閱讀理解5

TheSahara

ThenameSaharaderivesfromtheArabicwordfor"desert"or"steppe”.

At3.5millionsquaremiles,anarearoughlythesizeoftheUnitedStates,

theSaharaDesertinnorthernAfricaisthelargestdesertintheworld.

ItspansthecontinentfromtheAtlanticOceantotheRedSea.Daytime

temperaturescanreachashighas130°F.Thehumiditysometimesgets

intotheteens.Butitcanalsobeaslowas2.5percent,thelowest

intheworld.MostoftheSaharareceiveslessthanfiveinchesofrain

peryear,whilelargeareassometimeshavenorainfallatallforyears.

AttheheartoftheSaharaisthelandlockednorthAfricancountry

ofNiger.Herethesanddunescanbe100feettallandseveralmileslong.

HeresandplainsstretchoveranarealargerthanGermanywherethere

isneitherwaternortowns.Yetsittinginthemidstofthesurrounding

desertisthetownofBiIma.Suddenlytherearepoolsofclearwater.

Surprisingly,therearegrovesofdatepalms.Undergroundwater

resources,oroases,sufficienttosupportirrigatedagriculturearefound

indrystreambedsanddepressions.Irrigationditchesrunoffacreek

towaterfields.Corn,cassava,tea,peanuts,hotpeppers,andorange,

lime,andgrapefruittreesgrowinthesefields.Donkeysandgoatsgraze

ongreengrass.

TheSaharaofNigerisstillaregionwhereyoucanseeacamelcaravan

of500camelstiedtogetherinlooselinesaslongasamile,traveling

towardsuchoasistowns.Thereacaravanwillcollectlife-sustaining

salt,whichisminedfromwaterybasins,andtransportitupto400miles

backtosettlementsontheedgesofthedesert.Theroundtripacross

thevastsandstakesonemonth.

詞匯：

Humidity/hju，mid?t1/n.濕度irrigate/'Irlgelt/v.灌溉

stretch/stret?/v.伸展camel/'kaem?1/n.駱駝

datepalmsn.椰棗樹

注釋:

1.Undergroundwaterresources,oroases,sufficienttosupport

irrigatedagriculturearefoundindrystreambedsanddepressions.在

干河床和洼地處可找到充足的地下水資源或者綠洲來支持灌溉農(nóng)業(yè)。

2.Irrigationditchesrunoffacreektowaterfields.灌溉溝渠通

過一條小溪到達水田中。

3.Donkeysandgoatsgrazeongreengrass.青草上放養(yǎng)著驢和山羊。

練習(xí)：

1.Thispassageismostlyabout.

A)lifeintheSahara

B)thedesertsofAfrica

C)BiIma

D)howcamelstravelinthedesert

2.RainfallinmostoftheSaharais.

A)lessthanfiveinchesperyear

B)lessthanteninchesperyear

C)lessthantwentyinchesperyear

D)zero

3.TheSaharacanbedescribedas.

A)aplaceofcontrasts

B)aplacewherenoonelives

C)anareawherethewintersarecold

D)anareathatappealstomanytourists

4.Thephrase'anarearoughlythesizeoftheUnitedStates“gives

anindicationofthesizeof.

A)northernAfrica

B)Niger

C)theSahara

D)allofAfrica

5.Inthispassagecaravanmeans.

A)travelingcircus

B)grouptravelingtogetherthroughdifficultcountry

C)railroadtrain

D)asmall,fastsailingship

答案與題解：

1.A本題問的是:這篇文章主要講了什么?根據(jù)文段，本文主要介紹了撒哈

拉沙漠的地理概況，城鎮(zhèn)的農(nóng)業(yè)，以及城鎮(zhèn)之間的日常來往。B選項范圍過寬。

C選項不全面，文章不止介紹了比爾馬的情況。D選項文中沒有具體介紹。所

以A是對的。

2.A本題問的是:在撒哈拉的絕大多數(shù)地區(qū)，降雨情況如何?根據(jù)第一段的

最后一句話，撒哈拉的絕大多數(shù)地區(qū)每年降雨量低于5英寸。所以A正確。

3.A本題問的是:撒哈拉沙漠可以被描述成什么？A的意思是，一個具有

強烈對比的地方。B的意思是杳無人煙的地方。C的意思是冬天很冷的地區(qū)。D

的意思是吸引很多游客的地方。B,C,D均不符合文意，因此A正確。

4.C本題問的是:句子“大約和美國大小相當?shù)牡貐^(qū)”指明的是什么地方

的大小?根據(jù)第一段的第二句話可知，本句的主語是撒哈拉沙漠。因此C正確。

5.B本題問的是:文中"caravan"的意思是什么？A的意思是旅行馬戲

團。C是火車。D是又小又快的帆船。根據(jù)文中的介紹，穿過沙漠的駝隊由上

百只駱駝組成，來到綠洲城鎮(zhèn)收集鹽，因此B選項“一群人一起穿過條件惡

劣的國家”是正確的。

1

第一篇TellingTalesaboutPeople

Oneofthemostcommontypesofnonfiction,andonethatmanypeople

enjoyreading,isstoriesaboutpeople，slives.Thesestoriesfallinto

threegeneralcategories:autobiography,memoir,andbiography.

Anautobiographyisthestoryofaperson，slifewrittenbyhimself

orherself.Oftenitbeginswiththeperson，searliestrecollectionsand

endsinthepresent.Autobiographywritersmaynotbeentirelyobjective

inthewaytheypresentthemselves.However,theyofferthereaderagood

lookatthewaytheyareandwhatmakesthemthatway.Peopleasdiverse

asBenjarminFranklinandHelenKellerhavewrittenautobiographies.

lOtherwriters,suchasJamesJoyce,havewrittenthinlyfictionalized

accountsoftheirlives.Thesearenotautobiographies,buttheyarevery-

closetoit.

Memoirs,strictlyspeaking,areautobiographicalaccountsthatfocus

asmuchontheeventsofthetimesasonthelifeoftheauthor.2Memoir

writerstypicallyusetheseeventsasbackdropsfortheirlives.They

describethemindetailanddiscusstheirimportance.Recently,though,

thetermmemoirseemstobebecominginterchangeab1ewithautobiography.

Amemoirnowadaysmayormaynotdealwiththeoutsideworld.

Biographiesarefactualaccountsofsomeoneelse,slife.Inmany

senses,thesemaybethehardestofthethreetypestowrite.Autobiography-

writersknowtheeventstheywriteaboutbecausetheylivedthem.But

biographywritershavetogatherinformationfromasmanydifferent

sourcesaspossible.Thentheyhavetodecidewhichfactstoinclude.

Theirgoalistopresentabalancedpictureofaperson,notonethat

isoverlypositiveortoocritical.Afairwell-presentedbiographymay

takeyearstoresearchandwrite.

詞匯：

backdrop/'b紀k,dr?p/n.背景interchangeable/int?'t?end??bl/adj.

可轉(zhuǎn)換的

注釋：

1.PeopleasdiverseasBenjaminFranklinandHelenKellerhave

writtenautobiographies.就像本杰明?富蘭克林和海倫?凱勒一樣，各種各樣

的人們已經(jīng)寫了自傳。

2.Memoirs,strictlyspeaking,areautobiographicalaccountsthat

focusasmuchontheeventsofthetimesasonthelifeoftheauthor.

嚴格意義上來講，回憶錄是既注重作者本身的生活經(jīng)歷，也注重其所處的時代

所發(fā)生的事件的自傳性的描述。

練習(xí)：

1.Thispassageismostlyabout.

A.thecharacteristicsofautobiographies,memoirs,andbiographies

B.famousautobiographies

C.whybiographycanbedifficulttowrite

D.differencesbetweenautobiographiesandmemoirs

2.HelenKellerwrote.

A.amemoir

B.anautobiography

C.aworkoffiction

D.abiography

3.Autobiographywritersarenotalwaysobjectivebecause

they.

A.feeltheyhavetomakeupdetailstomaketheirbookssell

B.constantlycompetewithbiographywriters

C.wanttopresentthemselvesinagoodlight

D.havetroublerememberingthegoodtimes

4.Thewriterintroduceseachcategoryinthepassageby

A.definingit

B.givinganexample

C.explainingwhyitishardtowrite

D.tellingwhenpeoplefirstbeganwritingit

5.Diversemeans.

A.abletoswimindeepwater

B.similaroralike

C.variedordifferent

D.enjoyingpoetry

答案與題解：

1.A本題問的是：這篇文章主要是關(guān)于?文章第一句說到最普遍的非小說

類文學(xué)作品類型之一就是一些來描述人們生活的故事，這些故事大致分為三類:

自傳回憶錄和傳記。然后通篇對這三種類型進行了介紹，因此A是正確答案。

2.B本題問的是：海倫?凱勒謝了什么?第二段第5句話寫到：就像本明

杰?富蘭克林和海倫?凱勒一樣，各種各樣的人們已經(jīng)寫了自傳。因此B是正

確答案。

3.C本題問的是：自傳作者通常不太客觀，因為他們?第二段提到：他們給

讀者提供了一個途徑來了解自己比較好的行事風(fēng)格……，因此答案是C,他們想

展示自己好的一面。

4.A本題問的是：本文的作者通過何種方式介紹每種類型的非小說文學(xué)作

品?答案是A,通過給每個類型進行定義。

5.C本題問的是：diverse的意思是?其漢語意思為“多種多樣的”，因此

C正確。

TheChangingMiddleClass

TheUnitedStatesperceivesitselftobeamiddle-classnation.

However,middleclassisnotarealdesignation,nordoesitcarry

privileges.1Itismoreofaperception,whichprobablywasastrueas

itevercouldberightafterWorldWarII.Theeconomywasgrowing,

moreandmorepeopleownedtheirownhomes,workershadsolidcontracts

withthecompaniesthatemployedthem,andnearlyeveryonewhowanted

ahighereducationcouldhaveone.Successfulpeopleenjoyedupward

socialmobility.Theymayhavestartedoutpoor,buttheycouldbecome

rich.Successfulpeoplealsofoundthattheyhadgreatergeographic

mobility.Inotherwords,theyfoundthemselvesmovingtoandlivingin

avarietyofplaces.

Themiddleclasscollectivelyholdsseveralvaluesandprinciples.

Onestrongvalueistheneedtoearnenoughmoneytofeelthatonecan

determineone'sowneconomicfate.Inaddition,middleclassmorality

embracesprinciplesofindividualresponsibility,importanceoffamily,

obligationstoothers,andbelievinginsomethingoutsideoneself.2

Butinthe1990sthoseinthemiddleclassfoundthattherewasa

priceforsuccess.AU.S.News&WorldReportsurveyin1994indicated

that75percentofAmericansbelievedthatmiddleclassfamiliescould

nolongermakeendsmeet3.Bothspousesnowworked,asdidsomeof

thechildren;longcommutesbecameroutine;theneedforchildcareput

strainson4thefamily;andpublicschoolswerenotasgoodastheyonce

were.Membersofthemiddleclasswerenolongerfinancingtheir

lifestylesthroughearningsbutwereusingcredittostayafloat.The

understandingofjustwhatmiddleclassmeantwaschanging.

詞匯：

designation/dezig5nei??n/n,稱號commute/k?'mju:t/n.上下班路

程

mobility/m?u'bil?ti/n.流動性

注釋：

1.However,middleclassisnotarealdesignation,nordoesitcarry

privileges.然而，中產(chǎn)階級既不是一個真實的稱號，也不會帶來特別待遇。

2.Inaddition,middle-classmoralityembracesprinciplesof

individualresponsibility,importanceoffamily,obligationstoothers,

andbelievinginsomethingoutsideonesdlf.另外，中產(chǎn)階級的道德觀包

括個人的責任感、家庭的重要性、對他人的使命感以及相信自我以外的事物。

3.makeendsmeet：收支相抵，維持生活

4.putstrainson：帶來壓力

練習(xí):

1.Theinformationinthispassagedealswith.

A)anindividual

B)asocialandeconomicgroup

C)apoliticalorganization

D)government

2.Acommonmiddleclassvalueisthat.

A)peopleshouldalwayshavefun

B)childrenshouldbeseenandnotheard

C)debtisnothingtoworryabout

D)thefamilyisveryimportant

3.IntheyearsafterWorldWarII,themiddleclasscouldbedefined

as.

A)overburdenedandindebt

B)hardworkingandsuspicious

C)prosperousandoptimistic

D)youngandfoolish

4.Thephrase“Inotherwords“inthefirstparagraphmeansthat

thefollowingstatementis.

A)anexceptiontothepreviousidea

B)adenialofthepreviousidea

C)arestatementofthepreviousidea

D)acontrastingidea

5.Thewordcollectivelymeans.

A)asagroup

B)hesitatingly

C)unknowingly

D)weakly

答案與題解：

1.B本題的問題是：本文的信息是關(guān)于?本文通篇講述美國的中產(chǎn)階級，

指的是社會和經(jīng)濟群體，因此選擇B。

2.D本題的問題是：一個普遍的中產(chǎn)階級價值觀是?本篇第二段最后一句話

講到，”中產(chǎn)階級的道德觀包括個人的責任感、家庭的重要性、對他人的使命

感以及相信自我以外的事物”。A、B、C三個選項不包括在內(nèi)，因此正確答案是

Do

3.C本題的問題是：在二戰(zhàn)之后的幾年，中產(chǎn)階級可以被定義為，本篇第

一段提到了當時美國經(jīng)濟不斷增長并且人們生活水平有了提高，因此選擇C選

項，繁榮并且樂觀。

4.C本題的問題是：第一段中的“Inotherwords”這個短語與下列說法一

致的是，〃Inotherwords〃漢語意思是換句話來說，因此正確答案是C。

5.A本題的問題是：單詞"collectively〃的漢語意思是“相同地”，選擇

Ao

3

ALetterfromAlan

Ihavelearntofaplantobuildthreehundredhousesontheland

calledParson，sPlacebythefootballground.Fewpeopleknowaboutthis

newplantoincreasethesizeofourtown.Forme,Parson，sPlaceisspecial

becauseitisabeautifulnaturalareawherelocalpeoplecanrelax一

thesmallwoodhasmanyunusualtreesandthestreamispopularwith

fishermenandbird-watchers.It'sveryquietbecausetherearefewhouses

orroadsnearby.Ithinkthatlosingthisareawillbeterriblebecause

wehavenoothersimilarfacilitiesintheneighbourhood.

Iamalsoagainstthisplanbecauseitwillcausetrafficproblems.

Howwillthepeoplefromthenewhousestraveltowork?Themotorwayand

therailwaystationareontheothersideoftown.

Therefore,thesepeoplewillhavetodrivethroughthetowncentre

everytimetheygoanywhere.

Theroadswillalwaysbefulloftraffic,therewillbenowhereto

parkandthetouristswhocometoseeourlovelyoldbuildingswillleave.

Shopsandhotelswilllosebusiness.Ifthetownreallyneedsmorehomes,

theemptygroundbesidetheraiIwaystationisamoresuitableplace.

Nodoubtthebuilderswillmakealotofmoneybysellingthesehouses.

But,inmyopinion,theaveragepersonwillquicklybemadepoorerby

thisplan.Aswellasthis,wewillloseaveryspecialplaceandour

townwillbemuchlesspleasant.

IamgoingtothelocalgovernmentofficesonMondaymorningto

protestaboutthisplanandIhopethatyourreaderswilljoinmethere.

Wemustmakethemstopthisplanbeforeitistoolate.

詞匯：

facility/f?，sil?ti/n.場所，設(shè)施protest/pr?u'test/v.抗議

motorway/^m?ut?wei/n.高速公路

注釋：

1.Forme,Parson,sPlaceisspecialbecauseitisabeautifulnatural

areawherelocalpeoplecanrelax-thesmallwoodhasmanyunusualtrees

andthestreamispopularwithfishermenandbird-watchers.對我來說，

帕森場是非常特別的，因為它是一個美麗的天然場地并且當?shù)厝丝梢栽诖朔潘?/p>

休息。這片小樹林里有許多獨特的樹木并且這里的小溪受到了漁夫和野鳥觀察

者的歡迎。

2.Theroadswillalwaysbefulloftraffic,therewillbenowhere

toparkandthetouristswhocometoseeourlovelyoldbuildingswill

leave.公路上將總是有很多車輛，卻沒有地方停車，并且來參觀我們這兒可愛

的老式建筑物的觀光者將會離開這里。

3.Aswellasthis,wewillloseaveryspecialplaceandourtown

willbemuchlesspleasant.不但如此，我們將失去一個非常特別的地方并且

我們的城鎮(zhèn)將會失去很多快樂。

練習(xí):

1.WhyhasAlanwrittenthisletter?

A)Topersuadethegovernmenttobuildnewhouses.

B)Toprotestaboutanewmotorwaynearthetown.

C)ToencouragemorepeopleinthetowntouseParson*sPlace.

D)Toinformotherpeopleaboutthebuilders*plans.

2.WhyisParson,sPlaceparticularlyimportant,inAlan*sopinion?

A)Becauseitisnearthefootballground.

B)Becauselotsofpeoplelivenearit.

C)Becauseitisaplacenearthetownwherepeoplecanenjoynature.

D)Becauselocalpeoplecangetthereeasilybycarfromthetown.

3.Whatwillcausetrafficjams?

A)AbuildingonParson'sPlace.

B)BuildingneartheraiIwaystation.

C)Touristsinthenarrowstreets.

D)Peoplegoingtotheshopsandhotels.

4.Alansaysthatordinarypeoplewholiveinthetownwillprobably

soon.

A)opennewshopsandhotels

B)choosetolivenearthestation

C)beabletobuynewhomes

D)havelessmoney

5.WhichofthesepostershasAlanmade?

A)SAVEOURSPORTSGROUND

B)SAYNOTOHOUSESONPARSON*SPLACE

C)WENEEDHOMESNOTHOTELS

D)USETHETRAINNOTTHEROAD

答案與題解：

1.D本題問的是:為什么Alan寫這封信？A、B、C選項在文中沒有提到，D

選項的意思是讓其他人了解建筑商的計劃，因此D是正確答案。

2.C本題問的是:在Alan看來，為什么帕森場非常重要?第一段中提到“因

為它是一個美麗的天然場地并且當?shù)厝丝梢栽诖朔潘尚菹ⅰ薄Ｒ虼薈是正確答

案。

3.A本題問的是:什么將會引起交通堵塞?第二段提到了，如果按照建筑商

的計劃，那么“公路上將總是有很多車輛，卻沒有地方來停車”。因此選擇Ao

4.D本題問的是:Alan說住在城鎮(zhèn)的人們將來可能會，本文第三段提到“每

個人將會因這個計劃的實施而快速地變窮〃。因此選擇Do

5.B本題問的是：以下哪個是Alan制作的海報？Alan在本文中一直在說抵

制建筑商在帕森場上建造房屋的計劃，因此選擇B,對帕森場上的房屋說不。

4

TheDevelopmentofBallet

Balletisadanceformthathasalonghistory.Thefactthatit

survivestothisdayshowsthatithasadjustedastimeshavechanged.

BalletbeganintheroyalcourtsduringtheRenaissance.Atthattime

itbecamecommonforkingsandqueens,aswellasothernobility,to

participateinpageantsthatincludedmusic,poetry,anddance.Asthese

entertainmentsmovedfromtheItaliancourtstotheFrenchones,court

ladiesbeganparticipatinginthem.Thoughtheirlongdressesprevented

muchmovement,theywereabletoperformelaboratewalkingpatterns.It

wasnotuntilthe1600sthatwomendancersshortenedtheirskirts,changed

toflatshoes,andbegandoingsomeoftheleapsandturnsperformedby

men.

Itwasalsointhe1600sthatprofessionalballetbegan.KingLouis

XIVofFrance,himselfadevoteddancer,foundedtheRoyalAcademyof

Dance.Thefivebasicfeetpositionsfromwhichallballetstepsbegin

werefinalized.Inthelate1700sanotherimportantchangeoccurred.

Balletbegantotellastoryonitsown.Itwasnolongersimplydance

tobeperformedbetweenactsofplays.Elaboratewigsandcostumeswere

eliminated.Bytheearly1800sdancerslearnedtoriseontheirtoesto

makeitappearthattheywerefloating.

Classicalballetasweknowittodaywasinfluencedprimarilyby

Russiandancing.TheRussiansremainedinterestedinballetwhenit

declinedinotherEuropeancountriesinthemid-1800s.Oneofthemost

influentialfiguresoftheearly20thcenturywasSergeiDiaghilev.His

dancecompany,theBalletsRusses,broughtanewenergyandexcitement

toballet.Oneofhischiefassistants,GeorgeBalanchine>wentonto

foundtheNewYorkCityBalletin1948andtoinfluencenewgenerations

ofdancers.

詞匯：

adjust/?'d??st/v.調(diào)整eliminate/ilimineit/v.淘汰

pageant/'paed??nt/n.盛會influential/influ，en??l/adj.有影

響力的

注釋：

1.Atthattimeitbecamecommonforkingsandqueens,aswellas

othernobility,toparticipateinpageantsthatincludedmusic,poetry,

anddance.在那時，芭蕾舞在國王、王后以及貴族之間變得普遍，并且與音樂、

詩歌以及舞蹈一起參與到盛會的表演。

2.Itwasnotuntilthe1600sthatwomendancersshortenedtheir

skirts,changedtoflatshoes,andbegandoingsomeoftheleapsandturns

performedbymen.直到17世紀女舞者縮短了她們的裙子，改穿平底鞋，并且

通過男舞者的幫助開始做一些跳躍和轉(zhuǎn)圈動作。

3.Thefivebasicfeetpositionsfromwhichallballetstepsbegin

werefinalized.由此正式確定了腳的5個基本位置，這5個外開的位置成為

發(fā)展芭蕾舞技術(shù)的基礎(chǔ)。

練習(xí):

1.Thispassagedealsmainlywith?

A)famousnamesinballet

B)FrenchversusRussianballet

C)thewayballetdeveloped

D)whyballetisnolongerpopular

2.Animportantinfluenceinearlyballetwas.

A)Balanchine

B)MarieAntoinette

C)Diaghilev

D)LouisXIV

3.Youcanconcludefromthispassagethatballet.

A)isadyingart

B)willcontinuetochangeasnewpeopleandideasinfluenceit

C)isonlycurrentlyperformedinRussiaandtheUnitedStates

D)isoftenperformedbydancerswithlittletraining

4.Theinformationinthispassageispresented.

A)throughthestoryofonedancer

B)bydescribingvariouspositionsandsteps

C)bylistingreasonswhyballethassucceeded

D)inchronologicalorder

5.Thewordpageantsmeans.

A)dances

B)instructors

C)kings

D)elaborateshows

答案與題解：

1.C本題問的是:這篇文章主要講述的是，A、B、D選項都是文章的一部

分，而本文主要講的就是芭蕾舞的發(fā)展，因此C是正確答案。

2.D本題問的是:對于早期芭蕾舞最重要的影響是，本文第三段提到“在

17世紀，專業(yè)的芭蕾舞蹈團應(yīng)運而生”“法國國王路易十四建立了皇家舞蹈學(xué)

院”，因此D是正確答案。

3.B本題問的是:從這篇文章你可以總結(jié)出芭蕾，A、C、D選項在文中沒

有提到，結(jié)合本文最后一段可以看出B選項是正確的，芭蕾將隨著新的人物和

新的想法而改變。

4.D本題問的是:本文的信息是通過何種方式介紹的。本文從芭蕾舞的起

源開始一直介紹到芭蕾舞的現(xiàn)況，因此選擇D,按照時間前后的順序。

5.D本題問的是:單詞pageant的漢語意思是什么，正確答案是D,盛

大的表演。

11

ToHaveandHaveNot

Ithadbeenboringhangingaboutthehotelallafternoon.Theroad

crewwereplayingagamewithdollarnotes.Foldingthemintosmallplanes

toseewhosewouldflythefurthest.1Havingnothingbettertodo,Ijoined

inandwonfive,andthentooktheopportunitytoescapewithmyprofit.

Despitetheevil-lookingclouds,Ihadtogetoutforawhile.

Iheadedforashopontheothersideofthestreet.Unliketheothers,

itdidn'thaveasignshoutingitsnameandbusiness,andinsteadofthe

usualimpersonalmodernlighting,therewasanappealingglowinside.

Strangelynothingwasdisplayedinthewindow.Notputoffbythis,I

wentinside.

Ittookmybreathaway.Ididn，tknowwheretolook,wheretostart.

Ononewalltherehungthreehand-stitchedAmericanquiltsthatwerein

suchwonderfulconditiontheymighthavebeennewly-made.Icameacross

tintoysandantiquefurniture,andonthewallinfrontofme,a1957

Stratocasterguitar,alsoinexcellentcondition.Acardpushedbetween

thestringssaid$50.Iranmyhandalongalongshelfofrecords,reading

theirtitles.Andtherewasmore...

“CanIhelpyou?”Shestartledme.Ihadn，tevenseenthewoman

behindthecountercomein.Thewayshelookedatme,sodirectlyand

withsuchpower.ItwasalookofsuchintensitythatforamomentIfelt

asifIwerewrappedinsomekindofmagneticorelectricalfield.Ifound

ithardtotakeandalmostturnedaway.Butthoughitwasuncomfortable.

Iwasfascinatedbytheexperienceofherlookingstraightintome,and

bythefeelingthatIwasneitherastranger,norstrange,toher.

Besidesamusementherexpressionshowedsympathy.Itwasimpossible

totellherage;sheremindedmefaintlyofmygrandmotherbecause,

althoughhereyeswerefriendly,Icouldseethatshewasnotawoman

tofalloutwith.Ispokeatlast.'Iwasjustlookingreally,JIsaid,

thoughsecretlywonderinghowmuchofthestuffIcouldcramintothe

bus.

Thewomanturnedawayandwentatoncetowardsabackroom,indicating

thatIshouldfollowher.Butitinnowayliveduptothefirstroom.

Thelightmademefeelpeculiar,too.Itcamefromanoillampthatwas

hungfromthecentreoftheceilingandcreatedhugeshadowsover

everything.Therewerenorareelectricguitars,nooldnecklaces,no

hand-paintedboxeswithdelicateflowers.Itwasalsoobviousthatit

musthavetakenyears,decades,tocollectsomuchrubbish,somanyold

documentsaridpapers.

Inoticedsomeoldbooks,whosegoldletteringhadfaded,makingtheir

titlesimpossibletoread.’Theylookinteresting,JIsaid,withsome

hesitation.'Tobeabletounderstandthatkindofwritingyoumustfirst

havehadasimilarexperience,*shesaidclearly.Shenotedtheconfused

lookonmyface,butdidn,taddanything.

Shereachedupforasmallbookwhichshehandedtome.’Thisisthe

bestbookIcangiveyouatthemoment,1shelaughed."Ifyouuseit.”

Iopenedthebooktofinditfull,orratherempty,withblankwhitepages,

butpaidherthefewdollarssheaskedforit,becomingembarrassedwhen

Irealisedthenoteswerestillfoldedintolittlepaperplanes.Iput

thebookinmypocket,thankedherandleft.

詞匯：

impersonal/im*p?:s?n?l/adj.客觀的;非個人的;沒有人情味的；［語］

非人稱的n.［語］非人稱動詞;不具人格的事物

antique/aen'ti:k/adj.古老的，年代久遠的n.古董，古玩

startle/'sta:tl/vt.vi.使嚇■—跳，使驚奇n.驚愕,驚恐

arid/'ffirid/adj.干旱的，枯萎的。毫無生氣的

magnetic/maeg5netik/adj.有吸引力的，磁極的

注釋：

1.Theroadcrewwereplayingagamewithdollarnotes.Foldingthem

intosmallplanestoseewhosewouldforthefurthest.

巡回樂團道具管理組的成員在用美元玩兒游戲，把紙幣折成紙飛機的形狀

然后看誰飛得最遠。

2.Iwasfascinatedbytheexperienceofherlookingstraightinto

me,andbythefeelingthatIwasneitherastranger,norstrange,to

her.我還是覺得那種被直視的感覺很美妙，那種感覺是我既不是陌生人而且對

她來說并不陌生。

3.Thelightmademefeelpeculiar,too.Itcamefromanoillamp

thatwashungthecentreoftheceilingandcreatedhugeshadowsover

everything.

房間的燈光也讓我感覺和特別，燈光來自天花板上的油燈，使一切都籠罩

在巨大的陰影之下。

練習(xí)：

1.Whydidthewriterwanttoleavethehotel?

A.Toenjoythegoodweather.

B.Tohaveachangeofscene.

C.Tospendallhiswinnings.

D.Togetawayfromthecrew.

2.Whatattractedthewritertotheshop?

A.Thelackofasignorname.

B.Thefactthatitwasnearby.

C.Theemptywindowdisplay.

D.Thelightcomingfrominside.

3.Thewriterfoundthestockinthefrontoftheshop.

A.oftopquality

B.ofgoodvalue

C.difficulttogetat

D.badlydisplayed

4.Whatwasunusualaboutthewaythewomanlookedathim?

A.Itmadehimfeelself-conscious.

B.Shewashappytostareathim.

C.Sheseemedtoknowhimwell.

D.Itmadehimwanttolookaway.

5.Thewriterdislikedthebackroombecause.

A.therewashardlyanythinginit

B.shehadorderedhimtogothere

C.hesawnothinghereallyliked

D.itwastoodarktolookaround

答案與題解:

1.B本題的問題是：為什么作者想要離開賓館？由本文第一段第一句可以

得出答案。在賓館是十分無聊的，最后一句也寫出作者不顧天氣不好而想要出

去走走，A,C選項錯誤，D選項未提及