9．One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes．Friends were called and the field was searched long but in vain（徒劳）．Later，when the potatoes were harvested，everyone looked out for the ring but it remained lost．Another year came round and all the farmers working in the field kept their eyes open．The following year was the same．And year after year，whoever had business in the field always had Nancy's ring in his mind．
Then the farm changed hands but it went no farther than to cousins．So the memory of the lost ring remained alive until thirty-eight years had passed．Then came a spring day when a man was ploughing the field behind a pair of horses．Even after thirty-eight years he still looked out for the ring，and knew just which part of the field Nancy had lost it in．At this time，when he came there，he found it．He picked it up，put it carefully into his pocket，left his horse，and ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy's hand．
21．How did Nancy come to lose her ring？D
A．She lost it while helping to harvest tomatoes in the field
B．She lost it while watering the plants in the field．
C．She lost it while working in the field．
D．She lost it while helping to plant potatoes in the field．
22．What did the ploughman do after finding the ring？D
A．He picked it up and put it in his pocket．
B．He ran back to tell everybody in the village．
C．He placed it in a secret spot．
D．He returned it to the owner．
23．What can you infer from the story？B
A．The ring was invaluable．
B．People on the farm were honest and helpful．
C．The ring's disappearance was the work of supernatural power．
D．Nancy no longer expected that her ring would be found again．
分析 本文讲述了新婚的南希在种土豆时把戒指掉到地里，每个人都帮她找，但没找到．若干年后，这块土地几经转手，但人们记住了南希掉戒指的地方．38 年后，有个人在那块土地上找到了她的戒指，并马上送还给她．
解答 21．D：细节题：根据第一段种"One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes"可知戒指是在帮忙种土豆时丢的．故选D．
22．D：细节题：根据第二段最后一句"ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy's hand．"他跑回村子把戒指放到南希的手上．故选D．
23．B：主旨题：阅读全文可知南溪丢戒指时，所有人都帮助她找．38年后人们找到南希的戒指，立刻还给她，可知这里的人们淳朴诚实，乐于助人．故选B．
点评 本篇文章主要是细节理解方面的题型，需要考生通过跳读迅速找到对应的句子进行详细理解，句子的理解可以结合上下文意思，通过逻辑推理得到．
