______ the light of what you have told me, I will say that it is he who came here yesterday.

a. By b. In c. Of d. Under

       The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.

       “So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name ? ”

       “Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.

       “Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”

       “Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.

       “Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in . In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.

       “  ‘You are clearing too much land, ’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’

       “ ‘ Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”

       “Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”

       “What happened ? ” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.

       “The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned, ” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”

       “What a stupid story, ” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted(晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

56.  The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.

       A. courage                B. assistance                   C. instruction                    D. challenge

57.  Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story ?

       A. To frighten them.

       B. To satisfy their curiosity.

       C. To warn them of the danger of the place.

       D. To persuade them to camp in the swamp.

58.  Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man ?

       A. The old man envied him.                              B. The old man was foolish

       C. He was too busy to listen to others.                   D. He was greedy for more crops.

59.  Why did Tom scream and faint ?

       A. He saw Dennis’s shadow                             B. He was scared by a plant

       C. His friends played a joke on him.                D. The weather became extremely cold.

60.        What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis ?

       A. Grasp all, lose all.                                          B. No sweat, no sweet.

       C. It is no use crying over spilt milk.                 D. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

Alone in the light at the dining room table, surrounded by a nearly dark house, I sat in tears.
Finally, I  36  in getting both kids to bed. As a new single  37 , I had to be both Mommy and Daddy to my two little children.
With full rights of my children, I  38  to give them a normal and comfortable home life. I  39  a happy face for them.
I rose slowly, trying not to  40  even the least sound which might start them up  41 . I tiptoed(蹑手蹑脚地走) out of their room,  42  the door part way, and went downstairs.
And loneliness(孤独). I  43  as thought I were at the bottom(底部) of a great sea of loneliness. It all  44  together and I was at once lost. I sat there,  45  crying.
Just then, a pair of little  46  went around my middle and a little face looked up at me. I looked down into my five-year-old son’s  47  face.
I was shy to be  48  crying by my son. “I’m sorry. Ethan, I didn’t know you were stillo awake.” I don’t know why, but so many people  49  when they cry and I was no exception. “I didn’t  50  to cry. I’m just a little  51  tonight.”
“It’s okay, Daddy. It’s okay to cry; you’re just  52 .”
I couldn’t express(表达) how happy he made me, this little boy, who was simple, gave me  53  to cry. He seemed to be saying that I didn’t have to always be  54 , and that sometimes it was possible to allow myself to feel weak and let out my  55 .

Alone in the light at the dining room table, surrounded by a nearly dark house, I sat in tears.
Finally, I  36  in getting both kids to bed. As a new single  37 , I had to be both Mommy and Daddy to my two little children.
With full rights of my children, I  38  to give them a normal and comfortable home life. I  39  a happy face for them.
I rose slowly, trying not to  40  even the least sound which might start them up  41 . I tiptoed(蹑手蹑脚地走) out of their room,  42  the door part way, and went downstairs.
And loneliness(孤独). I  43  as thought I were at the bottom(底部) of a great sea of loneliness. It all  44  together and I was at once lost. I sat there,  45  crying.
Just then, a pair of little  46  went around my middle and a little face looked up at me. I looked down into my five-year-old son’s  47  face.
I was shy to be  48  crying by my son. “I’m sorry. Ethan, I didn’t know you were still awake.” I don’t know why, but so many people  49  when they cry and I was no exception. “I didn’t  50  to cry. I’m just a little  51  tonight.”
“It’s ok, Daddy. It’s okay to cry; you’re just  52 .”
I couldn’t express(表达) how happy he made me, this little boy, who was simple, gave me  53  to cry. He seemed to be saying that I didn’t have to always be  54 , and that sometimes it was possible to allow myself to feel weak and let out my  55 .

The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.
“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name?”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.
“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.
“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“‘You are clearing too much land,’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’
“‘Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened?” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned,” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story,” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.
【小题1】The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.