A tall figure appeared from the dark door of the tent. It was a smoking young man about twenty three or four. He had an almost black face, though smooth. His moustache was black with curled points. There was an unusual force in his face, and in his daring rolling eyes. cef

　　Rebecca still stood hesitating like a swimmer about to make his dive, hardly knowing whether to return or move forward.

         "Hi, my beauty, what can I do for you?" said he, approaching. Realizing that she was quite at a loss, the man spoke in a gentle voice, "Never mind. I am Mr. Thackeray. Have you come to see me or my mother?"

　　This scene differed greatly from what Rebecca had expected. She had dreamed of an aged and dignified(威严的) face. She told herself to be calm and answered "I came to see your mother, sir."

　　"I am afraid you cannot see her-she is ill in bed," replied the representative of the house; for this was Mr. Alee Thackeray, the only son of the noble family. "What is the business you wish to see her about?"

　　"It isn't business-it is-I can hardly say what!"

　　"Pleasure?"

　　"Oh no. Why, sir, if I tell you, it will seem..."

　　Rebecca's sense of a certain ridicule(奚落，讥笑) was now so obvious and strong that, despite her general discomfort at being here, her rosy lips curved(弯曲) towards a smile, much to the attraction of the young man.

　　"It is so foolish", she murmured. "I fear I can't tell you!"

　　"Never mind; I like foolish things. Try again, my dear," said he kindly.

　　"Mother told me to come," Rebecca continued; "and, indeed, I was in the mind to do so myself. But I did not expect it would turn out like this. I came…sir, I came to tell you that we are of the same family as you."

　　"Ho Ho! Poor relations?"

　　"Yes."

　　"Rossetti?"

　　"No. Thackeray."

　　"Ay, ay; I mean Thackeray."

　　"Our names are worn away to Durbeyfield; but we have several proofs that we are Thackeray. The local scholars hold the view that we are, and...and we have an old seal and a silver spoon marked with the same castle as yours. So mother said we ought to make ourselves known to you, as we've lost our horse by a bad accident. We can hardly make a living."

    "It’s very kind of your mother, I'm sure." Alec looked at Rebecca as he spoke, in a way that made her uneasy. "And so, my pretty girl, you've come on a friendly visit to us, as relations?"

　　"I suppose I have," looking less confident and uncomfortable again.

"Well, there's no harm in it. I mean it doesn’t hurt to come and make yourself known to me. Where do you live? What are you?" …

1.While meeting with Alec, Rebecca feels _______during the whole course.

A. nervous and uneasy

B. excited and hopeful

C. amazed and comfortable

D. pleased but embarrassed.

2.Which of the following is suitable to describe Rebecca’s impression of Alec?

A. unfriendly and ta lkative

B. forceful and daring

C. gentle and reliable

D. older than expected

3.What is Rebecca’s real purpose of making this visit?

A. To see Alec himself.

B. To see Alec's mother.

C. To confirm that they are of the same family.

D. To make known their relationship and seek help.

4.From the passage, we can conclude that Alec appears quite friendly to Rebecca largely because __________.

A. Rebecca is his distant relation

B. Rebecca looks polite to him

C. Rebecca is a pretty girl

D. Rebecca looks ridiculous

 

阅读理解

We shall not drown if we remember these rules:

1. Never 　　 swim alone.
2. Never 　　 swim at a beach if there is no lifeguard.
3. Never 　　 swim after a meal or when you feel hungry.
4. Never 　　 rely on rings, floats or other swimming aids. You may lose them or they 　　 may let you sink.
5. Do 　　 not stay in the water too long, especially if it is cold.
6. Before 　　 you dive, be sure that the water is deep enough and that you will not hit 　　 anybody.
7. Never 　　 go out in a boat if you can’t swim or if you are not wearing a life 　　 jacket.

If you fall into difficulty, this is that you should do:

1.　　   Keep calm. Save your strength and breath.

2.　　   Try to float on your back or tread(踩)water. To tread water, move your feet as if you are climbing some stairs.

3.　　   Raise your right arm for help.

Remember: A red flag means that it is dangerous for all swimmers to enter the water. A blue flag means that it is dangerous for children and weak swimmers to enter the water.

1．When you see a red flag, you know that　　   .

A. no one should swim there

B. anyone may swim there

C. only strong swimmers should swim there

D. children should swim there

2．We can go swimming   　　.

A. after a meal　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. if we have a ring

C. in deep cold water　　　　　　　　　　 D. with our friends

3．We should dive only when　　    .

A. the water is deep enough

B. the water is warm

C. the water is cold

D. we are not alone

4．What the writer wants to say is 　　　　.

A. rings and floats are of no use

B. boats are not safe

C. we must be very careful in swimming

D. swimming is a bad sport

5．We should　　   when in difficulty.

A. hold our breath

B. keep calm and let other know

C. put up our arms

D. be silent

 

___________ a fine day, Shenzhou VI will be launched on time according to its planned time.

A. Being   　　 B. It being  　　　　C. To be  　　　D. It is

 

　　　 While watching the Olympics the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight．It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage．

　　　 The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks．For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified．That left only one to complete．It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important．

　　　 I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong．I'm not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality．When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold — his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle．The crowd started to laugh．Clearly this man was not a medal competitor．

　　　 I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time．Finally he made his turn to start back．It was pitiful．He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out．

　　　 But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed．

　　　 No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer．Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did．

　　　 A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race．The crowd went wild．You would have thought that he had won the gold, and he should have．Even though he was recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors．

　　　 Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race．His country had been invited to Sydney．

　　　 In a competition where athletes remove their silver medals feeling they have somehow been cheated out of gold, or when they act so proudly in front of their competitors, it is nice to watch an underdog．

51. From the passage we can learn that the young man ________．

　　　 A. made his turn to start back pitifully　　　　　　　

B. was skillful in freestyle in the game

　　　 C. swam faster than the average swimmer　　　　

D. was not capable enough to win the medal

52. The crowd changed their attitudes because ________．

　　　 A. they felt sorry for the young man　　　　　　　　　

B. they were moved by the young man

　　　 C. they wanted to show their sympathy　　　　　　

D. they meant to please the young man

53. According to the passage, “it is nice to watch an underdog” probably means _______．

　　　 A. it’s amusing to watch a man with awful swimming skills

　　　 B. it’s amazing to watch an ordinary man challenging himself

　　　 C. it’s cheerful for athletes to act proudly before their competitors

　　　 D. it’s brave enough for some athletes to remove the silver medals

54. What’s the best title for the passage?

　　　 A. Compete for Gold!　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

B. Try again!

　　　 C. Break a Record!　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

D. Go for it!

_______ a fine day, Shenzhou VI will be launched on time according to its planned time.

A. Being　　　　 B. It being　　　　　 C. To be　　　　　 D. It is