answered. “I put the tube in the cow's mouth and then put two pills down it.”

“And?” the vet asked.

“The cow blew first,” the farmer said.

1.In the story, the vet must be _________.

A. the farmer's friend

B. a milk factory

C. a hospital for cows

D. a doctor for animals

2.The farmer asked the vet for help when his cow _______

A. couldn't lie down

B. didn't eat the pills

C. couldn't make any noise

D. was ill

3.What medicine did the vet give the farmer?

A. Bottle of pills.

B. A long tube.

C. Two pills.

D. A small box.

4.The vet taught the farmer how _________.

A. to blow the tube

B. to make the cow take the pills

C. to take the medicine

D. to put the tube in his mouth

5.Which of the following is true?

A. The farmer ate the pills himself.

B. The cow got better after taking the medicine.

C. The vet came to help farmer change the cow the next day.

D. The farmer waited for the vet outside his house the next day.

Passage 18

Several years ago, a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America. One was a very rich banker, another owned one of the largest companies in the world, and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.

The reporter was talking to them about being important.

“How do we know if someone is really important?” the reporter asked the banker.

The banker thought for a few moments and then said, “I think anybody who is invited to the Whiter House to meet the President of the United States is really important.”

The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. “Do you agree with that?” she asked.

The man shook his head, “No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You?d only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”

The reporter turned to the thir d man. “Do you think so?”

“No, I don?t.” he said. “I don?t think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important.”

“Then what would make the visitor important?” the reporter and the other two men asked.

“Oh, I think if the visito r to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang, and the President picked up the receiver, listened and then said, …it?s for you.?”

1.This story happened in _______.

A. England

B. America

C. Japan

D. Australia

2.There are _______ in this passage.

A. two men and two women

B. three men and one woman

C. three women and one man

D. four women

3.The banker thought _______.

A.he was really important because he was a rich banker

B.the visitor to the White House was really important

C.the visitor who met the President of the United States

D. the reporter was really important

4.The owner of the very large company thought _______.

A.she was really important because she owned one of the largest companies

B.the banker was really important

C.the owner of many buildings in the center of New York was really important

D. the visitor would be really important if while he was visiting the President, the President would not answer any telephone call

5.The owner of many buildings thought _______.

A.he was really important because he owned many buildings in the center of New York

B.the owner of the very large company was really important

C.the visitor was really important if he talking to the President and the President received a telephone call for the visitor

D.the person who worked in the White House was really important

Passage 19

Three men traveling on a train began a conversation about the world's greatest wonders.

“In my opinion,” the first man said, “the Eg yptian pyramids are the world's greatest wonder. Although they were built thousands of years ago, they are still standing. And remember: the people who built them had only simple tools. They did not have the kind of machinery that builders and engineers ha ve today.”

“I agree that the pyramids in Egypt are wonderful,” the second man said, “but I do not think they are the greatest wonder. I believe computers are more wonderful than the pyramids. They have taken people to the moon and brought them back safely. In seconds，they carry out mathematical calculations that would take a person a hundred years to do.”

He turned to the third man and asked, “What do you think is the greatest wonder in the world？”

The third man thought for a long time，and then he said, “Well，I agree that the pyramids are wonderful, and I agree that computers are wonderful, too. However，in my opinion, the most wonderful thing in the world is this thermos.”

And he took a thermos out of his bag and held it up.

The other two men were very surpri sed. “A thermos？”they exclaimed. “But that's a simple thing.”

“Oh, no，it's not, ”the third man said. “In the winter you put in a hot drink and it stays hot. In the summer you put in a cold drink and it stays cold. How does the thermos know whether it's winter or summer？”

1.The underlined word “thermos” means in Chinese “ _____ ”.

A.电冰箱

B.洗衣机

C.电风扇

D.保温瓶

2.The three men could not agree on what the world's greatest wonder was because _____.

A. they could not think of anything very wonderful

B. they all had different ideas

C. they could not prove that their opinions were right

D. the journey ended too soon

3.The first man thought the pyramids were the most wonderful things in the world because _____.

A. they were very beautiful

B. they were Egyptian

C. they had been built with very simple tools

D. they could do mathematical calculations

4.The third man thought a thermos was the most wonderful thing in the world because _____.

A. it lasted longer than the pyramids

B. it cost less than a computer

C. he thought it knew whether it was winter or summer

D. the other two men were surprised when he told them about it

5.The third man was not very clever because _____.

A. he could not think of anything to say

B. he did not understand how a thermos works

C. he did not think the pyramids were wonderful

D. he did not know anything about computers

Passage 20

An old man was going home late one night with his horse and cart after a day's hard work. When he was not far from his house, the light on the cart went out. He tried but could not mend it.

He was near his home, and so he went along the road without a light. When a policeman saw this, he stopped the old carter.

"Where's your light?" asked the policeman. "No one may take a cart along a road at night without a light. You know that. You've broken the law.

"I had a light," said the old man, "but it has just gone out."

"I don't believe that story," said the policeman. He took out a book and got ready to write. "What's your name and where do you live?" he asked.

"Please don't take my name," said the old man. "My house is just there. You can see it from here. I had a light nearly the whole way. I haven't come far without a light."

"You came all the way without a light. What's your name?"

The carter quickly took the policeman's hand and put it down on the top of the light. The light was still hot, and burnt the policeman's hand. He jumped and he was very angry.

"Now, what do you think?" said the carter. "Did I come all the way without a light?"

1.In the passage "Cart" is ___________.

A. something like a car

B. something like a light

C. something pulled by a horse

D. something with a light

2.The old man drove home ___________.

A. on the back of his horse

B. late one night

C. very late every night

D. with a policeman

3.Where did the policeman stop the old man?

A. Near his home.

B. At the traffic lights.

C. Under a road light.

D. Far from his house.

4.The cart was stopped by the policeman because ________.

A. the old man didn't have a light

B. the policeman didn't believe the old man's words

C. the old man did not want to tell his name

D. the old man's light wasn't on

5..How did the old man make the policeman believe (相信) his words?

A. He made the policeman touch the light.

B. He jumped and shouted angrily.

C. He made the policeman angry.

D. He burnt the policeman's hands.

Passage 21

Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stars. She was soon out of breath (气喘吁吁).

“I suppose I had better go to the doctor,” she thought.

She went to the doctor and told him her problem.

“I?m not surprised at all,” he said. “It?s obvious what your problem is.”

He looked her over then gave her some advice.

“If you don?t do what I say, Mrs. Parker,” he said, “you will have a heart attack. It could kill you.”

Ellen Parker was very worried as she left the doctor?s. She knew that she had to take his advice but that it would not be easy and it would take time.

The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher?s shop (肉铺).

“I?d like ten pounds of steak (牛排), please,” she said.

“Certainly, madam,” the butcher replied and went into the cold room and found a large piece of steak. He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and put it on the scale (天平).

“That?s just under ten pounds,” he said.

“That big enough,” Mrs. Parker said.

The butcher worked out the price.

“At $4.99 a pound that will be $49.50, please. Would you like me to cut it up into smaller pieces for you?”

“Oh, I don?t want to buy the meat,” Mrs. Parker said.

“If you don?t want to buy it,” the butcher replied angrily, “why did you ask me to get it for you?”

“My doctor told me that I am over-weight and I have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.”

1. Why did Ellen Parker visit the doctor?

A. She had had a heart attack.

B. She had a problem with her health.

C. She was unhappy about her weight.

D. She could not sleep well.

2. What did the doctor advise her to do?

A. To lose weight.

B. To eat more meat.

C. To come and see him again.

D. To look after her heart.

3. Why did Ellen Parker ask for ten pounds of steak?

A. She wanted to buy some for dinner.

B. She wanted to lose weight.

C. Her doctor had told her to eat steak.

D. She wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.

4. What was Ellen Parker's real problem?

A. She ate too much steak.

B. She weighed too much.

C. The doctor did not know.

D. She could not walk very quickly.

5. What did the doctor think might happen to Ellen?

A. She might put on more weight.

B. She might stop eating too much.

C. She might have a heart attack.

D. She might go to another doctor.

Passage 22

(In court (法庭), the judge asks the boy named Henry some questions.)

Judge: Can you tell us how the accident happened?

Henry: Yes, sir. The farmer drove very fast when I met with him. His car knocked me down and hurt my arm.

Judge: (To the farmer) Was that right?

Farmer: No, sir. But it rained heavily and I couldn?t drive fast.

Judge: So you don?t think you knocked him down?

Farmer: Yes, I did. But I didn?t see him mending his bike in the middle of the road.

Judge: Well. Did you send him to a hospital?

Farmer: Yes. But the doctor said there was nothing serious to him.

Judge: (To Henry) Do you agree with him?

Henry: Yes, sir. But my left arm often hurts and I can't lift it at all.

Judge: Could you show us how you can lift it now?

Henry: Sure. (Slowly the boy lifts his arm below his nose.)

Judge: Poor boy! And how high could you lift it before the accident?

Henry: Oh, I could lift it very high like this. (Holding his left arm up over his head)

Judge: But I don't think there's something wrong with your arm.

Henry: I...I...So it is. But my lawyer (律师) tells me to do so.

根据上面的对话，在短文的空白处填写一个适当的词，使短文内容与对话意思相符。

It happened on a (1)_________ day. A boy named Henry was (2)_________ his bike on the road while a farmer's (3)______ knocked him down. The farmer sent him to a hospital and the doctor said nothing

(4)________ happened to the boy. But his parents hoped the boy could be paid more (5)_________ for it. They asked for a lawyer's (6)_______ .The lawyer taught the boy (7)______ to say in court. Henry told the judge his arm hurt and that he couldn't (8)________ it up. The judge asked him to show it to him. He could lift it below his nose. The judge asked him how (9)_______ he could lift it before the accident. The boy

(10)___________ what the lawyer said and lifted it over his head!

Section II 趣味幽默篇答案与解析

Passage 13

【答案与解析】假日里，亨利喜欢到海边去旅游。有一次，他想去西山农场享受一下田园风光，并计划在那儿度过一个月的时间。可是令人惊奇的是，才去四天之后他就回来了。当朋友问起其中的缘由时，亨利说道：第一天，农场里死了一只羊，晚餐时美美地吃了一顿烤羊肉；第二天农场死了一头牛，又吃了一顿烧牛肉；第三天农场死了一头猪，结果又吃了一顿烤猪肉。可是，到了第四天，农场主死了，我不敢再留下来吃饭了。

1.A。第二段的首句“…but one year he saw an advertisement in a newspaper.”即是答案的出处。

2.C。本题考查根据语境进行分析判断的能力。由上下文，显然可知这是报纸上的一则广告信息。

3.B。本题考查通过上下文对词汇的推测能力。根据亨利的叙述可得出此答案。

4. B。这由“A different meat every day, and you are complaining!”一句可知。

5. C。本来打算要在乡村农场过一个暑假，结果四天之后就回来了。这能不是个短暂的假期吗？用此作标题既切合题意，又具有幽默的味道。

Passage 14

【答案与解析】这篇短文的大致情节是：一位妇女向车站售票员索要12英镑，原因是：由于售票员工作的疏忽，买给这位妇女的票是5月22日的，那天并没有轮船出航。这位妇女和自己的女儿只好在旅馆住了一宿，花去了12英镑。可是当售票员和这位妇女攀谈时，得知她四岁的女儿没有买票，而儿童票价是13.5英镑。结果，这位妇女非但没有得到12英镑的补偿，反而欠车站1.5英镑。

1.C.这是一道辨认事实细节题。粗看D似乎应该是此题的答案，但仔细辨认一下就不难发现短文中确定指出五月二十二日那天没有去Jersey的轮船，可是当读完the women所说的话后，你就会清楚地知道她生气的主要原因是她多花了一宿住旅店的钱。

2.B.仔细阅读短文的二、三段就可以知道是因为Harry没做好工作，5月22日晚上在Jersey无船的。

3.A.短文中的这句“Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child.”是解答该题的依据。

4.D.根据上下文对事情和年轻的售票员思想过程的叙述，可知这句话的意思是：按规定那妇女要付小孩的票钱，但售票员也有错。因此，他希望互相不追究，所以正确答案为D。

5.D.从最后年轻人的那段话，及那位妇女一句话都没说，站起来，牵起小女孩的手就离开了票房这一事实，可以推理出那妇女的思想过程，即如果她要坚持让票房赔她一晚住宿营费的话，那么车站也可以按规定要她补买小女孩的票，这样她就会多付1.5英镑，因此，她也就不再坚持了。

Passage 15

【答案与解析】这篇幽默故事讲的是：三个人在谈论“如果大夫告知你还能活三个月的时间，你最想做什么？”这个问题。其中一个人说他将从银行取出所有的钱和朋友一块去度假，并尽可能多地旅游一些地方。另一个人说他将买掉自己的房子，买一辆好车，做一名赛车手。也许能有机会参加汽车大赛。第三个人说，如果大夫告诉他这个坏消息，他将再去看一个医生。

1.B.根据题意，这三个人在火车站等火车，当然是在候车室。

2.A.答案就在“The other two men thought about this for a while, then Carl spoke.”这句话中。

3.B.短文第二句即是本题的答案。

4.D.由Allan说的话，可推测出D为最佳答案。

5.C.“With these words, he turned to the other man, saying, …And what about you??”这句话以及后边的回答是解答本题的关键之所在。

Passage 16

【答案与解析】本文的故事情节是：一位英国人到挪威旅游。回家的时候发现自己身上的钱只能够买一张票的。想到只需两天就能回到家，他决定这期间就不吃东西了。到开饭的时候，他就一个人呆在船舱里，就这样一直挨到第二天下午。可到了吃晚饭时，他饿得实在受不了了，于是决定挨揍一顿也要去吃。然而，等他吃完饭向服务员要账单时，服务员说这条船上的用餐是免费的，因为用餐费已包括中船票中了。

1.B。文章开头两句是本题的答案之所在。

2.A。根据“…with only enough money to buy the ticket for his journey back home.”和“…decided that he

co uld easily spend the time without food.”可知。

3.D。由题意可知，这位旅客饿得受不了，于是就去了餐厅。

4.A。前文说这位旅客只消两天就能回到英国。第一天没有吃东西，第二天的早、午饭也没吃。待吃了这顿晚饭明天就可以到家了。所以他只吃了一顿饭。

5.D。“There isn?t any bill. On our ship meals are included (包括) in the money for the ticket.”即是本题答案的出处。

Passage 17

【答案与解析】这篇令人忍俊不禁的幽默的主要内容是：一个农夫的牛病倒了。兽医给了他一些药和一根管子，并告诉他怎么样用这根管子给牛喂药。第二天，兽医再次到农场时发现那位农夫坐在家门口，一脸的焦虑不

安。原来他的牛病情并没有好转。他说自己按照兽医的嘱咐做了，可当他将管子插入牛的嘴里，并放进两粒药丸，正想吹气时，牛却先吹了一口气。

1.D。根据短文内容，很容易推测出该词的汉语意思是“兽医”。答案当然是D。

2.D。由“She?s lying down and won?t eat. She's making a strange noise.”可以排除A和B。C显然不对。

3.C。“He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand…”一句是答案的出处。

4.B。由“How should I give them to her?”这句话可知。

5.A.根据短文最后一句话，不难想象，没等农夫吹气，牛先吹了一口气，将药丸吹到了农夫的嘴里。

Passage 18

【答案与解析】短文的梗概是：一名电视台记者向三个很富有的人问了这样一个问题：如何判断一个人是不是重要人物。银行家认为凡被邀请到白宫与美国总统会见的人都是重要人物。拥有世界上最大公司的那个人却不赞同。他说被邀请去白宫的人太多了。但如果正当你与总统谈话时，另一个国家的总统来了电话，美国总统说他太忙了，不能接电话。这才说明你确实是重要人物。然而第三个人却认为这只能衬托美国总统的地位。他说如果正当来访者与美国总统谈话时电话铃响了，美国总统拿起电话听了听，然后对来访者说，“找你的。”这个人是最重要的人物。

1.B。答案即是短文首段的第一句“Several ye ars ago, a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America.”。

2.A。记者和那三个重要人物，共二男二女。关于男女性别可在下文中说话人的话语中可以看出来。

3.C。由“I think anybody who is invited to the Whiter House to meet the President of the United States is really i mportant”这句可知。

4.D。同上题一样，本题也属表层理解题。答案就在“You?d only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”中。

5.C。文章最后一段即是本小题答案之所在。

Passage 19

【答案与解析】三个人在谈论世界上伟大的奇观。其中的一个人认为修建于几千年前的金字塔是最让人叹服的世界奇迹。其理由是：当时只有简单的原始工具，并没有我们现代化的设备和技艺精湛的工程师。第二个人则认为电子计算机金字塔更为奇妙。因为在它们的控制下人类已经登上月球并安全返回，并且计算机的运算速度实在惊人。第三个人的观点非常独特，他认为暖水瓶是最让人不可思议的发明。其他两个对他的话感到十分诧异。问其原因时，那人却说：冬天，把热水倒进去，它就能保温；夏天把冷饮倒进去时，它就能保持冰凉。它怎么知道是夏天还是冬天？”

1.D.最后一段：“冬天往里装热饮料，它能保温；夏天往里装冷饮料，它能保冷。”由此可猜测出thermos意为“保温瓶”。本题选D正确。

2.B.通读全文可知，对于“世界上最大的奇迹是什么”这一问题各有各自的观点，故本题选B正确。

3.C.第二段后两句即本题答案出处。本题选C正确。

4.C.本题选C正确，由短文最后一段可得出此答案。

5.B.从最后一段可知，第三个人对于保温瓶保温的原理不懂。故本题选B正确。

Passage 20

【答案与解析】一个老头夜里驾车回家，就要到家时车灯突然熄灭了。警察发现未亮，就说他一路上无灯驾驶，并要记下他的名字。无论老头怎么样解释，警察就是不相信。最后机智的老头迅速地把警察的手按到仍然烫热的车灯上……

1.C。本题属表层理解题。由短文首句中的“with his horse and cart”不难找到答案。

2.B。答案就在短文开头的“An old man was going home late one night with his horse and cart after a day's hard work.”一句中。

3.A。短文第二段首句即是答案的出处。

4.C。该小题的答案可从第三自然段警察的话语中找到，第二段的最后两句也对此题有所暗示。

5.D。本小题有一定的难度，但根据“The carter quickly took the policeman's hand and put it down on the top of the light.”一句可以把迷惑性较大的选项A予以排除，故答案非D莫属。

Passage 21

【答案与解析】这篇幽默故事的大意是：Ellen Parker由于身体虚弱去看医生，医生建议她减肥。Ellen Parker 听从了医生的建议，却进了一家卖肉的商店并向店主要了10磅重的一块牛排。当店主要她付钱时，她却说自己并不想卖肉，只是想看看10磅肉到底有多大一块。至此，我们知道Ellen Parker到肉店去的目的并非买肉，而是想要弄明白自己如果减掉10磅肉的话，到底需要减下多大一块。

1. B。这是一道信息归纳题。根据文章首段的“Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk v ery quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stairs. She was soon out of breath.”不难看出Ellen Parker“爬楼困难、气喘吁吁”。由此，我们得出“Ellen Parker 的健康有问题”这一结论。

2. A。这是一道逻辑推理题，需要把上下文所涉及到的信息连贯起来综合考虑。Ellen Parker去看医生时，医生给她提了一些建议。医生的建议是什么样的呢？文章并没有指明，而是让考生自己去体会。只是在短文的最后一段中有这样一句话“My doctor told me that I am overweight and have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what ten pounds of flesh looked like.”从Ellen Parker说的这几句话中，我们才知道她体重超常，医生建议让她减肥，故答案为A。

3. D。这是一道细节理解题。答案源自短文最后一段的“I wanted to see what ten pounds of flesh looked like.”一句中。Ellen Parker到肉店去并非是为了买肉，而是要看看10磅肉究竟有多大一块。

4. B。这也是一道逻辑推理题。文章第一段提到Ellen Parker的身体很虚弱，最后点明医生让她减肥10磅。据此，我们可以推断出她所有的健康问题皆由身体肥胖所致。

5. C。这是一道细节理解题。医生给Ellen Parker提出建议后，紧接着警告说：“If you don't do what I say，you will have a heart attack.It could kill y ou.”。所以，假如Ellen Parker不听医生的劝告，就有患心脏病的危险。

Passage 22

【答案与解析】这是法庭法官与农夫、亨利的一组对话。原告亨利状告农夫撞伤了他的胳膊，想让农夫多赔偿他一些钱。尽管大夫说他的胳膊没有什么大毛病，但亨利坚持说胳膊疼得抬不起来了。聪明的法官让亨利将胳膊举给他看一看，亨利便把胳膊举到鼻子下面的位置。法官接着问他出事前能将胳膊举多高。于是亨利将手臂高高地举过了头顶。

1. rainy。从农夫的话语中可以看出，事故发生在一个下雨天。应当填写rainy。

2. mending。由农夫所说的“But I didn't see him mending his bike in the middle of the road.”这句话可知Henry正在修理自行车。

3. car。根据“His car knocked me down and hurt my arm.”这句话可以证实，农夫的汽车把Henry撞倒了。

4. serious。由“But the doctor said there was nothing serious to him.”这句话来看，此处应当填写serious

才符合题意。

5. money。Henry的父母让他假装胳膊举不起来，自然是想让农夫多赔偿一些钱。

6. help。Henry的父母想不出好主意，自然要向律师求助。所以答案为help。

7. what。律师想让他的当事人胜诉，当然要教给Henry在法庭上怎么说。

8. lift。从“Slowly the boy lifts his arm below his nose.”这句话可以看出，Henry说他的胳膊只能举到鼻子下面。

9. high。从下文Henry把手臂举过头顶这件事来看，法官在问他能把手臂举多高。

10. forget。Henry不知道这是法官的圈套，忘记律师告诉他说的话，把手臂举过了头。所以，这里应填forget。