Though I have traveled in hundreds of
trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me. But one day in a train
something did happen. I do not mean that I was hurt: no one was hurt.
I do my work in a hot country far away from
England. Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come
back to England to have a rest. So every September I go to Paris and take a
train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.
There is one very fast train from Paris to
Mendova, and it suits me well. It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at
Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in. It is called The
Flying Bluebird. It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the
morning, and it is never late.
A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven,
and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well.
I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go
from the station to the ship. That is more than enough time.
Well, one September night, I took my place
in The Flying Bluebird as usual. The train leaves Paris at nine o’clock
every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight. There were three
or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train.
When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in
the corridor(走廊).
In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more
travelers to get into the train.
I could see a lot of other people outside
the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris
without them. The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions:
“Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married?
How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How
much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?”
He asked questions for about twenty minutes
but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to
read the paper.
I usually sleep quite well in the train,
but this time I slept only a little. There were too many people, and there were
too many things: small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and
food. As usual, we got angry about the window. Most people wanted it shut, and two
of us wanted it open. But that always happens. It was shut all night, as usual.
When I awoke in the early morning I felt
hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end. At seven minutes
past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped. We were at Mendova, and I stood
up thankfully. I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to
move towards the door into the corridor. In order to get out of the train, I
had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end. There was no other
way out.
I could not even into the corridor. There
was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way.
I felt a touch of fear. I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship,
which left at half past eleven. And the train did not stop again until it
reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.
“I must get out!” I cried. Everyone there
understood me, but no one could move.
At last I was able to put one foot over the
suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor. But
then, very slowly, the train began to move. It was taking me away!
“Stop!” I cried. “I want to get out!” But
no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care
much. The train moved a little faster. What could I do? I was not even in the
corridor.
Fear made me think quickly. In front of my
eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the
train. I had to pull an iron thing near the notice. I did not waste time. I
pulled it.
Well, a noise started above our heads.
That was to show everyone that there was something wrong. It was not a small
sound. Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it. Then the train
stopped.
No one likes to stop a train if there is no
need. But I had to catch my ship. That was the only thought in my mind: to get
out and catch my ship.
1.The purpose of the author writing the
first paragraph is to __________.
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A.answer some questions
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B.express some unusual feelings
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C.arouse the readers’ curiosity
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D.give some advice in advance
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2.What do we know about the author and the
man sitting next to him?
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A.They talked with each other all night
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B.They got angry about the window
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C.The author didn’t understand the man’s words
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D.The author didn’t like the man’s foolish questions
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3.On this journey on The Flying Bluebird,
the author felt uncomfortable because ___________.
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A.he couldn’t find a seat by the window
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B.he was angry with the man sitting next to him
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C.there were too many people on the train
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D.the window was kept shut all night
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4.It can be learned from Para. 10 that the
author was afraid that ____________.
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A.he would have to spend another sleepless night on the train
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B.he would miss the ship that went where he worked
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C.more people might crowd into the train
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D.he would have to buy another ticket
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5.The noise in the underlined sentence “a
noise started above our heads”(Para.15)was
made by __________.
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A.the angry passengers shouting at the top of their voices
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B.the ship that was lying two miles away
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C.the falling of boxes and suitcases to the floor
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D.the train itself telling people that something was wrong
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6.What would be the best title for the
text?
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A.A Bad Experience on the Train
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B.A Train that Is Never Late
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C.A Quick and Wise Decision
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D.A Journey to Mendova
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